David Davis and the Warrior River Boys to Perform in the Spring
For David Davis, Bluegrass music is a a family tradition.
It is the music handed down to him by his grandfather and father, and a treasured part of his northern Alabama upbringing.
But perhaps most important to the 44-year-old leader of the Warrior River Boys is that bluegrass allows him to express his soul as an artist.
"Bluegrass demands honesty from a musician," Davis said earlier this week from his home in Cullman, Ala.
"The music we play comes from a lot of different directions and influences, but always with the desire to make honest, heartfelt music. We've been fortunate that there seems to be a lot of people out there that like what we do."
The Warrior River Boys have a long and rich history in bluegrass music, dating back to the early 1960s.
Under the leadership of banjo player Garry Thurmond, the group was noted for a robust sound that was steeped in the styling of Bill Monroe.
Davis, who had played mandolin with several northern Alabama bands, was invited to join in 1982. Two years later, Thurmond was forced to retire because of health problems, leaving the reins to the 23-year-old mandolinist.
Davis immediately went to work building the band's visibility, landing dates at prestigious bluegrass festivals such as Bill Monroe's Bean Blossom Festival and the Festival of the Blue Grass in Kentucky, as well as at county and state fairs along the East Coast. In 1987, the band signed with Rounder Records, for which it recorded two well-received LPs.
"I've been lucky in that I've always had musicians in the band who have wanted to work hard and excel," Davis said. "They're always up for a challenge, and in this business you get plenty of them."

Interestingly, Davis' uncle, Cleo Davis, was the first guitarist hired by Monroe when he was forming his seminal Blue Grass Boys in the late 1930s. David Davis says he has endeavored to keep that original sound in his own music.
"Monroe's music had a wonderful mix of blues and soul to it that you don't hear that often anymore," Davis said. "To me, bluegrass needs to have that deep, down-to-earth sound in order to give it the emotion it needs. I try to bring that front and center in our shows."
The band's latest album, David Davis and the Warrior River Boys on Rebel Records, earned high praise from critics as well as considerable air play on college radio, leading Davis to believe that the band's best music may still lie ahead.
"It's gelled real well the past year or so, and that's been fun to be part of," Davis said. "We pride ourselves in putting the music first. And I believe that if you do that, you just can't go wrong." Visit their website at http://www.daviddavisandwrb.com/