Longtime bluegrass musician Jeff Davis of Marion died suddenly on Sunday, Jan. 1. He was just 52. He performed several times at the Grand Ole Opry and Dollywood. He shared the stage with such bluegrass greats as Rhonda Vincent and Charlie Waller.
Over the years, McDowell County has produced numerous great bluegrass musicians who have contributed so much to this American musical art form. On New Year’s Day, the world of bluegrass lost one of the finest instrumentalists to come from McDowell.
As a young man, Jeff Davis worked with his dad Pee Wee Davis with performing on Courthouse Country Music during the 1980s. This was a show presented at the McDowell County Courthouse that was broadcast live over WBRM. In this January 1988 photo from The McDowell News, about 65 McDowell residents celebrated Courthouse Country Music with a reception at the former Marianna Hotel or Hotel James. In this photo are, from left, bluegrass musician Frank Buchanan, sound man Gary Arnold of DeSoto Electric, Pee Wee Davis, Jeff Davis and Commission Chairman Jack Wood. Buchanan and the Davis pair were among the 25 musicians who had played on the live radio show.
Longtime bluegrass musician Jeff Davis of Marion died suddenly on Sunday, Jan. 1. He was just 52. He performed several times at the Grand Ole Opry and Dollywood. He shared the stage with such bluegrass greats as Rhonda Vincent and Charlie Waller.
As a young man, Jeff Davis worked with his dad Pee Wee Davis with performing on Courthouse Country Music during the 1980s. This was a show presented at the McDowell County Courthouse that was broadcast live over WBRM. In this January 1988 photo from The McDowell News, about 65 McDowell residents celebrated Courthouse Country Music with a reception at the former Marianna Hotel or Hotel James. In this photo are, from left, bluegrass musician Frank Buchanan, sound man Gary Arnold of DeSoto Electric, Pee Wee Davis, Jeff Davis and Commission Chairman Jack Wood. Buchanan and the Davis pair were among the 25 musicians who had played on the live radio show.
