or Jamie Davis and Soul Gravy, what started out as a collegiate extracurricular activity has turned into a true to life rock and roll band. The band was originally formed when Jamie Davis, lead vocalist and Dan Isbell, rhythm guitarist were part of Northeast Mississippi Community College’s country band. After the decision to play their own style of music the band was born.”College was the point in our life where we learned to blend our sounds,” Davis said. “It was difficult at first, but the more we performed, the more those sounds started blending. Now, it’s seamless the way everything blends together.”
The band is now made up of Davis and Isbell with John Staggers on drums, Mitch Shurden on bass and Jerry Carnathan performing on lead guitar.
The blending of all of the various influences into the band’s music is the reason behind the band’s name.
“We play some soul and R&B so that’s kind of where the soul comes from, but we’re all country boys and play country music and that’s where the gravy part comes in,” Davis said.
Now, Jamie Davis and Soul Gravy have made a big name for themselves on the Mississippi music landscape. To go along with their dogged determination to meld their influences, the same determination applies to their playing schedule.
“We’ve been out playing pretty hard. Usually we’re out somewhere three nights a week, or at least that’s the way it has been for the past six or seven months,” Davis said.
“When all the colleges started, though, we were played six nights a week.”
Jamie Davis and Soul Gravy feed off the crowd and try to play whatever the crowd is feeling.
“It’s not like a regular bar band where you get the same songs for three or four hours. Our music is based on what the crowd reacts to,” according to the band’s biography.
The Booneville-based band has an upcoming album to be released in the near future.
“Our new CD will probably be out in the next month or so. Be sure to keep an eye out for it,” Davis said.
This will be the band’s first performance at Bulldog Bash, but they are no newcomers to the Starkville scene.
“We’re pretty excited about playing. The first Bulldog Bash I went to was when I was in high school and ever since then I’ve always wanted to play at the bash,” Davis said.
“We hope to draw a good crowd, but we never do too bad in Starkville.