Davy Knowles (born 1987) is a blues guitarist and singer. Knowles, formerly of the blues-rock band Back Door Slam, is now working as a solo artist under the name Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam. With Back Door Slam, he played lead guitar and sang on their debut album, Roll Away. After a split-up with bassist Adam Jones and drummer Ross Doyle, Knowles released his first solo album, Coming Up for Air, on May 19, 2009. Knowles drew his musical influences from blues musicians that he grew up listening to such as Dire Straits, Peter Green, and Eric Clapton's Cream. Due to his home country's proximity to Ireland, Knowles has stated that his music also is influenced by the Celtic genre, which is noted to be present in the song "Roll Away". In April 2009, Knowles toured with British guitarist Jeff Beck on his American tour, where he was the opening act. He toured with Joe Satriani and Chickenfoot in the United States through December 2009. Davy Knowles toured with The Rhythm Devils in 2010.
Knowles was born in 1987 in Port St Mary, Isle of Man. At age 11, Knowles first became interested in music when he heard Dire Straits's "Sultans of Swing" during a car ride with his father. Promptly, he took his father's guitar and learned how to play the song by ear. As Knowles grew older, he was influenced by other artists like Dire Straits that he found in his father's music collection such as Rory Gallagher, Eric Clapton, and Robert Johnson.
As a child, Knowles briefly took guitar lessons, but did not prefer the traditional way of learning how to play. After he stopped taking lessons he taught himself. Knowles attended Castle Rushen High School in Castletown, Isle of Man, where he met future band-mates Ross Doyle, Adam Jones, and Jamie Armstrong.
In 2008, at age 21, Knowles formed Back Door Slam along with drummer Ross Doyle and bassist Jamie Armstrong, the band originally played only local shows around their hometown area of Port St. Mary. Shortly after, Armstrong quit the band to attend college in England, so Knowles brought in bassist and high school friend Adam Jones to replace him. In 2006, the band began to write their first record, with Knowles writing every song on the album with the exception of their cover of Blind Joe Reynolds' "Outside Woman Blues". On 26 June 2007, Knowles and Back Door Slam released their debut album, Roll Away. Knowles played lead guitar (both electric and acoustic) and sang the lead throughout the whole album.
In 2008, after their first album released and was at number 7 on the Blues Billboard Chart, Knowles and Back Door Slam gained exposure at the South by Southwest Festival, Coachella, and Lollapalooza. At the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, Knowles and the band shot their first concert DVD, Back Door Slam: Live from Bonnaroo.
Early in 2009, Knowles unexpectedly released a statement from the band, stating that they had split up, and each of the band's members were going to begin to pursue their own separate careers in music. "After much thought and soul searching, we have reached the painful decision that we should part ways at this time," said Knowles in a statement on the band's website. "The decision was the hardest of our lives, but it's one we believe had to be made in order for each of us to move forward creatively and musically," he added.
After the breakup with Back Door Slam, Knowles quickly began his solo career under the name "Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam". His new backing band contained Fritz Lewak at drums, Kevin McCormick at bass guitar, and Benmont Tench of The Heartbreakers at keyboards. Knowles said in an interview that he had gotten much stronger and comfortable with singing and songwriting during the time that he began to write his first solo album. On 16 June 2009, Knowles released his first solo album, entitled Coming Up For Air. This new album became quite popular among blues listeners, as it rose to number 2 on the Billboard Blues Albums Charts on two separate occasions, on July 11 and July 25, 2009.
After the release of his new album, Knowles went on tour, playing at several notable summer music festivals including the Mile High Festival, Rothbury Festival, Lollapalooza, and Summerfest, where he opened for Buddy Guy. In December 2009 Davy Knowles performed the song Come Home, live at BETA Records TV Studios in Hollywood, California. The acoustic song segment is taken from Season 3 of the BETA Records Music TV Series, directed by Eric MacIver and produced by Chris Honetschlaege. (Link to video) He is now on the road as Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam, with PK (bass), Steven Barci (drums) and Ty Bailie (keys). They opened for Chickenfoot in August/Sept 2009. In June 2009, Chickenfoot guitarist Joe Satriani described Davy as his "new favourite modern-day bluesman" in a Playlist article in the Sunday Times. He was on tour with The Rhythm Devils. And he's now working on a new album.
Knowles uses a number of different guitars while on stage. His primary electric guitar until mid-2009 was the 1962 Fender Stratocaster Reissue, which he uses with Fender's SCN Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Stratocaster pickups. Knowles's other electric guitars are the Stevie Ray Vaughan Model Fender Stratocaster and Rio Grande brand pickups. Knowles uses the reissued Fender Mustang, which is only currently available in Japan. Knowles has one acoustic guitar that is used when he performs, a Gibson J-45 Acoustic. Along with these guitars, Knowles also uses Dean Markley guitar strings, ranging from 0.10 to 0.52 gauge. In mid-2009, Knowles began primarily using Paul Reed Smith guitars and Budda Amps while onstage. Knowles now uses PRS guitars, particularly the PRS 305.
Knowles has two amplifiers for use with his guitars. The first is the Vox AC30 Heritage Collection Amp, and the other is the 1965 Fender Twin Reverb. For his effects, Knowles uses the Dunlop Cry Baby for his Wah pedal, and the Fulltone Distortion Pro for his distortion and a Behringer kazoo. Davy Knowles now uses the Freekish Blues Freek Out! for fuzz. In addition to this, Knowles occasionally plays a 1944 Martin brand mandolin and a Dallas Arbiter electric trampoline in some of his songs.
The next artist on my “Hot List” is Jack White.
If there ever was a modern blues purist, Jack White is it. White uses a minimum of effects, and goes the vintage route most of the time. His setup is little more than a guitar plugged straight in to an amp, aside from an occasional fuzz pedal or some pitch shifters that he would use a lot in his work with The White Stripes. It might not be obvious on the surface, but The White Stripes were essentially a blues band. On their first album they covered the Robert Johnson penned “Stop Breaking Down” as well as the folksong “St. James Infirmary Blues.” Once you catch on to their blues roots, it becomes obvious that it defines everything The White Stripes did, and all that Jack White has done since. For example, listen to the excellent “Will There Be Enough Water?” from Horehound, the first album by The Dead Weather.
Until next time, remember to help “SUPPORT LIVE MUSIC” . . .
MUSICIAN by Night
GOD Save “The Blues”
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