Patrick Davis, the South Carolina-born and Nashville-based songwriter is thrilled to share his newest single “Wrong Side of the Tracks ft. Branford Marsalis” which exclusively premiered earlier this week via The Bluegrass Situation.
The song was co-written with legendary songwriter Guy Clark. For the new recording, Davis brought in GRAMMY-Award-winning musician and composer Branford Marsalis. “I called my old friend Branford for this one. I felt like the track was really good, but thought it could use a little something extra” says Davis, “a lil’ of that just after midnight back alley hot summer night jazz club magic, and Branford has that in buckets. After all, he did grow up playin’ in the clubs of New Orleans.”
“Guy and I wrote this one day over at his house. We were sitting across from each other at his legendary writing table, strumming our guitars, sipping whiskey, and talking about some troubles a few of our musician friends had recently found for themselves while visiting the wrong side of town... which led us to the title, the story, the song & a little more whiskey. Guy recorded ‘Wrong Side of the Tracks’ on one of his own albums, which was such an honor that I honestly never thought I would try it for myself, but then my friend Channing Wilson asked me ‘Why don't you ever play any of the songs you & Guy wrote?’ and that got me thinking... ‘Yeah, why don't I?’
“Wrong Side of the Tracks” follows the release of “Beautiful Day For Flying” a new love song that soundsl like it could just as easily be a standard that has been around for decades, and "Six String Dreams" — the story of musicians everywhere that pays tribute to troubadours who make their living beneath the stage lights, from stadiums to smokey bars.
LISTEN TO “BEAUTIFUL DAY FOR FLYING”
LISTEN TO “SIX STRING DREAMS”
PATRICK DAVIS LIVE
Nov 2 @ Enterprise Mill | Agusta, GA^
Nov 3 @ Riviera Theater | Charleston, SC^
Nov 11 @ Eddie’s Attic | Atlanta, GA^
Nov 24 @ The Senate | Columbia, SC - 7th annual Toys for Tots show
Nov 29-Dec 2 @ Songwriters in Paradise Cabo | Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
^Patrick Davis and his Midnight Choir
About Patrick Davis:
Davis has spent two decades leaving his mark onstage, on record, and in the writing room. He's a critically acclaimed solo artist. A road warrior. An organizer of music festivals like Songwriters in Paradise, and most importantly, Davis has established himself as a prolific songwriter, penning tunes not only for his own albums but also for icons like Guy Clark and Jimmy Buffett.
With Carolina When I Die, Davis reintroduces himself as a Southern storyteller and classic craftsman. It's a modern-day album steeped in the timeless sounds of his influences: the smooth soul of Ray Charles, the heartland folk-rock of Jackson Browne, the nuanced country of Lyle Lovett, and the big-band bombast of Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs & Englishmen. Tying those sounds together is a versatile musician who, having already established himself as a hit songwriter for others, is rededicating himself to his own records. Carolina When I Die may be the fifth full-length release of Davis' catalog, but it marks a new beginning, too.
"I've always said I'm a very late bloomer," he explains. "I didn't move to Nashville until I was 25, and then I spent years writing songs for projects that weren't my own. It's taken me some time to figure out who I am, and that's ok. The journey never ends. If it does, maybe you're not doing it right. To me, Carolina When I Die is one of the most important parts of that journey, because it's an album that says, 'This is who Patrick Davis truly is.'"
Carolina When I Die nods to Davis' small-town roots in Camden, South Carolina, where he spent most of his adolescence. His father was a working musician who taught his son to appreciate the good stuff, from the Beatles to Van Morrison. When he was still young, Davis would attend his dad's shows and climb onstage for a song or two, laying the foundation for the career he'd launch as an adult. With "Carolina When I Die," the album's title track, he reflects on countless miles traveled since leaving that childhood home. "I've rambled all around this world, seen the Northern Lights / I have drank with kings and queens and señoritas of the night," he sings over a finger-plucked acoustic guitar. The song isn't just a travelogue; it's a love song for one's home, with Davis longing to go back to the place where it all began.
If "Carolina When I Die" unfolds like Davis' own story, then "Six String Dreams" is the story of musicians everywhere. Written alongside Sadler Vaden — longtime guitarist for Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit — and rooted in a 1970s-worthy soul groove, the song pays tribute to blue-collar troubadours who make their living beneath the stage lights. During the rest of Carolina When I Die, Davis gets funky on "L-O-V-E" (written with Randolph Randolph, who recorded his own version of the song on the Grammy-nominated album Got Soul), teams up with the late Guy Clark for "Wrong Side of the Tracks," and examines the colorblind friendship between two characters on the stunning "Black Jesus." Some songs make room for stacked layers of electric guitar, brass, organ, and vocal harmonies — a dense sound that Davis regularly recreates in a live setting with his 11-piece touring band, Patrick Davis & His Midnight Choir — while others are simple, stark, acoustic recordings that shine a light on Davis' own delivery. It's an eclectic mix, delivered by a lyrically-driven songwriter who's never been afraid to embrace the full range of his influences.
"When I was a kid in South Carolina, I made my living by playing songs in the corner of a bar," Davis remembers. "Once I moved to Nashville and landed a publishing deal, it took me away from that experience a little bit. I've been lucky — a lot of people have recorded my songs, and some of them have become hits on the radio — but I've always wanted to be that person onstage, playing his own songs. Carolina When I Die isn't about someone else; it's about who I am. This is the sound of me reclaiming a dream."
