Duke and Dawn

The Southern country swing of Duke and Dawn kicks off the second-ever "Athens 441" at the Morton Theatre on Friday night. Upright bass, drums and pedal steel back the D&D sound. I first discovered a hankering for country music when punching cattle in Nebraska a decade ago, and good country takes me back to those dark snowy winter days, just as Duke & Dawn are now. Duke and his father wrote their second song, "It Ain't Austin," a comical commentary on the life of an ex-pat Texan living in Atlanta. The final song, "How Can I Miss You (if you won't go away) exhibits more wry humor and is a great parody of the stereotypical country ballad. Great harmonies and a great sense of humor=yeeha!

-Ben Gerrard - Flagpole Music Magazine, Athens, Ga

Despite its brief existence" Just off the Radar" has had a fair number of local and touring artists into our humble studios to record sessions for the program. Back in February of 2004, I knew that I wanted to add Duke and Dawn to our in-studio roll call when I heard the demo version of "How Can I Miss you?" Remarkably memorable, witty and well-crafted, the song quickly lodged itself in my psyche. The duo's harmonies are virtually welded together and their honest sense of their material is a pleasure to experience close up.

-Joe Silva - Joe Silva, host for local radio shows, "Athens 441" and "Off the Radar"

"Duke and Dawn's voices blend together better than almost any duo I've heard."

-Steve Bell - Steve Bell, Manager at 91.7 FM, Athens, Ga

Duke and Dawn are steadily turning people on to their sound, a blend of harmonizing old-time country and folk. The wry humor found in songs like, "It Ain't Austin: and "How Can I Miss You?" is refreshing in a genre that's replaced much of its wit with gloss.

--Chris Hassiotis - Flagpole Music Magazine, Athens, GA

Duke and Dawn Davis are longtime Athens residents who aim to preserve the male/female duet partnership that once was a cornerstone of country music. George and Tammy, Conway and Loretta, Porter and Dolly and, of course, Johnny and June are the bedrock from which the two draw inspiration. Looking at country music's current landscape, with the exception of Buddy and Julie Miller, this model seems to have become a thing of the past.

"That '50's,'60's,early-70's style of country is what we really like," says Duke. "I wouldn't say we're intentionally trying to be 'retro', but I also think everybody agrees that country radio is more like pop with an accent nowadays.: Both Davises played in bands around town that prededed their current gig, including Dawn's stint in the folksy River's Been and Jasper Gate, which was the genesis of the pair's musical partnership. With Duke and Dawn, though, the two have managed to incorporate the singer-songwriter elements of their previous ventures into the mix as well, mostly by concentrating on original material.

Duke and Dawn have a self-titled five-song EP out now that's available directly from the source. Depending on whose backing them, you might get the hardcore country model, the rootsy folk/bluegrass version or the weepy, harmonious middle ground. "We do turn up in different incarnations depending on who's playing with us," says Duke, "Johnny and June Carter Cash are really the model for that, I think. Depending on the setting they were in and their accompaniment, their music could take on different forms and be classified several different ways."

-Michael Andrews - Flagpole Music Magazine, Athens, GA

It's a difficult thing, trying to be something you're not.
Often, you run into the old problem of hating the very thing you're trying to become.
That's the lesson Athens husband and wife duo Duke and Dawn learned a few years back, when the traditional country outfit tried to make their music more marketable by incorporating more modern element.
The results, as guitarist-singer Duke Davis explains, weren't exactly stellar.
"We were trying to find some way to something we thought we were supposed to be doing to be more marketable, or whatever. Wethought, 'this is just ridiculous.' It got to be where we hated the whole thing.: he sayd. "We said, 'Let's just do what we think if fun."
What the duo thought was fun was writing and performing traditional country songs that recall the music of greats like George Jones and Conway Twitty. Both had grown up on traditional country. Duke even had written a traditional country song with his father.
The duo began attending local bluegrass jams known as "pick'in parties," performing their so-called organic country for their fellow musicians and fans. It was at last the right choice.
"All of the sudden, music got fun again," Duke Davis says. "It's been a natural progression from there.:
With their new sound inline, the two began performing as often as they could in an attempt to spread their sound.
"We were just doing everything we could possibly do just to circulate it and get a feel for, 'Is this going to resonate with people? We're sure having fun,: says Dawn Davis, who share vocal duties with Duke.
Duke and Dawn began writings songs that visit the traditional themes of "heartbreak" Duke Davis says recall the country music of the 1960s and 1970s, while still remaining relevant to modern audiences.
"We're not trying to be retro, really. We're not county retro," says Duke Davis. "That's just what we like to listen to. That's what we like to play."
Apparently, it's also what other like to hear.
After the group's demo made its way into the hands of Joe Silva, host of WUGA's weekly music program "Just off the Radar" and an organizer of the "Athens 441" music series ath the Morton Theatre, Duke and Dawn were invited to perform at Athens 441 in September 2004, where the group shared the stage with fellow Athens acts Japancakes and The High Caliber.
Through their regular pick'in performances, Duke and Dawn also linked up with AthenSound, a local promotions and record label that promotes bluegrass and country artists.
And while the two aren't looking to be the next big thing on country music radio, they are at last content that they are where they need to be: Writing and performing traditional, organic country.
"We have a lot to look forward to now," says Dawn Davis. "It's kind of nice when it works out that way-that you decide to do something you love and people like it. I think people can pick up on that."


--Kimberly E. Mock - Athens Banner Herald-Marquee