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Southern Pacific Sessions

Bio
Blog
Gigs
New Album!
- Album Preview
- Purchase Here
Video
Online Lessons
Southern Pacific Sessions

Competition Wins

October 14, 2019 / .

Won first place fiddle and second place banjo at this year’s Santa Barbara Fiddle Festival!

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Goleta – 10/12/19 – Santa Barbara Old Time Fiddlers’ Festival

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Brooklyn, NY – 10/16/19 – Jalopy Theatre

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clintonrossdavis

San Diego will have some rare opportunities to cat

San Diego will have some rare opportunities to catch @zacsokolow sitting in on banjo with the stringband this weekend!

FRIDAY 6-8pm @grandolebbqflinnsprings
SATURDAY 2pm @leucadia101mainstreet Summer Fun On The 101 Festival

This is a clip from my 2021 album release show in LA (thanks for the shot @kelly_marie_martin!). The tune is "Old Virge" which comes from Bill Livers (1911-1988), a black fiddler that lived a few miles away from where I grew up in Northern Kentucky. The tune is named for, and passed down from Bill's grandfather Virgil, who was born into slavery.

Coming to North County San Diego soon for the @leu

Coming to North County San Diego soon for the @leucadia101mainstreet Summer Fun on the 101 Music Festival. Special guest @zacsokolow will be joining the band on banjo and who knows what else!

Beautiful week of traveling to my favorite places

Beautiful week of traveling to my favorite places in California, culminating with some great sets with @skilletlicorice at the @californiabluegrass Father’s Day Festival main stage!

Very excited to announce I’ll be playing at the

Very excited to announce I’ll be playing at the @subduedstringbandjamboree in beautiful Bellingham, Washington August 11-13. I’ll play a solo set, back @marakaye, and give some workshops . Shoot, I might even get to play a square dance out in the woods if I’m lucky. Tix just went on sale so check out their ig for links.

Gonna hit the ground running in June. Shows in Ari

Gonna hit the ground running in June. Shows in Arizona and across California, including my first time at the CBA Father’s Day Fest with Skillet Licorice. Hope to see you there. More info in my bio link.

The most Kentuckinest trip a Kentuckian ever did K

The most Kentuckinest trip a Kentuckian ever did Kentucky. Miss this place all the time and all the things ya just can’t find in California.

Yesterday, in the middle of my gig, I was surprise

Yesterday, in the middle of my gig, I was surprised and honored to receive the commission of Kentucky Colonel from my banjo student, fellow Kentuckian, and unbeknownst to me, Colonel Sammy Knight. “The Kentucky Colonelcy is the highest title of honor bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky.” It is issued by the Governor upon the recommendation of other Colonels “in recognition of noteworthy accomplishments and outstanding service to our community, state, and nation.”

Ever since I was a kid I’ve seen fellow Kentuckians I admire awarded these - sometimes even other musicians - and would imagine how cool it would be to be a colonel one day. Early on in my Friday gig, I recognized Sammy in the audience and couldn’t help but notice his formal dress, complete with western bow tie and regal walking cane, but I didn’t think twice about it. Towards the end of my set he walked up to the stage and told me he’d been given permission from the venue’s management to make an announcement, and then he made my day! Thank you Sammy for nominating me for my study, performance, and teaching of Kentucky music, and for the surprise presentation!

This now officially extends my title to Col. Dr. Clinton Davis.

Arizona is pretty awesome. Just back from a week o

Arizona is pretty awesome. Just back from a week of hikes, friends, gigs, and honky-tonkin. And I got a new fiddle ta boot. Come hear me play it in San Diego at @grandolebbqflinnsprings this Friday 6-8 with my stringband.

Instagram post 17932961284969560

Instagram post 17932961284969560

Looking forward to a return to Prescott, AZ next w

Looking forward to a return to Prescott, AZ next week. And, I’ll still be holding things down in San Diego with my monthly residencies at @blackcatbar619 and @grandolebbqflinnsprings

From now til Friday 3/25 everything on my Bandcamp

From now til Friday 3/25 everything on my Bandcamp store is 20% off! This includes my newest solo album, the album I made with stringband Skillet Licorice, and the guitar instructional DVD I created for Stefan Grossman’s Guitar Workshop. Find the link in my bio, and use the discount code “madeyoulook”
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#oldtime #bluegrass #folk #folkmusic #traditionalmusic
#banjo #banjolessons #clawhammer #dropthumbsnotbombs #vegabanjos #deeringbanjos #scruggs #fiddletunes #guitar #guitarist #jellyrollmorton #ragtimeguitar #jazzguitar #nolamusic #guitarlessons #acousticguitar #guitarsolo #guitarsdaily #ragtime #ragtimeguitar #blue #bluesmusic #bluesguitar #countryblues #onlineguitarlessons

May 5th in San Diego my stringband will be opening

May 5th in San Diego my stringband will be opening for Grammy-winning Cajun fiddle legend Michael Doucet with Tom Rigney & Flambeau at the opening concert for this year’s @gatorbythebay.

Made a mono 45rpm lathe-cut record with stringband

Made a mono 45rpm lathe-cut record with stringband megaband Skillet Licorice and Echo Mountain at @impossiblerailroadtradingpost . Pretty wild. Sounds like a Lomax recording

Join me in congratulating my student Nicholas who

Join me in congratulating my student Nicholas who was recently accepted into the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts on banjo! Here’s a clip from his audition tape, playing Hobart Smith’s “Cindy.”
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#oldtime #bluegrass #folk #folkmusic #traditionalmusic #banjo #banjomusic #banjoplayer #banjolessons #clawhammerbanjo #clawhammer #frailing #dropthumbsnotbombs #vegabanjos #deeringbanjos #scruggs #banjoteacher

Got an @sdmusicawards nomination for my album! Als

Got an @sdmusicawards nomination for my album! Also proud to have performed on the albums of fellow nominees @enterthebluesky , @thecedarshakers , and @outlawronhouston
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#oldtime #bluegrass #folk #folkmusic #traditionalmusic
#banjo #banjomusic #banjoplayer #banjolessons #clawhammerbanjo #clawhammer #frailing #dropthumbsnotbombs #vegabanjos #deeringbanjos #scruggs #fiddle #fiddletunes #fiddler #fiddlemusic #fiddletune

Amos Johnson Rag. Amos Johnson was an early 20th-c

Amos Johnson Rag.
Amos Johnson was an early 20th-century black guitar player from Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. I'm not aware of any recordings of Johnson, but this tune circulated amongst other guitarists in the region. Mose Rager learned it directly from Johnson, and then shared it with Merle Travis, who later arranged and recorded the tune, retitled as "Guitar Rag." Tennessee guitarist Sam McGee also played the tune though he also learned it from an intermediate source, and not from Johnson directly.

For online lessons visit the linktree in my bio.
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#guitar #guitarist #merletravis #thumbpick #thumbpicking #guitarsolo #fingerstyle #fingerstyleguitar #guitarteacher #onlinelessons

Leake County Two-Step. Shot in the orchards of Tor

Leake County Two-Step. Shot in the orchards of Tornillo, Texas during some downtime at @sonicranch recording studio.
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#banjo #banjomusic #banjoplayer #banjolessons #clawhammerbanjo #clawhammer #frailing #fiddletunes #melodicbanjo #dropthumbsnotbomb #bluegrass #bluegrassmusic #bluegrassbanjo

Just wrapped a beautiful week of producing a colle

Just wrapped a beautiful week of producing a collection of songs from @stephen.el.rey at the amazing creative monastery that is @sonicranch . It’s been a week of intense focus, patient work, and great fulfillment, tucked away in a pecan orchard under El Paso sunsets and dark night skies while freight trains whine in the distance. I am so proud to be a part of this work and excited for my friend to share it with the world. Many thanks to the ranch crew and engineer @mauropcastro . We couldn’t have done it without you!

@deeringbanjos has included my album “If I Live

@deeringbanjos has included my album “If I Live and I Don’t Get Killed” on a list of their favorite banjo albums of 2021. Happy to be on this list of heavy hitters. Available for purchase in my bio linktree.
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#oldtime #bluegrass #folk #folkmusic #traditionalmusic #banjo #banjomusic #banjoplayer #banjolessons #clawhammerbanjo #clawhammer #frailing #dropthumbsnotbombs #vegabanjos #deeringbanjos

Instagram post 17902417832514163

Instagram post 17902417832514163

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Recent Posts

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Opening for Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms
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