Davy Knowles (photo © live4ever)
Britain’s most ferocious roots guitarist since the heyday of the Yardbirds, 22-year-old Isle Of Man-born Davy Knowles returns to the UK with his band Back Door Slam and his brand new album “Coming Up For Air” which was released on November 9th by Blixstreet Records.
The album was produced by Grammy Award winning guitarist Peter Frampton and mixed by Bob Clearmountain (Bruce Springsteen, The Who, Paul McCartney). After spending two years wowing audiences in every state of the US and supporting legends such as Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, Kid Rock, Lynyrd Skynrd and Chickenfoot, Davy felt it was time to concentrate on his homeland.
His UK debut “Coming Up For Air” features the crème de la crème of musical talent on it such as Fritz Lewak (drums) and Kevin McCormick on bass (Jackson Browne’s rhythm section), respected British singer and Richard Thompson band member Christine Collister on backing vocals, and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ Benmont Tench on keyboards. The album features 11 brand new studio tracks and one cover of “Hear Me Lord” by George Harrison.
Coming Up For Air , Live
“Coming Up For Air” has shot into the focus of much critical acclaim in the UK in only a matter of months. At a highly successful London show at the Borderline in early October, with relatively little advance press, Knowles managed to completely pack the venue. For a blues artist, one would expect a mature audience, but Davy’s crowd was completely mixed, with young girls standing in awe in the front row with their mobile phones filming him throughout, and lining up to talk to him after the show, mesmerised both by his youthful looks and his guitar wizardry. Knowles, it seems, has finally broken down some of the stereotypical barriers associated with blues music, with a style equally admired by experts and newcomers.
A prestigious full-page feaure in the Sunday Times’ Culture section followed in November, which quickly led to his track “Coming Up For Air” being playlisted on Radio 2, a complete rarity for the blues genre. Regular plays of “Coming Up For Air” on Wogan’s breakfast show (the largest radio show in Europe) followed the playlist, in a style of music almost never heard in that peaktime morning slot. BBC Breakfast TV has also been quick to catch on to the success story of Davy Knowles, personally emailing Davy’s manager to request a slot with Davy on his next UK visit. This is now scheduled in for February, when Davy will also be performing another London show (venue TBC). UK-based blogs have sprung up overnight, with people following Davy’s every move and ever-increasing recognition. Followers have described how they drove from all over to catch Davy live in London in October, and how their expectations were not disappointed by his incredible performance.
With Classic Rock soon to run a “next big thing” feature on Davy in their High Hopes section, the future looks bright for Knowles. The Isle of Man native is proving that blues/rock guitar could very well be the next big thing with a style that unites young and old blues followers. The ever-expanding army of Davy Knowles fans will surely agree!
Davy Knowles is scheduled to return to the UK in February 2010; a London show will be announced imminently.
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Davy’s music has won over many, many of us here in the States! So happy that he is getting such a good response from folks in the UK too!
Davy is the most exciting musician to come along for me since I heard the opening notes of Ball and Chain 42 years ago in Monterey. The fact that he’s a humble, appreciative person only adds to his charm. I predict that his name will be known in the ranks of his influences – Jimi, Stevie, Rory – all of them – Davy doesn’t just “play like them”, it’s as if he is channeling them.