Mount Pleasant rocker Andy Davis wins ‘Entertainer of the Year’ at Independent Music Awards | Biden News

As an independent artist, Mt. Pleasant’s Andy Davis doesn’t have a major record label to support his work, and most of the money that goes into his music career comes out of his own pocket.

“To be able to do that, and continue to see things progress, is really incredible,” Davis said.

That progress continued on Oct. 23 at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, as Davis won “Male Entertainer of the Year” at the 2022 Josie Awards, the nation’s largest independent music awards event.

Building on his previous win in the “modern male country” category at the 2021 Josies — a night that included two more nominations, including an onstage performance of his band’s tune “Tonight” — Davis said the past year has been a whirlwind.

“After the award last year, it was really motivation for us to just keep grinding and really try to see what we’re capable of,” he said.

The Andy Davis Band has expanded its touring radius, adding shows further south in West Virginia and further west in Ohio, “where we’re doing really well,” Davis said. “We really pushed this year, and this award could not come at a better time for me and my team. We needed a spark and we couldn’t have gotten any better.”

Davis and his wife Victoria also discovered the joys of family with the birth of their daughter, Kayah June, last year.

“It made things a lot different than they were in the past,” he said, thanking his bandmates and members of his music team.

“Those who have been through the good and the bad with me have earned it just like I have,” he said.

In the next few weeks, Davis said she plans to debut a new single. The band is working on material to follow up 2020’s “Blue Collar” album with a new record they hope to release in the spring of 2023.

For now, though, Davis is content to sit back for a moment and take it all in.

“Entertainer of the Year is the biggest award you can win in Josis,” he said. “It’s a great experience, especially doing it on stage at the Grand Ole Opry.”

For more on the Andy Davis Band, visit InTheDeerStand.com.