A trio of Asheville’s most popular award-winning songwriters and entertainers—David Holt, David Wilcox, and David LaMotte—return to Diana Wortham Theatre at 8 p.m. on Saturday, February 20, for their second annual “The Three Davids” concert. The evening will feature all new original songs interwoven with humorous and thought-provoking stories.
David Holt is a four-time Grammy Award winner and an amazingly talented musician. “I have always performed a few of my own songs in concert,” says David, “but with The Three Davids, I get to feature my original songs and work with two of my favorite singer/songwriters.” He adds, “(We) have great fun performing as The Three Davids. The concerts give us a chance to back each other up as a band, plus stretch out and present our own songs.”
When it comes to writing songs, David says, “I like to wait until something really catches my attention. I met an old fellow who said he’d been married 77 years. I asked him what his secret was. He said, ‘Always make sure the man has the last word: Yes, Dear.’” That led to a song David titled “Let It Slide.”
David Wilcox is many things—father, husband, musician—but he is also an adventurer who always seems to be on a journey to somewhere. In fact, it was a bike ride through North Carolina when he was a teenager that, upon reflection, he says seemed destined to bring him to his career.
“As my friend and I bicycled the full length of the Blue Ridge Parkway, we were asking people we met, ‘Where can we find musicians?’ because we were traveling light and didn’t have our instruments. (They) told us about this hippie school, Warren Wilson College.” After spending a week in Asheville, he decided to enroll at the college where he became more serious about his pursuit of music. He was soon playing gigs every Tuesday, an experience he says taught him how to keep them fresh and how to respond to an audience.
David LaMotte’s music has taken him around the world, performing 2,500 concerts on five continents. BBC Radio praises his “Charm, stories, humour, insightful songs, sweet voice, and dazzling guitar ability.”
In addition to his 11 albums, David also strives to put into action the hopeful ideas about which he sings and writes. He suspended his music career in 2008 to accept a Rotary World Peace Fellowship, earning a master’s degree in international studies, peace, and conflict resolution from the University of Queensland in Brisbane Australia.
Tickets are $35 ($25 for students and for children under 12) and are available online at dwtheatre.com. Last year’s concert sold out, so early ticket purchase is recommended. Photo by Lynne Harty.
