Though singer-songwriter Patrick Davis was born in and now lives in Tennessee, his heart will forever be in South Carolina. In his song “Carolina When I Die,” Davis penned the following lyrics:
“I hear that there are golden streets and mansions in the air
And my friends and my dogs and my family will all be there
Well I hope that I can make it, but I’ll only stay a while
‘Cause I’m going to Carolina when I die.”
Since the age of six months, Davis was reared in Camden, South Carolina. He attended and was an honors student at Camden High School, then went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in history at the University of South Carolina.
Inspired by his love of the Palmetto State, music, and history, it’s only natural that Davis created SCETV’s new four-part series “Southern Songwriters with Patrick Davis.”
The idea initially began to form shortly before the release of Ken Burns’ miniseries “Country Music” in 2019 on PBS. SCETV invited Davis to its Columbia television studio to record a special one-hour acoustic performance to air before the premiere of the Burns documentary.
“I grew up loving Austin City Limits, and I also loved Anthony Bourdain," said Davis. "So, I decided I would love to showcase the south and small southern towns with music, talking to locals about what makes those little spots so incredible, not just for the locals, but also for anyone from anywhere, so that they could fall in love with (those places.) And that's how ‘Southern Songwriters with Patrick Davis’ kind of got started.”
The series takes viewers to four distinctly different parts of South Carolina, beginning with Davis's childhood hometown of Camden where he meets up with musicians Dan Tyminski, Kristian Bush, and Marc Broussard at the Arts Center of Kershaw County.
Woven throughout their intimate performance are visits to the Camden Archives to learn about local baseball legend Larry Doby, McCaa’s Tavern, built in 1795, to learn more about Camden’s significance in the American Revolutionary War over a cup of “shrub,” a walk through town, highlighting Davis’s favorite hometown establishments, then a ride over to the Springdale Race Course, where Camden has long established itself since 1932 as the “Steeplechase Capital of the World.”
The three remaining episodes in the series take Davis and more of his musician friends to Greenwood, Sumter, and Columbia. Davis shares his own personal stories and connections to these towns across the state, highlighting each area's unique history, music, food, and culture. From the Civil Rights movement to new advances in science, Davis shines a spotlight on places and events in South Carolina previously known mainly to locals, serious history buffs, and sightseers who choose the road less traveled.
“I love people and I love history. I love exploring and being curious. It's a music show that brings (people) to the party, but it tricks you into learning. That's what I think is really fun for me," Davis said. "Each show has three or four vignettes where I get to explore those little communities and talk to folks about their extraordinary stories, and that really makes me happy. It really makes me proud to showcase my friends, the people I love, and people I've never met before. They're still my friends and people I love, because they're South Carolinian.”
Davis himself is a part of South Carolina history, having been awarded the Order of the Silver Crescent in 2019, one of the highest civilian honors in the Palmetto State.
In a state with such rich cultural, musical, and historical depth, can “Southern Songwriters” be confined to just four episodes? Time will tell. Davis dreams big and works hard to make those dreams a reality. He says he would love to continue the series, taking viewers to more places across the state, and possibly beyond.
“You want to have something that lasts, that stands the test of time. There's just so many extraordinary places all over the southeast, and a lot of those places are forgotten. They're kind of hidden. Getting to those spots and talking to folks there, I think, would be a lot of fun,” he said.
"Southern Songwriters with Patrick Davis" airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. during the month of October on ETV-HD and can also be watched on-demand using the free PBS App or on the scetv.org website.
