"If we want future generations to obsess over what you or I may class as ’blues music’ you need a more commercial and accessible ‘host’ to open that door. People like Jack White from the White Stripes. Or The Black Keys did it for a whole legion of folks. Took it to the mainstream. You see it with John Mayer too. But just to go out and play (wonderful!) Albert King covers or the like… it’s not going to achieve that same level - no matter how incredible that music is. Change, evolution. Thats what keeps folk music alive. Always has done."

Davy Knowles:

The Invisible Blues Rock Man

Davy Knowles first burst onto the scene in 2007 with his band ‘Back Door Slam’, garnering rave reviews, television appearances, extensive triple-A radio airplay, and two top 5 Billboard Blues charting albums. An extensive tour schedule has ensured he has put in more than his ’10,000 hours’ on the road, including appearances with The Who, Jeff Beck, Gov’t Mule, Lynrd Skynrd, Joe Bonamassa, Sonny Landreth, Peter Frampton, Joe Satriani, and the Sammy Hagar-fronted supergroup ‘Chickenfoot’ among many others. And it’s not just his heroes he’s played for, in 2010, he became the first musician in history to play live directly to the International Space Station from Mission Control in Houston. On his Provogue Records debut What Happens Next (2021), produced by Eric Corne (John Mayall, Joe Walsh, Joe Bonamassa), roots singer-songwriter and guitarist Davy Knowles boldly steps forward with timeless and cohesive songwriting; sleek modern production; and a lyrical, play-for-the-song guitar approach informed from soul, folk, rock, and blues.                      (Davy Knowles / Photo by Michael Coakes)

In 2023, Manx blues guitarist and singer Davy Knowles released his album If I Should Wander. The collection of 11 songs represents Davy’s most honest and pure work to date. Stripped back, raw and emotional, the album was written, recorded and produced by Knowles entirely, down to the album artwork which features his first foray into film photography. Davy Knowles who will be releasing his latest album, The Invisible Man, on November 8. The album represents a return to blues rock for the guitar maven who has shared the stage with The Who, Jeff Beck, Joe Bonamassa, who has added each single to multiple of his Spotify playlists, Joe Satriani, who called Davy "My Favorite Modern Blues Man," and Peter Frampton, who produced his sophomore album and dubbed him the "Gunslinger Guitarist of the 21st Century." The songs provide a deeper depth into Davy's psyche as he deals with issues of self-doubt, self-identity, and balancing life as a musician, husband, father, and son of elderly parents.

Interview by Michael Limnios                   Archive: Davy Knowles, 2021 Interview

How do you think that you have grown as an artist since you first started making music? What has remained the same about your music-making process?

I think the biggest difference in my music now is it is more based on my real life experience, when I was younger it was more about putting myself in other peoples shoes. I’d like to think the one thing that has remained is the total joy I get from it, and the constant desire to make more of it.

How do you think that you have grown as an artist since you first started making music? What has remained the same about your music-making process?

I’d like to think that my songwriting has matured after a little more life experience. Maybe I’m a little more in tune (no pun intended!) with myself and the things that affect me? I’d hope for that anyways. As far as what has remained the same? It’s a wonderful and magic feeling, something that didn’t exist before is now out in the open. No matter whether it’s a real belter of a song you’re proud of, or just a little ditty that you will end up keeping to yourself. That part always feels a bit magic.

What moment changed your music life the most? What´s been the highlights in your life and career so far?

Moving to the states when I was in my early twenties changed the trajectory of both my musical and personal life immeasurably.

Highlights of my life are my family first and foremost. I have three amazing daughters and a wonderful wife. As far as career, I’ve been exceptionally lucky, unreasonably so. I’ve played with some amazing folks in some wonderful places and I’m grateful for all of it. It’s a weird way of life, being a musician, and I appreciate all of it equally. The biggest highlight is purely the opportunity to keep doing it.

"I think coming out to the USA with my first record label. They were so nurturing, and really everything I have done since has been built on the work I did with them. I met my wife out there, we have 3 beautiful children, and I am grateful to have a beautiful life as a result. My private life wouldn’t exist without my career, and vice versa." (Davy Knowles / Photo by Michael Coakes)

How did your relationship with the Delta-Blues come about? Do you have any interesting stories about the making of album If I Should Wander (2023)?

Really it came from reading the liner notes on the electric blues records I started off listening to, tracing that music back. I’ve always loved the raw, emotive aspect of solo voice and guitar.

Its was recorded entirely at home, and all on one guitar, my 1932 National Triolian, and all in the one tuning too - open D. Those songs are very personal, each one of them address things I was experiencing and struggling with at the time.

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in the music paths?

Just to keep my eyes and ears open, there is so much out there to be inspired by. Good and bad.

Why is it important to we preserve and spread the blues?

I have a strange opinion I think when it comes to the ‘preserve and protect’ portion. I think it has already been preserved, in the multitude of fabulous recordings that we have at our fingertips at any given moment. I’m not concerned about the ‘librarian’ part of it. It’s already done, documented and curated magnificently - and far more honestly now in regards to the oppressive nature hat this music was born from. As far as how important it is to spread it? I think the only way to spread ANY folk music, be it blues, old-time, or Bulgarian folk music, is to adapt it, mess with it, and make it relevant to the current generation. Just like Son House did, like Muddy did... Stevie Ray, or Clapton. People we label as ‘Blues’ now, were not necessarily immediately accepted as that by the generation preceding them. For it to spread, grow, and survive it has to adapt, and we have to keep an open mind.

I don’t think I’m a purist when it comes to any music. Folk music survives by morphing and changing to fit in with what is current and popular and staying relevant. For the most part, I think the blues as a folk music has already been preserved in the amazing library of recorded music, we all have access to. Thanks god for people like Alan Lomax. As to why, I think it’s important, because it is the story of people, and that’s what carries the weight.

"I think technique exists only in order to convey emotion. If you can get across what you are feeling, then you have all the technique you need. Of course, if you want to play Mozart you may need to study more technique than if you want to play The Clash, but emotively I believe they’re equally as valid." (Davy Knowles / Photo by Michael Coakes)

How do you prepare for your recordings and performances to help you maintain both spiritual and musical stamina?

Gosh. I’m not sure. To maintain spiritual stamina, I’d say it’s pretty vital to listen to and write things that have great significance to you. As far as musical? To try stay a student of it all. Maybe that’s the best thing.

If you could change one thing in the musical world and it would become a reality, what would that be?

I think general snobbery, Folks who dismiss any music based on a surface level perception. All music is valid.

What moment changed your music life the most? What´s been the highlights in your life and career so far?

I think coming out to the USA with my first record label. They were so nurturing, and really everything I have done since has been built on the work I did with them. I met my wife out there, we have 3 beautiful children, and I am grateful to have a beautiful life as a result. My private life wouldn’t exist without my career, and vice versa.

Do you think there is an audience for blues music in its current state? or at least a potential for young people to become future audiences and fans?

I think this comes down to what I talked about earlier. If we want future generations to obsess over what you or I may class as ’blues music’ you need a more commercial and accessible ‘host’ to open that door. People like Jack White from the White Stripes. Or The Black Keys did it for a whole legion of folks. Took it to the mainstream. You see it with John Mayer too. But just to go out and play (wonderful!) Albert King covers or the like… it’s not going to achieve that same level - no matter how incredible that music is. Change, evolution. That's what keeps folk music alive. Always has done.

Davy Knowles - Home

(Davy Knowles / Photo by Michael Coakes)