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 There's something beautifully ironic about a precocious bluesman. The very nature of the genre suggests one who's experienced enough tragedy to last a pair of lifetimes, so a young bluesman is a curiosity. Eric Clapton, just 18 when he joined the Yardbirds, is perhaps the best-known example, but Kenny Wayne Shepherd was also 18 when he started earning hosannas for his authentic chops and Jonny Lang was 16 when his second offering brought him national attention. Add Davy Knowles to that list.
The tiny island kingdom Isle Of Man sits in the Irish Sea, encircled by the British Isles. It’s home to 80,000 people, give or take, and four of them were in their mid- to late-teens when they started Back Door Slam in 2003; the songwriter and singer was 17-year-old guitarist/mandolinist/lap steel player Davy Knowles. Blessed with a voice and musical virtuosity that are years beyond his, well, years, Knowles fell into the blues when, at the age of 11, he heard Dire Straits' "Sultans Of Swing" and was instantly spellbound. It triggered a latent curiosity, causing him to learn guitar and dive into his father's record collection, where he found John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Clapton, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac and Rory Gallagher. Peeling off the layers, he discovered Blind Willie Johnson, Robert Johnson and other blues pioneers.
Back Door Slam — named for a Bonnie and Kevin Hayes song that Robert Cray recorded in 2003 — had trimmed down to the trio of Knowles, drummer Ross Doyle and bassist Adam Jones for their 2007 debut, Roll Away. A much-anticipated follow-up, Coming Up for Air (credited to Davy Knowles & Back Door Slam), was produced by Peter Frampton and features “Taste of Danger,” a duet with Jonatha Brooke. It is further classic-rockicized with a stellar backing band including Frampton, Heartbreaker Benmont Tench and Jackson Browne’s rhythm section.
Provenance: Isle Of Man
Latest Release: Coming Up for Air (2009)
© 2009 Nigel Music Media LLC. Used by permission.
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