The Three Davids in Concert

Award-winning songwriters and entertainers, David Holt, David Wilcox, and David LaMotte. Photo: Lynne Harty
Award-winning songwriters and entertainers, David Holt, David Wilcox, and David LaMotte. Photo: Lynne Harty

Join three of Asheville’s favorite award-winning songwriters and entertainers, David Holt, David Wilcox, and David LaMotte, on Saturday February 20, 2016 for their second annual ‘Three Davids’ concert.

The concert will feature all new original and insightful songs woven with warm-hearted stories and an abundance of laughter.

These three internationally-known musicians have harmonious roots in Western North Carolina, which will echo in their musical conversation. Each of these musicians is accustomed to entertaining large audiences by themselves (last year’s show in Asheville sold out in advance) and the spontaneous musical and personal interaction between them promises to multiply the fun and make for an exceptional evening to remember.

Four-time Grammy Award winner David Holt is recognized as a multi-talented musician. He performs and honors the traditional tunes he has collected for over 40 years. Few realize that he is also an accomplished songwriter.

Says Holt, “I have always performed a few of my own songs in concert, but my main focus has been to showcase traditional mountain music. With The Three Davids, I get to feature my original songs and work with two of my favorite singer songwriters.”

“I traveled with Doc Watson for fourteen years. We ate over six hundred meals a year in restaurants. The last thing we wanted to eat was fast food. We were constantly looking for home-cooked meals. That inspired me to write a song called “Slowfood.” When he is not on the concert trail, Holt is a television host for the PBS series David Holt’s State of Music as well as his long running Folkways series.

Cleveland-born David Wilcox is considered a ‘songwriter’s songwriter.’ His songs have been covered by artists such as k.d. lang and many others. In addition to his writing prowess, his skills as a performer and storyteller are unmatched. He holds audiences rapt with nothing more than a single guitar, thoroughly written songs, a fearless ability to mine the depths of human emotions of joy, sorrow and everything in between, and all tempered by a quick and wry wit. His lyrical insight is matched by a smooth baritone voice, virtuosic guitar chops, and creative open tunings, giving him a range and tenderness rare in folk music.

David LaMotte is an award-winning songwriter, whose music has taken him around the globe, performing 2500 concerts to devoted fans on five continents. Along the way, he has had the chance to perform with many of the artists who inspired him as a young man, including Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie and the band America.

The Boston Globe says he “pushes the envelope with challenging lyrics and unusual tunings, but he also pays homage to folk tradition,” and BBC Radio praises his “charm, stories, humour, insightful songs, sweet voice and dazzling guitar ability,” while the Washington Times lauds his “guitar-spanking open-tuning grooves as well as gentle folk-tinged pop, ” saying, “his lyrics range from insightful image-driven stories to equally insightful humor.”

LaMotte is currently recording a new CD, The Other Way Around, which will include eleven new original songs, and will feature musicians from Guatemala, Australia, Germany, India, and other countries that have become close to his heart in recent years.

If You Go: David Holt, David Wilcox, and David LaMotte perform on Saturday February 20 at 8 p.m. at the Diana Wortham Theatre in downtown Asheville. Tickets are $35 ($25 for students and children under 12), and are available at www.dwtheatre.com.