Rising up from the dusty Delta lowlands and muddy bayou banks of Indianola, Mississippi through the bluffs of Memphis to the mountains of east Tennessee, comes the unique Southern Soul sound of Blue Mother Tupelo.
Almost a year after Ricky and Micol Davis married in 1994, they began their musical life together as Blue Mother Tupelo at an open mic night at Sassy Ann's in Knoxville, Tennessee, which proved to be the beginning of something very special. After releasing their debut album, "My Side Of The Road" (now out-of-print/download only via iTunes), in 1997, they moved to Nashville in 1998. Vanguard recording artist Mindy Smith, who had just moved from Knoxville to Nashville a few months earlier, encouraged Ricky and Micol to move to Music City, where open mics, jam sessions and songwriter rounds found the duo ready for BMT's 2001 release, "Delta Low ~ Mountain High". 2005's Miramax film, "Daltry Calhoun", features Blue Mother Tupelo's dreamy rendition of the Paul Anka classic, "Put Your Head On My Shoulder". Their album, "Love Live ~ 5 Songs From The Road", showcases some live favorites recorded between 2001 and 2006, and highlights BMT's penchant for spontaneous musical sincerity. Blue Mother Tupelo's latest CD, "Heaven & Earth", released in 2009 made waves across Americana & Roots Rock Radio stations and fans worldwide. It debuted at #2, behind Kris Kristofferson, on the EuroAmericana Charts for November of 2009, in the Top 40 on Americana radio in the USA and continues to be in the Top 40 of Roots Music Report's "Roots Rock" Chart. "Heaven & Earth" is an album that's honest & earthy, soul-stirring & foot-stompin', celebratory songs of love, faith, friendship, wandering, longing and beauty - southern soul, hill country blues. "Heaven & Earth" features 14 songs, with 12 original songs penned by Micol & Ricky Davis. The song "Without You" (from "Delta Low ~ Mountain High") is included in 2009's 1970s-style film, "Sugar Boxx", directed by cult film maker Cody Jarrett. Blue Mother Tupelo has shared shows with and/or recorded with artists such as: Delbert McClinton, The Subdudes, Leon Russell, Mindy Smith, T-Model Ford, Rodney Crowell, The North Mississippi Allstars, Willie Nelson, Robert Lockwood Jr., Tony Joe White, Miranda Lambert and many other wonderful and popular artists. BMT has performed live at many festivals - some of the most popular being: CMA Music Festival in Nashville, Tennessee; Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion in Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia; North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic in Potts Camp, Mississippi; King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, Arkansas; Chicago Blues and Bluegrass Festival in Chicago, Illinois and the Big State Festival in College Station, Texas; as well as a live performance at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Blue Mother Tupelo carries their Swampadelic sound wherever the music leads across the U.S.A., most often throughout the Southeast and has performed in Mexico and in Switzerland.
Blue Mother Tupelo: About
More About Micol ...
Micol Davis (songwriter, vocalist, pianist/keyboardist, tambourine/hand-percussionist) was born in Memphis, Tennessee into a music-loving family and raised in various towns throughout the south including, Indianola, Mississippi, Fort Smith, Arkansas and Clinton, Tennessee. Around the age of four, she began picking out tunes on the church piano. Her father, a preacher, didn't allow his children to listen to secular music. Ironically, though, Micol absorbed the Jimmy Reed Blues songs her father would sing at night as lullabies. After moving from state to state and church to church, her family settled in Clinton, Tennessee in the eastern part of the state when she was thirteen. Through her teenage years, she was the church pianist, sang in various choirs, and eventually earned a degree in music education from the University Of Tennessee. Bonnie Raitt, Van Morrison, and Bobbie Gentry proved to be an enormous influence on her. She possesses the phenomenal natural gift to write songs and deliver whatever she's singing with absolute conviction and gut-wrenching soul, depth, and emotion.
More About Ricky ...
Ricky Davis (songwriter, vocalist, electric/acoustic/slide guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, producer) was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and raised in south Knox County. Davis family get-togethers turned into pickin' parties with Country, Gospel, R&B, and Rock 'n' Roll music rolling through the ridges and hollows of east Tennessee. By the age of seven, he was playing guitar or drums right along with the grown ups. His guitar-playing father's Chuck Berry recordings led him to discover Muddy Waters, which was an epiphany to him and was the beginning of his journey into Blues and slide guitar. A member of his high school marching, concert & jazz bands and a member of several working bands in his teens singing and playing guitar, saxophone or drums on Friday & Saturday nights in east Tennessee honky tonks and singing in the Baptist church every Sunday morning - not missing a Sunday service by his mother's insistence - by high school graduation he had turned down a Jazz scholarship to the University of Tennessee and chose instead to attend Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro and major in the Recording Industry Management program. At nineteen he formed his own band (the first of a few before BMT) getting a further education in honky tonks and juke joints, experimenting with Psychedelic Rock (Jimi Hendrix/The Allman Bros), Blues (John Lee Hooker/Elmore James), Soul (Otis Redding/Percy Sledge) and his own originals. Ricky is a formidable songwriter, soaring guitarist, and fervent vocalist capable of both morphing between styles and transforming the musical styles themselves. *Ricky plays Martin Guitars and is endorsed by National Res-O-Phonic Guitars and by GHS Strings.
Micol + Ricky ... gettin 2gether ... the early years
Micol was drawn to Knoxville’s thriving live music scene during her college years at The University of Tennessee when she and Ricky met. He invited her to sing with his band (Soulchaser) a couple of times, and they found their mutually strong interest in artists like Delaney & Bonnie, John Lee Hooker, and Van Morrison to be an undeniable force in their friendship. They got married in 1994 & in 1995 they began performing as Blue Mother Tupelo at local open-mic and songwriters' nights. Their own unique Southern Soul sound was being created. Landing a weekly gig led to the addition of a steady rhythm section of Ed Corts on drums and Jim Ladd on bass and a progressive Southern Blues/Rock sound that soon became a staple in clubs in east Tennessee and western North Carolina with audiences chanting and yelling, "Swampadelic!", as BMT poured out their gritty soulful vibe.
BMT's first recording was intended solely as a club-booking demo CD but, due to overwhelming requests from their audiences, was released to the public in 1997. "My Side Of The Road" includes ten original songs and received good reviews from local media and several national publications.
Nashville Years ...
Ricky and Micol moved to Nashville in 1998. The four-piece band continued to perform throughout Tennessee, western North Carolina, and Georgia in clubs and opened concerts for Delbert McClinton, Grand Funk Railroad, and Pat Travers. In between the 4-piece combo shows, the Davis duo performed at open-mike nights and songwriters’ rounds in The Music City. A change in musical direction led to regrouping, and Ricky & Micol set out on their own again.
Their 2001 release, "Delta Low ~ Mountain High", is an experimental, eclectic blend of songs and styles reflecting their love of southern roots, earthy rock, soul, and mountain music. Along with the instrumental and vocal work of Ricky & Micol, they invited several guest musicians, including the great saxophonist Bobby Keys (Rolling Stones, Joe Cocker, Delaney & Bonnie) and the superb rhythm section of Chucki Burke on drums (Willie Dixon, Isaac Hayes, Little Milton) and Dave Ro on bass (June Carter-Cash, Johnny Cash, Dwight Yoakam) who lent their instrumental talents to the recording which resulted in a well-received and respected collection of primarily Davis penned songs. It caught some attention among their peers in the music industry and garnered favorable reviews from their fans and local, national, and international music critics.
It's been said that a BMT performance is like stepping into a "pentecostal revival" -- with Ricky and Micol's gritty, sweet, soulful harmonies, earthy sounds of gutbucket guitar and slide, gospel piano & roadhouse pounding of tambourines. But the foundation to all of their work is to channel what is innately deep within them and to let it come forth naturally without definitions or restrictions.
Oftentimes, the Davis's invite friends on stage to jam with them. So at any given show, there could be Micol & Ricky on stage by themselves, or a drummer and/or a bassist, a harmonica player, saxophonist, fiddle player, percussionist, or even the fife & drums of the Otha Turner family.
BMT tours primarily through the Southern and Midwestern United States but also does shows all across the U.S.A. and internationally - wherever their music takes them - performing live at festivals, concerts, clubs, house concerts, picnics and just about any other type of event; averaging around 200 live concerts per year. They've shared shows with The Subdudes, Sonny Landreth, and Otha Turner's Rising Star Fife and Drum Band, to name just a few. As well, they have shared PRI's Mountain Stage lineup with Charlie Musselwhite, Blues legend Robert Lockwood, Jr. and Guster. BMT has been nominated several years in a row as “Best Acoustic Blues Act” and Micol as “Female Vocalist of the Year” by the Music City Blues Society in Nashville. Their song, “Home”, has been included on a compilation CD to benefit the Habitat for Humanity of Clarksdale, Mississippi.
What's Up Lately With BMT
In late 2010, Ricky Davis began tracking an album with Richard Davis, his dad. The upcoming release will feature several of the Country songs that his dad has written in the last 4 decades.
Blue Mother Tupelo continued touring throughout the Southern U.S. and toured in Switzerland for the first time, making new fans overseas. Among the events on the tour where BMT performed is the 2010 Blues Rules Festival.
Blue Mother Tupelo is one of four invited artists at the 650AM WSM 85th Birthday Celebration in 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee.
BMT performs at the CMA Music Festival in Nashville, Tennessee in 2010.
BMT performs at the North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic in 2010.
Blue Mother Tupelo performs at the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion in 2010.
Ricky Davis produced Sharde Thomas's debut CD, "What Do I Do?", in 2010. Ricky also played several instruments; Micol & Ricky sang harmonies on the album. BMT backed Sharde Thomas and the Rising Star Fife & Drum Band during Sharde's CD Release Party at her grandpa Otha Turner's farm in Mississippi.
BMT is a featured artist on the Music City Roots show in Nashville in 2010.
In 2010, Blue Mother Tupelo is featured on 3 songs on Erika Chambers new CD, "Light At Eventide" and performs live with Erika on WSM's Music City Roots show in Nashville. The proceeds of one of the recordings on Erika's CD which features BMT, "Won't Be Shaken By No Storm" goes to the United Way of Nashville for Flood Relief in the wake of the devastatingly massive Nashville flood.
Blue Mother Tupelo's song, "Without You", was featured in a 2009 b-movie called "Sugarboxx" on DVD & cable television.
In May 2009, Blue Mother Tupelo released their third studio CD called, "Heaven & Earth". "Heaven & Earth" is an album that's honest & earthy, soul-stirring & foot-stompin', celebratory songs of love, faith, friendship, wandering, longing and beauty - southern soul, hill country blues. "Heaven & Earth" features 14 songs, with 12 original songs penned by Micol & Ricky Davis. BMT also performs the classic spiritual, "Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down". A Jesse Winchester penned song called, "Biloxi". And a Jessie Mae Hemphill song within a medley featured on this new album called, "Hard Times".
Micol & Ricky teamed up with Craig Fuller (of The Pure Prairie League & Littlefeat; and writer/singer of the classic PPL song, "Amie") to co-write the soulful love song, "Hand In Hand" featured on "Heaven & Earth". The Davis duo also co-wrote the rockin', "Goin' Down Midnight", with John Scott Sherrill (who's written several hits: "Some Fools Never Learn" - Steve Wariner, "How Long Gone" - Brooks & Dunn, "Nothin' But the Wheel" - Patty Loveless, "Church on Cumberland Road" - Shenandoah, "If I Didn't Know Any Better" - Alison Krauss to name a few).
All the instruments & vocals were played, sang and recorded by Ricky & Micol Davis at their home studio and "Heaven & Earth" is produced by Ricky Davis & co-produced by Micol Davis. There are some very special friends of the Davis' featured on this album. The late Otha Turner and his grand-daughter, Sharde Thomas, along with The Rising Star Fife & Drum Band join Blue Mother Tupelo on the song, "Give It Away". Molly Thomas plays beautiful violins on, "The War". Charlie Worsham (of Kingbilly) joins in on banjo on "Tupelo" and mandolin on "Gustard Bellue". Johnny Richardson (BMT's former drummer who also drums for Lee Roy Parnell and Jimmy Wayne) plays a cajon on "Hand In Hand". Rick Lonow (who's also drummed for BMT and Johnny Cash, June Carter-Cash, The Flying Buritto Brothers, Crystal Gayle, Bellamy Brothers) plays drums along with Ricky Davis on "High In The Sky". Robin Roller plays banjo, Sarah Pirkle plays fiddle and even the extended Davis family joins in when the nieces & nephews, Richard Davis (Ricky's dad), and even the Davis pet dog Gus all join in to howl, pick 'n' sing on "Gustard Bellue", rounding out the soulful new Heaven & Earth by Blue Mother Tupelo.
"Heaven & Earth" was mastered by Bob Ohlsson (who mastered at the legendary Motown Records, working on Marvin Gaye's awesome What's Going On album as well as many of Stevie Wonder's biggest hits & most everything that was recorded there from 1968-1973; many more hits from 1973 - present from San Francisco to Nashville; he also mastered the audio of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech).
Heaven & Earth made waves across Americana & Roots Rock Radio stations and fans worldwide. It debuted at #2, behind Kris Kristofferson, on the EuroAmericana Charts for November of 2009, in the Top 40 on Americana radio in the USA and continues to be in the Top 40 of Roots Music Report's "Roots Rock" Chart. "Heaven & Earth" is an album that's honest & earthy, soul-stirring & foot-stompin', celebratory songs of love, faith, friendship, wandering, longing and beauty - southern soul, hill country blues. "Heaven & Earth" features 14 songs, with 12 original songs penned by Micol & Ricky Davis.
BMT performs at the North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic in 2009.
Blue Mother Tupelo performs at the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion in 2009.
Micol Davis has a guest vocal appearance on Mindy Smith's CD to be released on Vanguard Records in August 2009.
BMT joins other cutting-edge Americana artists at the 2008 Americana Folk Festival.
Micol sang harmonies, played organ, tambourine and hand-claps; Ricky sang harmonies, played drums, upright bass, dobro, acoustic guitar, electric slide guitar, cigar box guitar, field hollers, sledgehammer/anvil, and hand-claps on Little Johnny Kantreed's upcoming CD release. Ricky Davis also Produced & Engineered six tracks on Little Johnny Kantreed's CD called "Bring Me A Little Water" released in 2008.
Micol sang lead vocals and harmonies on a Susan Anders recording called "Missing You" in June 2008.
Micol sang the lead vocals on a Susan Anders' recording called "Goodbye is the New Hello" in January 2008.
Ricky played dobro on a Erika Chambers' recording called, "The War" in January 2008.
Micol sang the lead vocals on a Peter Frega recording called, "Country Boy's Love" in January 2008.
Ricky played lead slide electric guitar on Erika Chambers's recording, "Footprints" in January 2008.
Blue Mother Tupelo performs at the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion in 2008.
Micol & Ricky sang, Micol played piano, tambourines, Ricky played upright bass, drums, dobro, acoustic guitar and produced a commercial demo for JC Penney's in January 2008.
December 2007 Blue Mother Tupelo's live CD called, "Love Live (5 Songs From The Road)", which features live performances from various BMT shows is released.
In the last few months of 2007, Ricky & Micol recorded TV commercials for Kia, Hartford Insurance and Honda.
BMT's song, "Boogie Blues" (from the CD, "Delta Low - Mountain High") is featured in episode #502 of the Showtime cable network TV program, "The L Word".
Blue Mother Tupelo joined other fine artists and music legends on stage at the Big State Festival in Bryan-College Park, Texas in October 2007. 50-plus stars from Nashville as well as Texas, and beyond including: Tim McGraw • Willie Nelson • Lynyrd Skynyrd • Lyle Lovett & more.
Blue Mother Tupelo performed at the North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic June 2007.
BMT performed at the Winter Park Folk Festival in Winter Park, Colorado in July 2007.
BMT's song, "One Of These Days" has been included on a compilation CD for the movie industry in Hollywood, California. This song will also be included on their new full-length CD released spring 2007.
Micol has a guest appearance on Mindy Smith's 2006 CD release, "Long Island Shores"
Released September 2005, BMT's dreamy southern ballad rendering of the 1959 Paul Anka hit, “Put Your Head On My Shoulder”, is included in the motion picture "Daltry Calhoun" (starring Johnny Knoxville and Juliette Lewis). The soundtrack for the movie features the ballad and includes, as a hidden track, BMT's “Put Your Head On My Shoulder Jam", a foot-stompin', sanctified soulful back & forth vocal with Ricky's dobro & Micol's tambourine. The "Daltry Calhoun" DVD can be ordered online at places like amazon.com. It includes BMT's debut music video as an 'extra' featuring Micol & Ricky and the "Put Your Head On My Shoulder" ballad from the film.
Blue Mother Tupelo is nominated in the Americana Highway HEMI Awards in 2 categories:
Best Future Duo/Band Best Song From A Movie for BMT's version of, "Put Your Head On My Shoulder" from the movie, Daltry Calhoun.
Discography: BMT & Guest Appearances
"Heaven & Earth" Blue Mother Tupelo Diggin Music 2009/"Love Live (5 Songs From The Road)" Blue Mother Tupelo Diggin Music 2007/"Daltry Calhoun" DVD (music video & song on DVD) Miramax 2006 / Various Artists; "Daltry Calhoun Soundtrack" CD Lakeshore Records 2005 / Various artists; "Hammer in the Delta" Habitat for Humanity 2006 / Blue Mother Tupelo "Delta Low, Mountain High" Diggin Music 2001 / Blue Mother Tupelo "My Side of the Road" Diggin Music 1997
Micol Davis: organ, vocals on "Bring Me A Little Water by Little Johnny Kantreed, indie CD recording 2008/"Dawn Langstroth" by Dawn Langstroth 2008/"Goodbye is the New Hello" by Susan Anders 2008/"Country Boy's Love" by Peter Frega 2008/BMT TV Commercial Demo - JC Penney 2008/BMT TV Commercial Demo - Kia 2007/ BMT TV Commercial Demo - Hartford Insurance 2007/ BMT Commercial Demo Honda 2007/ Tide TV & Radio Commercial 2007 /"Long Island Shores" by Mindy Smith, Vanguard Records 2006/ Tide TV & Radio Commercial 2006 / "Honeysuckle Sweet" by Jessi Alexander, Sony Music 2005 /Crest Radio Commercial 2005/"One Moment More" by Mindy Smith, Vanguard Records 2004 /Velveeta radio commercial 2005 /Applebees radio commercials 2004 /Pampers TV & Radio commercials 2004 /"South" by Hector Qirko Band, Blind Guru Records 1999
Ricky Davis: upright bass, electric slide guitar, steel guitar, vocals, acoustic guitar, drums, percussion, cigar box guitar, engineer, producer on "Bring Me A Little Water by Little Johnny Kantreed, indie CD recording 2008/dobro on "The War" by Erika Chambers 2008/electric slide lead guitar on "Footprints" by Erika Chambers 2008/BMT TV Commercial Demo - JC Penney 2008/engineered an instructional CD, a companion to the instructional book, "Starting Bluegrass Banjo" by Robin Roller, Oak Publications 2007/ Applebees radio commercials 2004 /Busch beer radio commercials 2004 /"Garage Sale" by Kristi Morris, indie CD recording 2001