Donald Davis

Considered the dean of American storytellers, Donald Davis was born in a Southern Appalachian mountain world rich in stories. While he heard many traditional stories about Jack and other heroic characters, he was most attracted to the stories of his own family and places of origin.  Davis began retelling the stories he heard and then adding his own new stories to them until he was repeatedly asked to "tell it again, on purpose." During his twenty-five year career as a United Methodist Minister, Davis began to use stories more and more.  He was also asked to begin performing at festivals and in other settings until he retired from the church to tell stories full time. Donald shares his stories at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough every year. The author of eighteen books and 40+ original recordings, Davis is the recipient of multiple awards. Donald is a regular at our Sounds of the Mountains Festival, and we will NOT take false credit for introducing him to Trish. I repeat, we will NOT take credit.