Favorite Album: EVER RETURNING by Clinton Davis
Oct 01, 2025
We've been listening to Clinton Davis' album Ever Returning, and if you're looking for inspiration, look no further. It's a great collection of banjo tunes (as well as fiddle and guitar tunes), and we'll highlight a couple of my favorites. One of our main goals is to keep you inspired in your practice, and this album will do the trick. Take a listen!
album artwork courtesy of https://clintonrossdavis.com
Breakdown of Ever Returning
Ever Returning came out on July 25, 2025, and it's Davis's second solo album.
It's produced by the Old Time Tiki Parlour label and runs about 39 minutes with 12 tracks.
Davis handles most of the album himself on banjo, fiddle, guitar, and vocals, but he has Tim McNalley on guitar for six tracks and Ryan Finch on bass for one.
The sound is clean, direct, and very intimate (like you're hearing it in a small room). Davis has said, " I’ve played these tunes and pondered what they mean for a long time. To have them 'out' now is a great relief."
Davis visits many standards on this album but puts his own spin on them. He's got a great tenor voice and is a fabulous musician. Two tracks that I find myself listening to over and over again are first track, "Ever Returning," and the instrumental "Cuttin' At The Point." While those two are favorites, the whole album is an excellent listen and will inspire you to pick up the banjo and start practicing.
Here are some links for streaming and or purchasing:
Quick Bio on Clinton
Clinton Davis is a musician who focuses on old-time American folk. He's from northern Kentucky, a fifth-generation Kentuckian raised in rural Carroll County.
He started with classical music, studying piano and eventually earning a doctorate in music at the University of California, San Diego in 2016.
Along the way, he got into the traditional string music from his home region, picking up instruments like banjo, fiddle, guitar, and mandolin.
These days, he lives in San Diego, California, where he performs, composes, and teaches.
He plays at folk festivals around the country and leads his own group, the Clinton Davis String Band.
Teaching is a big part of what he does—he helps students learn through a mix of notation, theory, ear training, and just feeling the music.
He's also involved with things like being a Deering Banjos artist and teaching for Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop since 2021.
In 2022, he was named a Kentucky Colonel, which is a nice nod to his roots and work in music.
