Singled Out: Barrett Davis' Carolina Still

Keavin Wiggins | 10-10-2022

Ashville musician Barrett Davis just released his new album, The Ballad of Aesop Fin, and to celebrate we asked him to tell us about one of the tracks and he selected, "Carolina Still". Here is the story:

"Carolina Still'' is a piece that I wrote after a jam session with an old friend JT Linville. He had worked up an arrangement with me and I fell in love with what we did so the lyrics began to flow from me the very next day. It was robust and upbeat and authentic all at the same time. I wanted to put a story to work that would do my heritage justice and put out something that would make me proud of my ancestry every time I heard it. My grandfather always told me stories of my Asheville heritage. When I would visit my grandpa in Murphy, he would tell me stories of his father Gus' family-famous Buncombe County blunder.

Gus was always a lover of moonshine. One afternoon, Gus was hunting geese on the Vanderbilt estate under the influence of the famous drink of the prohibition. He found himself face to face with a security guard or groundskeeper. After being accused of poaching, Gus proceeded to direct the man to turn around and touch his toes. Gus fired a shot into the man's rear which gave him enough of a head start to get away while the guard must have been making plans of where he was gonna go to remove the BB's. The rest is history. This story has been told to me hundreds of times by my grandfather Gus II who lived for a long time in Brevard, Murphy and Asheville NC.

Since the late 1800's North Carolina Moonshine has made its way into the lips and livers of its avid supporters. 'Carolina Still' is a story I wrote to honor the memory of my Great Grandfather Gus Davis, a descendant of Buncombe County and a lover of a good corn mash. After spending most of his life as a cavalry Sergeant, my great grandfather eventually returned to his home of Asheville where he lived the remainder of his life on Hillside St. With every word and note, 'Carolina Still' reminds me of my family's heritage, Asheville ancestry and familiar memories of Appalachia. This history is more than memory. It is burned into my very existence like my first drop of moonshine."

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more about the album here