When he was fifteen years old, Jacob Davis picked up a guitar and started singing in his Shreveport, Louisiana bedroom. But it wasn’t until an open mic night during his junior year of college that he would ever perform on a stage.
Davis, in his own words, was “raised on 90’s country music.” His father owns a local furniture business, and his mother, a nurse, played the piano in their church. While she introduced him to music “from Frank Sinatra to Faith Hill,” his father taught him to play “Folsom Prison” on guitar. He left home to study geology at LSU kate_davis_jacob_davis_12_21_14_0091with plans for an oil industry career. After graduating with a degree in environmental science, he spent a year working for an oil and gas company. “I knew about a month into that job that I didn’t need to be doing it. I hated it at times, but it wasn’t just that. I knew at that time in my life that I needed to be playing music.” So he quit and decided to make the move to Nashville. “I was 23 years old, and I knew if I didn’t do it then, I wouldn’t. Music was everything.”
After a few initial introductions in town, he met with Ascap’s Robert Filhart, who immediately asked for more songs. “You know as soon as you meet him that there’s something very special about him,” Filhart says. “I decided that we would work together to get him a deal within six months.” Filhart gave him the simple instruction to “go write great songs.”
Together, they shopped guitar vocals around town. Just thirty minutes after a meeting with Ree Buchanan, she called Filhart to say she wanted to offer Davis a deal. “Jacob is in a class of his own,” Buchanan says of her belief in his music. “When I called Jacob to tell him that they wanted to sign him, he just said ‘I feel like that’s where I need to be’,” recalls Filhart. And so, one month shy of the deadline Filhart originally set, Davis signed a publishing deal with Wrensong/Reynsong Music.
His illustrative lyrics draw people in. Buchanan explains that Davis is “a poet who can communicate to the average person.” He writes from the heart with an honestly and clarity that is rare in comparison to many modern acts. “I was taught at an early age to always hear the story in a song,” Davis explains. “My dad said that the most important thing about music is to really listen to the song. That was huge in the development of my writing, and still is.” The same passion is a part of his vibrant show, which is inspired by his love for all kinds of live music. But his music remains traditional, and he cites Keith Whitley, John Prine, and Garth Brooks as key influencers.
“He has a very bright future,” says his publisher. When asked about his place in music, Davis is clear about his vision as an artist, but he also speaks of a keen loyalty to his craft of songwriting. “I want to take it as far as I can take it. I want people to relate to it – to every word of every song. I want to reach in and grab somebody. For somebody to pick up an album and feel every song – I want to be known for that. And I want to be the best lyricist I can be.” Davis and his team place no limits on where his talent will take him. “We will see him in stadiums someday soon,” Buchanan boldly proclaims.
Davis is currently a staff writer at Wrensong/Reynsong. He resides in Nashville with his wife, Whitney, and their yellow lab, Topaz. In his free time, he likes to hunt, fish, and spend time at the family farm south of Shreveport. “It’s the best place to sneak off for inspiration. Sometimes – if you’re quiet enough – the bayou will sing you it’s own song.”