David Davis and the Warrior River Boys will be performing tonight at the Cullman County Fairgrounds.

Bluegrass music star David Davis and his Warrior River Boys will present their earthy roots stylings to Cullman.

Davis and his highly acclaimed band will appear at the Cullman Fairgrounds at the Col. Chuck Carpenter Benefit Concert Saturday, August 22, at 8 p.m. Other acts will appear beginning at 1 p.m. For more information, Baker Productions at 256-739-0388.

Carrying on an Alabama family tradition directly linked to the origins of Bluegrass music, David Davis’ love of traditional roots music grew organically. Back in the 1930s, his father and two uncles played and sang in the brother style traditions of early Country music. Uncle Cleo joined Bill Monroe as the very first Bluegrass Boy in 1938. David’s father, Leddell, went off to World War II and lost his right hand in a mortar accident. While his dad’s dream of making music may have been shattered, he never lost his love and devotion to the music. In fact, David carried his father’s love shared in the family farmhouse near Cullman innocently down the road, never suspecting the impact on his life.

David Davis and the Warrior River Boys also offer audiences a rare glimpse at the role of front man in American music as did Muddy Waters and the legendary Howlin’ Wolf in Chicago Blues and Bill Monroe in Bluegrass music. Rather than operating under trendy “hit” oriented marketing schemes, front man/mandolinist, David Davis, simply nurtures his roots with integrity, tonal depth and prose.

After a couple of Rounder label projects in the early ‘90s, he guided recordings on Ray Davis’ Wango label throughout the decade and into the early 2000s. These legendary “basement recordings” have garnered a cult following over the years, many sides resurfacing on the Time Life label.

David and the band snapped up rave reviews such as “…sure-fire picking and train whistle harmonies…” from USA Today with their self-titled 2004 Rebel Records release.

Their “White Album” was indeed a turning point for the band describing Davis as ”an excellent instrumentalist in the Monroe style of mandolin, … among the most emotive, capable and under appreciated singers in Bluegrass” (Sing Out).

Their highly acclaimed Rebel releases “Troubled Times” and  “Two Dimes and a Nickel” continue to take the listener deeper into WRB soul and offer testimony to the band’s musical evolution.

Among his desires were to harness the traditional energies of the past and charge through to a new sound and new look that would appeal to larger audiences, he said.

 “I wanted to pull from my influences from the Louvin Brothers to Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family, to honor their contributions but at the same time forge a path and sound for myself in the country music industry where many artists simply mimic whatever seems to be popular at the moment,” he said. “Millions of people, from all backgrounds in countries around the world still tap their toes when they hear Flatt and Scruggs, they are still moved by the high lonesome sound of Bill Monroe or the haunting voice of Ralph Stanley.”

Millions of fans have seen him in person at concerts and festivals and millions more on television on RFD-TV and radio.

After 30 years of continual touring and recording, David and the band have received many laurels, both individually and collectively. A 2010 inductee to the Alabama Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, David is widely recognized as one of the foremost practitioners of the Monroe mandolin technique. He will be inducted in 2014 to the National Old Time Country Music Hall of Fame beside Hee Haw star, Lulu Roman, and John Carter Cash.

Collectively, David Davis and the Warrior River Boys continue to be at the forefront of defining traditional music to today’s audience. Whether festivals, big city night clubs, concert halls or local coffeehouses ” …front man David Davis and the Warrior River Boys jam a big Bluegrass wallop into a concise package for today’s audiences…hard-charging energy that makes it stand out from the pack…” (Bluegrass Unlimited)

Among the Warrior River Boys are Marty Hays playing bass, Robert Montgomery on banjo, Stan Wilemon on guitar and Ben Sanders on fiddle.

For more information about the group, visit www.daviddavisandwrb.com. For more information about Rebel Records, visit www.rebelrecords.com.