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Presley Davis Jr’s Top 5 Influences

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SPEAKING VOLUMES

Presley Davis Jr. is a multi genre recording artist and songwriter based in Melbourne, Australia. Originally from the USA, Presley was raised on early jazz and bluegrass. From his early teens until his 30s Presley toured with many different groups and became a very eclectic writer and performer. He now calls Australia home after living here for the last 20 years with his Australian wife. His THREE new albums Roadside Magnolia, Torana Americana, and Birdlife were released today Tuesday July 23, in a project dubbed Eclencta Trifecta.

We asked him about his Top 5 influences:

  1. Ray Charles – Ray is perfection in every sense. His voice seems to have no boundaries. He always nails the vibe. He makes things his own. He writes great songs and makes other’s songs even better. You can’t lose when you play some Ray charles.
  2. Willie Nelson – Willie is one of the great songwriters of all time. His phrasing is out of this world, you think he is going to miss his entrance but that is just Willie creating tension. Only to softly make his entrance at the last second. Incredible. A legend of country music that has always found a way to be an outlier despite being a leader and setting the standard. 
  3. Mavis Staples – Good lord what a voice she has, she’s probably my desert island artist. Her voice is so good she could sing her grocery list and I would love it. The way she hits the note, and  the way she leaves a note is a lesson for all vocalists. 
  4. Leon Redbone – If you don’t know this character then go to youtube and check him out. Highly eccentric, very talented and a living cartoon of a person. Leon makes you wish you knew how to play jazz, and that is a real gift. There is a lot of jazz that alienates the average listener but Leon mixes it with blues and a bit of humor. 
  5. Anders Osborne – He is a newer artist for most of you I am sure. Listen to the Album “Coming Down” first. I was really inspired by the vulnerability of this record. Follow that up with “Three Free Amigos”. Hear that? That is a songwriter and his mates making a record and having fun without regard for success. He takes risks when he is making art and I think that is the way it should be.