My name is Billy Michael Davis. I live in Chesapeake, Va., but I grew up in Vidalia, Ga. It's a little town near Savannah.I really can't remember when I started singing because I grew up doing it.

My father was a great singer and musician as well as my mother's brother, so between them they had me singing most of the time. My mother said I started performing publicly when I was three, but my first memories of performing are when I was about six years old.

My father had what we called "porch pickins" on most Friday and Saturday nights. That sometimes included as many as ten or twelve musicians playing at once. People came from all over for these events because some of the best pickers and singers in the area showed up for them. I always did several songs before the evening was over.

I always did a lot of gospel music in church growing up and later on I was in a couple of gospel groups. But later on I discovered beer joints and I knew I had found my niche.

After that I played honky tonks and beer joints throughout the Southeast for years in different bands. That is what gave me my style of music. I call it Southern Honky Tonk. The years in clubs show in both my singing and songwriting.
Over the years I've played everywhere from outdoor beer joints to big opry houses and community centers.

I've been in country music for years and have seen it change a lot during that time.

Most of the mainstream labels and producers say traditional country is no longer marketable, but there are still a lot of REAL country music fans out there. It's just called alternative country now, but I call it Honky-Tonk!

As long as somebody will give me a stage or will buy my records, I'll keep on picking and singing.

-Billy Michael Davis