From Clarksburg to Australia, the West Virginia flag flies wherever the Davisson Brothers Band goes.
Chris Davisson’s lead guitar and brother Donnie Davisson’s lead vocals tell a story of family values, hard work and, when the day is done, a boot stompin’ good time. Drummer Aaron Regester and bassist Gerrod Bee round out the country foursome that’s putting its Southern pride on display in a series of upcoming shows that includes one just west of Frederick County.
The band is set to play the Williamsport Red Men Lodge 84 for a Valentine’s Day show at 8 p.m. Feb. 12 in Williamsport. Guests can expect tunes off the band’s country rock album, “Fighter,” but Chris says they’ll get a taste of something new, too.
After narrowing down 50-some songs to about one dozen, Chris said the band is preparing to release its third album later this year. When you hear the tracks, he says, it’ll quickly become apparent how the album got its name. He says one of the new songs, “Home,” holds an especially deep meaning to him and Donnie.
“We come from a traditional background of acoustic music,” Chris said in a January interview, and the new album highlights those roots.
They grew up listening not only to their father Eddie and Uncle Pete’s band but also greats like Dickey Betts, Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson and James Taylor. By ages 10 and 12, Chris and Donnie were pretty much making a living playing music, though they didn’t go on tour as the Davisson Brothers Band until 1995.
Taking their time to get it right, as they say, the band made its Top 40 Billboard Country Album debut in 2009.
While their sophomore album “Fighter” highlights more of the Davisson Brothers Band’s country rock repertoire, Chris says listeners are in for something completely different with their third album, which showcases country Appalachian sound.
The band of brothers caught the attention of Rolling Stone Country in 2018 when they were named among the top 10 “new artists you need to know.” Their music caught on Down Under, too, where the band rocked out before tens of thousands of Australians at the CMC Rocks the Hunter Festival.
Chris fondly recalled the 2018 performance that included Australian singer Amber Lawrence. Breaking away from their original material for a moment, the band invited Lawrence to join them in a rendition of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” Partway through the song, the band quit singing to let the crowd of roughly 30,000 Australians belt out the chorus they knew by heart. The band teamed up with Lawrence again later to produce the song “Greatest Show on Earth,” a touching tune with a theme of unity that transcends continents.
Finding themselves in good company, the Davisson Brothers Band is managed by Erv Woolsey Co., George’s Strait’s longtime manager. They also recently signed a publishing deal with country music sensation Chris Janson, who came into their lives in a serendipitous way.
In 2008, the brothers stopped to help a guy on the side of the road in Tennessee who’d run out of gas, only to realize it was Janson. Fast forward to present day, and they can say they’ve toured the country together, and in 2019, Janson helped get them to the Grand Ole Opry.
For Chris, the Davisson Brothers Band’s performance on that historic Nashville stage was his “we made it” moment. He’s proud of the way they’re representing West Virginia and setting an example for the next generation, including their nephews.
But whether the Davisson Brothers Band is playing under the Opry lights or at the local Moose Lodge, Chris says it always feels special to walk out on a stage and feel the crowd’s energy.
“I hope that never goes away,” he said. “It’s still the same feeling I got when I was a teenager.”
Follow Mary Grace Keller on Twitter: @MaryGraceKeller
