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GOVERNOR DAVIS & THE BLUES AMBASSADORS are a high-energy blues
act, injected with soul, R & B, funk and rock influences, based in central Indiana. The 5-piece act includes Governor (yes,
that's his real name) Davis on guitar and lead vocals, Steve Robbins on guitar, mandolin, bass and vocals, Dave Kemp on drums
and vocals, Marty Weaver on keys, key bass, accordion and melodica, and Frank Loyd on percussion and vocals. The band also
performs as a 6 - 9-piece, adding vocalists, sax and trombone, upon request.
The acts repertoire includes originals
written by Gov and Steve, as well as blues covers ranging from John Lee Hooker to B.B. King. Known for its feel-good music,
tastefully spiced with a little humor and a lot of fun, their shows are audience-interactive with Gov often leaving the stage
to dance with the audience, playing guitar with his teeth and bringing audience members up on stage to dance and sing back-up.
Governor Davis & the Blues Ambassadors perform an average of 170 shows per year in the U.S., as well as Gov touring Scandinavia
(40 shows in 6 weeks) in mid-February - March, 2005. While in Stockholm Gov was interviewed by Jefferson Blues Magazine,
published by the Scandinavian Blues Association, and his interview and CD review were published in the June/July, 2005 issue
with his photo on the cover. The act was selected by the Crossroads Blues Society of Indiana to perform on Beale St. in Memphis,
TN in late January, 2006 for the International Blues Challenge sponsored by the Blues Foundation, and has been voted in the
top 3 Blues Band category in NUVO Newsweekly's "Best of Indy" Reader's Poll for over 10 years (voted "Indy's #1 Blues Band"
in 2008 and '03).
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Governor Davis & the Blues Ambassadors have performed at the
Indy Jazz Fest 2000, '01, and '06, Kroger Circlefest for the events last 4 years (1996 - '99), at the Grand Opening weekend
of Indy's Conseco Fieldhouse, Blues at the Crossroads Festival in Terre Haute every year since it's inception in 2002, the
Madison Ribberfest, Indy's Zoobilation, and at the "World of Wheels Championship Auto Show" at the Indiana State Fairgrounds
to name a few of their bigger shows. They've been regularly featured at Indianapolis' premier blues club The Slippery Noodle
Inn, Lafayette's Knickerbocker Saloon and Riehle Bros. Entertainment Complex, Muncie's Headliners, Scotty's Brew Pub, BW3
and Dill St. Bar & Grill, Ft. Wayne's Hot Spot and House of Jazz & Blues, The Verve in Terre Haute, Jamz in Anderson, Stevie
Ray's Blues Bar in Louisville, KY, Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago, IL, The Center for Southern Culture and Wet Willies in
Memphis, TN, The Heron on Geist Reservoir in Indpls., and have been hosting a weekly blues jam on Thursdays for the last 7
years.
Governor Davis & The Blues Ambassadors have opened for such blues/soul notables as Solomon Burke, Koko Taylor,
Little Charlie & The Nightcats, Junior Wells, Lonnie Brooks, Lonnie Mack, Kenny Neal, and The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and have
been included in shows with Otis Clay, Little Milton, Big Daddy Kinsey & The Kinsey Report, Robben Ford & The Blue Line, Eddie
Shaw & The Wolfgang, Lucky Peterson, Bobby Rush, Chick Willis, Leon Redbone, K.C. & The Sunshine Band, Elvin Bishop, Bonnie
Raitt and Indy's own, the late James 'Yank' Rachell.
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Governor's blues-based roots stem from early exposure to the
form in its native habitat, Chicago. Growing up in Chicago with the name Governor may be the main source of his energy. The
name was traditional for the first-born son of each generation and it provided plenty of hassles. His first musical influences
came from his family -- Gov's father played piano on weekends at Chicago's north side clubs, and his Aunt Ollie, a church
organist, taught him piano and provided Gov with much of his gospel influences. As a teenager Gov went to the Regal Theatre
whenever he had the admission price. It was there that he saw many of the hottest blues/soul/R&B artists of the time, most
notably James Brown, Gov's biggest influence with regard to showmanship and entertainment.
Gov's father got him his
first job, running errands for the owner of Walter's Corner -- one of Chicago's hottest clubs on the west side at that time.
It was there that Gov got to see such blues legends as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Junior Wells and Little Milton perform,
and where he met Cash McCall, who introduced him to Chicago's music scene by letting him sing with his band occasionally.
When Cash's band asked Gov to front them while Cash toured Europe, both Gov's father and Cash talked him into accepting a
music scholarship offered by Vincennes University instead. It was there that he taught himself to play the guitar. After graduating
from Ball State University Gov made Muncie, Indiana his home, where he worked, until his recent retirement, as a job-search
counselor. Gov performed at fraternity parties throughout his college days, and is well-known to many Vincennes and Ball State
University alumni. He formed "Governor Davis & The Blues Ambassadors" with Steve Robbins in January, 1991, and has achieved
a growing popularity in Indiana through his many public performances.
Contact Gov
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Born and raised in Brightwood, on the east side of Indianapolis,
I started playing guitar in 1973. I was at a concert at the Coliseum in '72 -- Rare Earth and a new band, The Doobie Bros.
-- and during a guitar solo in "Jesus is Just Alright" it hit me - that's what I wanted to do! My brother Ron brought home
John Lee Hooker's "Endless Boogie" and I got into the blues. When I saw Yank Rachell for the first time in '74 - at Crazy
Al's - I started to feel the blues. And being from Brightwood I think it all came naturally.
I put $20 down on an
Epiphone at Arthur's Music Store, and my family surprised me at Christmas by buying it out of layaway. I took a few guitar
lessons from local musician Bob Turner, then lessons at Arthur's for 6 months. I bought a Gibson Dove acoustic in '75, which
I played until the Brightwood Blues Band was formed in '79. I got a deal on a '69 Stratocaster from a friend that I worked
with for $75 which I still play today. Named for the neighborhood we grew up in, the band came about when I started jamming
with neighborhood friends at my house. Then we started playing parties and gong shows, and in '81 we were playing clubs like
the Third Base on Illinois St., downtown. When the Slippery Noodle Inn began featuring live blues in '85 Brightwood Blues
Band was there. We were one of the top blues bands from Indianapolis and helped build a blues music scene -- you could count
the number of blues bands on one hand in '81. We played all the major clubs: the Patio and Vogue in Broad Ripple, Crazy
Al's, the Hummingbird, the Bluebird -- in Bloomington and Indy (30th & Sherman) -- and for the Parks Dept. and at festivals.
We played on the same bill as Taj Mahal, Otis Clay, Big Shoulders, Duke Tumato, Yank Rachell and Pinetop Perkins. We backed
Chick Willis when he toured IN, IL and KY. Through playing with Chick I met Mercedes Miller and Charisse Hampton-Moses, "The
Govettes".
Brightwood Blues Band disbanded in '91. During that same time period, Gov Davis was coming from Muncie
to Indianapolis for the blues jams. I was hosting the jam at both the Slippery Noodle and Chubby's Club LaSalle, and introduced
Gov to Jan Kline (J K Promotions) who had been booking Brightwood for the last year. Gov and Jan were putting a band together
and asked for my help when the drummer and guitarist couldn't handle traveling to gigs. I planned on helping out for 6 mos.
- 1 yr., but after performing with Gov and seeing that he puts 110% into his show I'm still with him today! In addition to
performing with Governor Davis & The Blues Ambassadors, I was able to spend some time with Yank Rachell -- performing with
him and learning to play the mandolin. Yank sold me one of his mandolins in '95 and I would make late-night trips over to
his place to talk and play music together until his passing in '97. Yank was a great friend and mentor to me and I cherish
playing his mandolin and do so at all our shows. I've also tried to carry on Yank's memory and musical tradition by hosting
the Yank Rachell Tribute Jam every year since his passing.
Contact Steve
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I was encouraged by my parents to play drums. They both sang
and played guitar. My Mom got a snare for her birthday and decided she wasn't interested in playing it so one evening they
invited me into the room and asked me to play with them. I played the snare for two years and I was 14 years old at the time.
Then I got a complete set and still didn't know how to play until, at one of our gigs, I watched another drummer play and
I went home and did what he was doing. I taught myself and have been playing the drums for over 30 years now!
I
was born and raised in Indy and played in a lot of bands over the years. My influences were 70's pop and rock bands, country
was a big part too. I really started playing a lot when I attended college in Nashville, TN. I got turned on to the Blues
about 12 years ago and really learned how to connect with other band members. There's nothing like the Blues. I have a Slingerland
1963 4-piece set and 2 Mapex kits I use along with Zildjian cymbals and DW hardware. I enjoy the opportunity to play with
Gov and the Ambassadors.
Contact Dave
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Finally, I am an official member of the Blues Ambassadors!
My connection with Governor and the guys goes back many years. I was pleased to play keys on both released recordings as
well as playing many concert and club dates when the band wanted a bigger, fuller sound.
I am a lifelong professional
musician. I started playing in rock bands in my hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma in high school and continued playing in college.
I attended Pittsburg State University and played in the award-winning Jazz Big Band and Jazz Ensemble, but the desire to
play music full-time was too great and I left school after three semesters and have never looked back.
In the last
30+ years I have played well over 7,000 gigs in 35 states and a half dozen foreign countries. I have played rock, jazz, blues,
country, zydeco, reggae...you name it, I like it all. In the last few years I have added accordian (and melodica) to my musical
arsenal. I live in New Castle and teach piano and drums. I also play in the worship band at First Christian Church. I am
honored to be playing with Governor Davis and the Blues Ambassadors and look forward to helping them keep their reputation
as the best blues band in the region.
Contact Marty
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I first played with GDTBA on August 19, 2004. That is a night
that I will never forget. About six months earlier, my wife had talked me into going to Kelly’s Pub on the west side of Indy,
to listen to them host the Thursday night Blues Jam. We were hooked from that night on and every time I heard them, I kept
hearing in my head what I could add with my congas. I mentioned to Governor that I had played congas and sang in a Funk and
R&B band in the 70's and 80’s and he finally persuaded me to bring my drums to the jam. They said that they liked my style
and well, I’ve had the privilege and pleasure to play music with them ever since.
Born and raised in Indianapolis,
I was exposed to music at an early age. My father, a saxophonist and my mother, a pianist, encouraged us to learn to play
a musical instrument. I played trumpet and took singing lessons in grade school and took piano lessons from my mother. In
1972, my father co-signed my first loan to get the set of King Limited Edition drums that I still play today.
The first
singing group that I was in was called The Fabulous Flamingos which included my brother and two cousins. In 1972, I joined
a Funk band named the Funk Dogs started by my brother, who was playing the saxophone at the time, along with some other local
musicians. After several years, we formed a funk and R&B band called Panic. We were the house band at a club called Robbie’s
in Haughville on the west side of Indy for two years and played many other clubs in Indy, Fort Wayne, Muncie and Kokomo. In
the early 80’s, the original Panic band broke up and my brother, cousin and I started Panic LTD. I played the guitar then
and my brother had switched to the keyboards. By 1986, I quit the band because my second daughter had been born and I figured
it was time to get a real job. I got into the communications industry and I’m currently the Technical Trainer for Comcast
in Bloomington IN.
I always knew that I would play music again but I never dreamed it would be with one of the best
blues bands in the country. All of these guys love to play music and we have a ball every time we perform. Check out our schedule
and make plans to come experience the blues. You’ll love it……I promise!
Contact Frank
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