10 Questions with ... Jeff Davis

NAME:Jeff Davis TITLE:Director of Radio Promotions LABEL:Cold River Records REGION:South/Southeast BORN:Sharpsville, Pa RAISED:Gainesville, FL (GO GATORS!)

Please outline your career so far:

I started radio while still in high school at WYKS in Gainesville, and worked my way through FL with stops along the way at WYGC, WMMZ and WKTK before discovering the country music love when I helped launch WOGK in Ocala, FL. That station won the CMA award in its first year and I am proud to be a part of their heritage!! Went on to Charlotte, Tallahassee, and Daytona to WGNE, which ultimately moved to Jacksonville where I again was proud to be a part what they have accomplished!! In August of 2008 I made the switch to promotion working with Country Thunder, which as everyone knows closed its doors March of 09, which takes me to current day where I am working with Katie Armiger on Cold River Records! How's that for the cliffs notes version of the last 19 years! :)

1. First, congrats on the new job with Cold River Records! Tell what you are doing over there and what we can expect in the near future from you and Cold River.

Thank you! I am very excited to be working with Cold River! I am covering the south and southeast and working the Katie Armiger project! She is such an awesome talent, and I am pumped up about the music we have, and what is yet to come! I am basically covering the entire bottom right hand corner of the US and loving it! :)

2. In 2008 you left radio and moved over to the record side of the industry. What prompted that change?

Well, basically, after an amazing 18 year run in radio for which I will always be grateful I felt like this was the natural next step! I had worked every daypart in radio, was a part of launching a station that went on to win the CMA award for station of the year (WOGK), MOVED a station 90 miles to relaunch it as the 3rd country station in an already competitive situation (WGNE) and had been blessed to work for some GREAT stations and incredibly talented folks along the way! For me it has always been about the music, radio was a vehicle to get me closer to what I truly loved, and now I get to be a part of exposing new music across the nation! Seeing people's lives changed by a song, or a singer, what a rush! This is definitely where I want to be!

3. Do you think that your years in radio, gives you an insight that those that have never worked in radio might not have? Of that knowledge and experience, what has been most valuable to you in your promotion career?

I do think it helps me having been in radio. I can empathize with what today's PD or MD faces on a day to day basis. Shrinking staff sizes, growing demands on time, and budget, consultants, endless meetings with department heads, all while trying to maintain a great product that listeners want to be a part of, and manage a staff, too! I also know that on any given Monday, they are looking at no less than 5 to 10 new songs, with only a few places to put them on the air! Having worked in the SE, I already knew most of the stations that I now call on. I feel like that relationship, with my experience and knowledge of what these guys and gals are up against gives me a better understanding of how to approach these stations promotionally and to aid in the successes of all involved.

4. If you could tell the PDs and MDs out there one thing that would make your job as a promotion person easier, what would it be? And on the flip side, what would you tell your fellow promotion peeps to keep in mind as they work with radio?

I would probably let the PD/MDs know that new music, when programmed correctly, CAN help your radio station. As a PD, I was playing 45 to 50 currents, branding tomorrow's superstars, and still growing ratings at the same time. Trust your gut as well as the research and other tools that you have to make a decision to invest long term into an artist. As for my fellow promo peeps, I try to learn from them on a day to day basis, taking the experiences that I have from programming. I would just say to embrace your passion, but also be mindful that even when things don't go your way on any given Monday, to not blow it for next week by losing your cool.

5. You also happen to be a songwriter and musician; do you think that makes you more passionate about the music you work? Does it also make you more critical?

I don't know that my ability to "speak music" makes me more passionate, but I think it is an asset. I understand the creation of the song, what goes into the production, mixing, producing, and the final product. It's just who I am. More critical sounds a little harsh; I would say it gives me another tool for constructive feedback. I can define how I think something could be made better, in my opinion, so if anything, it is another tool to the end success. I wouldn't say I am a world class writer, or player, but it's nice to be able to speak the language.

6. You recently got engaged, congrats! Tell us how you popped the big question and if any wedding plans are in the works.

Got on both knees and begged! LOL. No, seriously, it was pretty gushy! Spoiler alert! I got a heart shaped glass bottle; you know the ones with the cork in them that look like they came from the ocean? I filled it up with sea shells and a scroll tied up with string with a proposal on it. Went to a restaurant and arranged for the bottle to be brought to our table before dessert, had the ring in my pocket and popped the question! :) (P.S. She said yes! :))

7. Florida has a very interesting dynamic that makes it unlike any other state in South. What are some of the challenges and benefits to playing and/or working Country music in the Sunshine State?

The benefit is that Florida seems to be a great state for new music. These guys and gals are leaders in championing new causes, and with it being summertime all of the year, it's a great place to get new things cranked up. The challenge? I'm not the only promo guy who has figured this out, so there's lots of competition from a ton of talented folks with amazing music! It's all about timing.

8. I know that music is a huge part of your life; it defines who you are on many levels. Tell us about three songs that have really made an impact on your life and why.

JUST THREE?? OMG! I don't know if I can do that. I am a little A.D.D. with music as my likes and dislikes seem to adapt with the current situation and need that I have! If I had to narrow it down, it would be easier to define moments around music than to name songs! Umm top of my head comes up with "Wanted Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi, "Unanswered Prayers" by Garth, and Craig Morgan "Almost Home" but the strongest memories of these three songs was hearing THOUSANDS of fans singing EVERY word so loud you could barely make out the band that just added to the magic! I could make a list from Jacksonville to Nashville and back on moments like these that have changed my life through music.

9. Tell us one thing that would surprise most folks to learn about Jeff Davis.

I only have one kidney! LOL. It's true! I was apparently born that way.

10. Who were some of your mentors in the radio business? Now that you have moved to the record side (or the dark side as some people call it), who do you look up to?

Again this list could be endless! I always try and take something from every person who has changed my life or added something to my learning experience. Radio mentors include Jeri Banta, Bill Kramer, Scott Pettibone, TR Fox and countless others. As for promo peeps, the list could go on and on and on! I will be forever grateful to Bobby Young and the whole team at Country Thunder for giving me a chance on the "dark side" and believing in me, and of course Pete O'Heeron (in the interest of sucking up to my boss, who is GREAT by the way). There are so many successful promo people that have touched my life, and helped along the way! From Scott Borchetta and Jon Loba, to Rocco Cosco, Rob Dalton, Buffy Cooper, really I could pretty much name the entire South East regional roster and say that I look up to just about all of them, and hope to enjoy the success and longevity that they have achieved! They are ALL amazing at what they do, passionate about the music, and I am grateful to have had them in my life! I know that sounds like a "cop out" answer, but it's the truth! We are ALL trying to get noticed, and I try to take something away from working with all of them over the years! I've seen how they work when I was on the other side, and all of them are great in their own right!

1. Your first band was called Nameless Faces, right? What sort of music did y'all play and how did you come up with the name?

Oh lord! Now the dark secrets come out huh? We were an interesting group of teen agers!! Basically a mix of classic rock, Hair Bands, Alternative, and whatever was cool at the time! I was the hair band junky! My bass player and best friend was into progressive and punk, drummer was a classic rock guy, and the singer was somewhere in between, so our original stuff was a very interesting combination of all of those influences. We were sitting in the lobby of WYKS, (stalking radio of course, LOL) and somebody asked what the name of the band was, so we joking said, we're nobody important, just some nameless faces and the rest is history! Well, history until we played our last gig in 1993 opening for KC and the Sunshine Band at the Ocala fair! :) ;)

2. What was the first concert you ever went to?

Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet Tour with Cinderella, Jacksonville Coliseum, February 1987. I was hooked on the roar of the crowd and knew that music had to be a part of my life!

3. Who would play you in the Jeff Davis story?

WOW! Another tough one! Nicolas Cage is one of my favorite actors, so that would be cool! Yeah, we will go with that!