Tiki Parlour Recordings has released this wide-ranging CD by Clinton Davis, who is from Carroll County, Kentucky and currently lives in San Diego. I have seen Clinton perform at the Parkfield Bluegrass Festival and at the California Bluegrass Association’s Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival. He plays old-time fiddle and banjo, classic blues, ragtime, and more. This recording is mostly solo, although, Erin Bower sings harmony vocals on two tracks. This recording was release on September 1, 2021 and, being in the midst of Covid-19, did not get much attention.

“Old East Virginia” was inspired by Kentucky banjo player Morgan Sexton, who won a National Heritage award in 1991.  Clinton plays it two-finger style. “The Mineola Rag” is from the East Texas Serenaders and is played on guitar. “Curly Headed Woman” is from Burnett and Rutherford. “Old Louisiana Blues” is a piano piece from Eurreal “Little Brother” Montgomery. “The Original Jelly Roll Blues” was recorded on piano by Jelly Roll Morton in 1924 and is discussed in Elijah Wald’s wonderful new book, Jelly Roll Blues: Censored Songs & Hidden Histories. Morton wrote it in 1915. Clinton plays it on guitar. “Boat Song March” is from the Murphy Brothers Harp Band. Clinton plays it on guitar, ukelele, and harmonica. “The Wild Horse” (aka “Wild Horse at Stoney Point”) derives from a few sources, and Clinton plays it on banjo. “Flowery Girls” is another banjo piece and comes from Omer Forster. “The Lily of the West,” also played on banjo, is a British ballad which Clinton heard from Bascom Lamar Lunsford. The piano is the weapon of choice for “The Blackberry Waltz” from the Ozark Highballers and from Fred Stoneking. It’s back to the banjo for  “Charleston #1,” which is from Narmour and Smith. “Marching Jaybird” is played on banjo and two guitars and derives from sisters Etta Baker and Cora Phillips. “Guitar Blues” is from Johnny St. Cyr. “I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow” was first published in a songbook by Dick Burnett in 1915, but the first recording was by Emry Arthur in 1928. This is not the Stanley Brothers version. Clinton plays it on banjo. “Cowboy Waltz” on guitar, tenor banjo, fiddle, and harmonica comes from Woody Guthrie, who played it on fiddle. “All Night Long,” with banjo, guitar, ukelele, and fiddle, is also from Burnett and Rutherford.

Clinton is adept on all the instruments he plays and sings well. That makes for very good listening.

You can order the CD at https://oldtimetikiparlour.com/product/clinton-davis-if-i-live-and-i-dont-get-killed-cd/ or https://clintonrossdavis.bandcamp.com/merch