Artists: Biography Blue Mother Tupelo  

Roots-rock band Blue Mother Tupelo -- the husband and wife team of Ricky Davis (acoustic and electric guitars, Dobro, vocals) and Micol Davis (piano, tambourine, vocals) -- began performing as a duo in 1995. BMT primarily perform as a trio with

Micol was drawn to the thriving live music scene during her college years at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where she and Ricky met. He invited her to sing with his band, Soulchaser, a couple of times, and they found their mutually strong interest in artists like Delaney & Bonnie, John Lee Hooker and Van Morrison to be an undeniable force in their friendship. In 1995, they began performing as Blue Mother Tupelo at local open-mike and songwriters nights with the idea of making their own roots-rock sound. Landing a weekly gig led to the addition of Ed Corts on drums and Jim Ladd on bass and a progressive rock-blues sound that soon became a staple in clubs in east Tennessee and western North Carolina.

They recorded a demo for club bookings, then released it as an album in 1997. A year later, they moved to Nashville. The four-piece band played in clubs throughout Tennessee, western North Carolina and Georgia and opened concerts for Delbert McClinton, Grand Funk Railroad and Pat Travers. In between gigs, the Davis duo performed at open-mike nights and songwriters' rounds in Music City. A change in musical direction led to regrouping, and Ricky and Micol set out on their own again.

Their 2001 release, Delta Low -- Mountain High, was an experimental, eclectic blend of songs and styles reflecting their love of Southern roots, earthy rock, soul and mountain music. Their rendering of the 1959 Paul Anka hit, "Put Your Head on My Shoulder," is included in the motion picture Daltry Calhoun (with Johnny Knoxville and Juliette Lewis) to be released in September 2006.