Pinecastle Records has announced the signing of veteran bluegrass vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Chris Davis, currently mandolinist with Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers.
Chris is the very definition of a bluegrass sideman. He’s worked with a long list of acts, including Honi Deaton & Dream, Melvin Goins, Larry Cordle, Marty Raybon, Wildfire, Junior Sisk, The Grascals, and now Mullins. He even did a stint with country group Diamond Rio when their tenor vocalist, Gene Johnson, who had been a member of J.D. Crowe & The New South with Keith Whitley in the late ’70s, had to undergo heart surgery in 2014.
Along with the signing announcement, Pinecastle has released a first single with Davis called Blue Kentucky Wind which was written by Chris’ former bossman Cordle, and Leslie Satcher.
Davis says that this one is close to his heart, as a tribute to his hallowed home state.
“I’ve lived and raised a family in Kentucky. I’ve seen the beauty of an early morning in the hollers and hills of East Kentucky, and I can say without a doubt, it is one of the prettiest states on earth.
I worked for Larry [Cordle] for five years, and with him being from Kentucky, he could relate to how I feel about our beloved state. While Blue Kentucky Wind has never been cut before, Larry has written many other iconic songs like Highway 40 Blues by Ricky Skaggs, Don’t Forget to Pray for Me by Diamond Rio, and Against the Grain, recorded by Garth Brooks.
I love Kentucky, and my personal relationship with Larry goes back many years now. I hope you enjoy the time we spent making this song!”
Helping out are Scott Vestal on banjo, John Meador on guitar, Jason Barie on fiddle, and Evan Winsor on bass. Chris is on mandolin and lead vocal, with Meador singing harmony.
Cord never fails, and neither does Davis on this new single. Check it out.
Blue Kentucky Wind is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.
