HAMISH DAVIDSON :: BIOGRAPHY

Photo courtesy Michelle Kelcey

Hamish John Davidson
banjo, fiddle, guitar, piano, vocals

Birthdate: 7th April 1983
Hometown: Yinnar, Victoria - Australia

At 22 years of age, Hamish Davidson is a very versatile and experienced musician. He is an accomplished banjo player and multi-award winning fiddler. Hamish actively plays many genres of music, including bluegrass, western swing, country, jazz, celtic, pop and rock. On top of that, Hamish has composed many piano pieces in the harlem stride and novelty piano styles.

The 2000 Australian Bluegrass Fiddle Champion is currently working mainly with his brother Lachlan as the Davidson Brothers. However, he appears regularly with Troy Cassar-Daley, Sara Storer, Mark Saul and the Alleycats String Band.

The multi-instrumentalist and vocalist started playing fiddle at age eight, and more recently took up banjo, guitar and piano. The oldest child of three from a very musical family is a highly original, knowledgeable and talented musician who has performed extensively and is already gaining industry recognition.

Hamish is a well read and researched musician. He has studied bluegrass music and early jazz piano styles down to a microscopic level. This young man is a master of many instruments. Certainly not a Jack of all trades. Hamish insists each instrument helps the next and by mixing techniques you discover totally new ideas. For Hamish, music is not about playing the right notes, but about telling a story and conveying emotions between the musician and the listener.

Hamish has performed at numerous established music festivals both nationally and internationally, gaining himself a reputation as an accomplished musician, composer and entertainer. He has won over 30 awards including the National Bluegrass Fiddle Championship (2000) and Country Entertainer of the Year (1999, 2001, 2003) at the Tamworth Country Music Festival. The Davidson Brothers were finalists in the 2004 GOLDEN GUITAR AWARDS and won a 2004 TIARA for Best Instrumental.

Hamish regularly performs with the Davidson Brothers, Sara Storer, Troy Cassar-Daley and the Alleycats String Band. He has also appeared with John Williamson, Kevin Bennett, Kasey Chambers, Tommy Emmanuel, John Foreman, Beccy Cole, Adam Harvey, Greg Champion, Jane Saunders, Josh Arnold, Travis Sinclair, Steve Forde & The Flange. However, he still manages to fit teaching music and recording around his Chiropractic studies.

In 2001 Hamish participated in Melbourne's Centenary of Federation parade, performing in front of 300,000 peoplein the city. He graduated from the Australian College of Country Music in 2002 and begun studying chiropractic at RMIT the same year.

June 2003 marked Hamish's first national television appearance. This was with with Beccy Cole and Adam Harvey on The Panel (Ch10). In October, both the Davidson brothers accompanied Sara Storer on Good Morning Australia (Ch10) for the first time. In July 2004 Hamish performed on GMA with the Davidson Brothers Band. Since then, national tevlevision appearances have become a regular occurance for Mr Davidson.

The Davidson Brothers have been extremely busy since the beginning of 2003. [Download their biography here] They worked with Laurie and Josh Grundy intensely from January 2003 through October 2004. Laurie has been a mentor to Hamish since early in 1997. Laurie's son Josh took up mandolin more recently.

October 2003 marked the release of the Davidson Brothers' award-winning album Stay All Night, which Hamish produced. More recently, Hamish and his brother Lachlan recorded a CD single with producer Hugh McDonald (of the Australian group, Redgum) titled Where I Want To Be.

Groups & Artists Hamish has performed with:

Alleycats String Band, Josh Arnold, Jimmy Barnes, Kevin Bennett, The Borderers, Billy Bridge & Hillbilly Heat, Alison Brown, Lindsay Butler, Cairo Club Orchestra, Captain Darling, Carter's Hat, Troy Cassar-Daley, Kasey Chambers, Greg Champion, Beccy Cole, Travis Collins, Mike Compton, Tom Curtain, Davidson Brothers, Tommy Emmanuel, Fiddlers' Festival, Steve Forde & The Flange, John Foreman, Matt Frost, Gatorbait, The Harrisons, Adam Harvey, Shane Howard, The Kelly Gang (Kelly Black), Lee Kernaghan, Anne Kirkpatrick, Rod McCormack, Joy McKean, Melbourne Scottish Fiddle Club, Palmer Brothers, Grant Richardson, Shenanigans, Travis Sinclair, Mark Saul Band, Jane Saunders, Sensitive New Age Cowpersons, Shenanigans, Sovereign, Sara Storer, Twang, Felicity Urquhart, Victorian Philharmonic Orchestra, Trev Warner, Sally Anne Whitten, John Williamson

More Information:

Dave's Diary - Nu Country - 12/1/05 - The Davidson Brothers - Article
Dave's Diary - 1/3/05 - Nu Country: Preview Episode 9 - Series 3 - Article
"Davidsons Pickin' Up Home Fans" - Herald Sun (Mon, 24th Jan '05, p.82) - Article
"Davidsons Pick their Mark" - Country Capital News Magazine (Jan '05, p.37) - Article
Davidson Brothers at IBMA Fanfest - Louisville, Kentucky (Oct '04) - Photos
"Breaking New Ground" - Country Capital News Magazine (Nov '03) - Article
The Official Davidson Brothers Website - Davidsonbrothersband.com