Local Spotlight on...David Childers
The following will appear in the July 2006 edition of Gaston Alive:
The Americana Music Awards have just named their 2006 honors and awards nominees. And in the last year or so, Americana Music Association has been increasingly attracting such country castaways as Radney Foster, Patty Loveless, and the Dixie Chicks just to name a few.
As the face of today's country music gets younger and better looking, veteran artists are pushed out in favor of the "beautiful people". Whether they should be in this format is up to you. However, we can't forget about those artists who have been cutting their teeth in the Americana scene for years and years - even before being Americana was cool.
Mount Holly's David Childers is a prime example of a guy who doesn't latch on to trends and bandwagons so easily. He plays music that comes from deep in his soul. Sometimes it's a spiritual, or sometimes it's about the devil (and how it made his baby cry). He can rock out or strum slow. It makes no difference to him.
David Childers may not be getting any younger or better looking. Time has a way of doing that to all of us. But he still maintains a strong presence in the local and regional music community - grooming and inspiring younger musicians to play the music that resides in their soul.
In the end, trends will come and trends will go. And David Childers will continue to write and play the songs that live on forever. And that's an honor that no one can take from him.
