Nora Davis
and
Honky Tonk Heartache
About
Nora Davis and Honky Tonk Heartache is a six-piece classic country band keeping alive the Great American Music of Patsy Cline, Emmylou Harris, Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristopherson, and way too many others to mention.
The band is comprised of six accomplished and seasoned musicians:
Nora Davis - Lead and Harmony Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Bill Hunt - Lead Guitar
Carol Gyurina - Fiddle and Harmony Vocals
Tom Petersen - Bass Guitar and Lead and Harmony Vocals
John Mathews - Drums
Hank Clark - Pedal Steel Guitar
Nora, Hank and former band member Tom Cook recorded a CD, "Tasteful Honky Tonk" in March, 2022, which highlights Nora's vocal style and the band's country sound.
The band just released it's newest CD, "Close Up The Honky Tonk. Tasteful Honky Tonk Revisited" on June 13, 2023.
The band plays a vast repertoire of waltzes, dance tunes, country classics and Honky Tonk favorites about...what else...heartbreak, drunkenness and infidelity, along with many univerally poignant songs about love, loss and the human condition to which anyone can relate.
The band takes great pride in its authentic vocal renditions and instrumental solos by the lead guitar, fiddle and pedal steel.
Nora Davis and Honky Tonk Heartache are primarily motivated by the love of this important part of America's heritage and the need to sustain, preserve and present it for the enjoyment of old and young alike.
We are interested in playing a wide variety of venues: private parties, VFWs and other private clubs, elegant restaurants, dive bars, Honky Tonks and festivals.
Recorded, Mixed and Mastered at Small Pond Studios, Georgetown, MA
Nora Davis - Lead and Harmony Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Bill Hunt - Lead Guitar
Carol Gyurina - Fiddle and Harmony Vocals
Tom Petersen - Bass Guitar and Lead and Harmony Vocals
John Mathews - Drums
Hank Clark - Pedal Steel Guitar
Nora Davis, Hank Clark and former band member Tom Cook
Book Your Event Now
Hank Clark 978-317-0146
Catalog of Songs
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Set One
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Jambalaya, Hank Williams
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If Teardrops Were Diamonds, Dwight Yoakum
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Me and Bobbie McGee, Kris Kristofferson
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I’ll Go Steppin’ Too, Emmylou Harris
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Does Forth Worth Ever Cross Your Mind, George Strait
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Crazy, Patsy Cline
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Six Days on the Road, Dave Dudley
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Right or Wrong, Wanda Jackson
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Honky Tonk Blues, Hank Williams
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Tulsa Time, Don Williams
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Set Two
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Close Up the Honky Tonks, Buck Owens
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Walking After Midnight, Patsy Cline
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Hickory Wind, Gram Parsons
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Beneath Still Waters, EmmyLou Harris
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Hello in There, John Prine
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Faded Love, Bob Wills
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The Kentucky Waltz, Bill Munroe
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Your Cheating Heart, Hank Williams
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Why Not Me?, The Judds
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Moving On, Hank Snow
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Set Three
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Waltz Across Texas, Ernest Tubb
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Folsom Prison, Johnny Cash
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Hey Good Looking, Hank Williams
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Today I Started Loving You Again, Merle Haggard
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California Blues, Jimmie Rodgers
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Mama Tried, Merle Haggard
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I’m So Lonesome I could Cry, Hank Williams
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Pick Me Up on Your Way Down, Charlie Walker
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Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down, Merle Haggard
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I Fall to Pieces, Patsy Cline
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Help Me Make It Through the Night, Sammy Smith/Kris Kristofferson
Other country hits which the bands performs and loves, include, but are not limited to:
1. The Ballad of Lucy Jordan, Marianne Faithful
2. Making Believe, Emmylou Harris
3. The Steel Guitar Song, KImberly Murray
4. You’re Still On My Mind, Gram Parsons
5. Richland Woman Blues, Maria Muldaur
6. Mother’s Broken Heart, Miranda Lambert
7. Cowboy Loving Night, Tanya Tucker
8. He Was No Good For Me, Waylon Jennings and Nora Davis
9. Together Again, Buck Owens
10. Wabash Cannonball, Roy Acuff
11. These Boots Were Made for Walking, Nancy SInatra
12. The Tennessee Waltz, Pee Wee King
13. Devils Dream, Bill Keith
14, Storms Never Last, Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter
15. I Never Go Around Mirrors, Lefty Frizzell
16. Chiseled in Stone, Vern Gosden
17. Life of Sin, Sturgill Simpson
18. Look at Us, Vince Gill
19. Cold Cold Heart, Hank Williams
20. Coffee Creek Correctional, Nora Davis
21. Its Not Love, But Its Not Bad, Merle Haggard
22. Old Five and Dimers Like Me, Jerry Jeff Walker
23. Chances Are, Hayes Carll
24. Between the Whiskey and the Wine, Miss Lesley and Her Jukejointers
25. I Always Get Lucky with You, George Jones
Member Highlights
Nora Davis
Nora Davis, Lead and Harmony Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Nora is the lead singer in the band. Her vocal renditions are exceptional, and reflect her heritage of many years of singing and playing with Bluegrass bands in North Carolina. She is an accomplished song writer providing the band with heartfelt songs. Her guitar playing is metronomic ands helps anchor the band. Since coming to Massachusetts, she blends her bluegrass range and clarity with the more classic country sound of the band. Nora’s versatility can be heard on the two CD’s she has made here, and which are on the website. On a personal note Nora delights in her teaching and work with exceptional students, and somehow has resisted the pressure from the band to quit her day job for a full time musical career. Nora lives in Pidgeon Cove where her husband is a lobsterman.
Hank Clark
Hank Clark, Pedal Steel Guitar
Hank began listening to country music with his father (Hank Williams on the Louisiana Hayride) in 1951 at age six.
His greatest accomplishments in high school were hanging out at the old Club 47 in Cambridge and the Hill Billy Ranch in Park Square. He played five string banjo and flat pick guitar in bluegrass bands from age 16 to 45, and took up the pedal steel at age 55 (way too late).
He studied with two great NE steel players, Tim Bowles and Dan McKenna, and made many pilgrimages to Austin Texas to study with Neil Flanz (the great steel player on Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris’ Fallen Angel Tour in 1973), and to enjoy the hill country honky tonks. Hank loves backing up Nora’s beautiful vocals, and interacting with Bill and Carol on solos, fills, and instrumental breaks.
In 2014 he wrote a 400 page book, "The Greatest Five Hundred Country Songs Ever" (compiled, annotated and ranked).
He considers country music the best antidote to being an attorney, and to everything else that is going on in the world today. He plays a Tommy Cass custom built Emmons push-pull, double neck pedal steel guitar. He resides in West Newbury, Ma.
Carol Gyurina
Carol Gyurina, Fiddle
Carol started playing violin when she was four years old, but learned to fiddle and improvise when she was 10, studying with Yo Oxenhandler, a frequent winner of the New England Fiddle contest at the time. A proud Berklee College of Music dropout, she continues to play many styles, including jazz, rock, Americana, classical and of course classic country.
Before joining Honky Tonk Heartache, she played in “Jiblantos”, an Americana rock band, and with “Luckless Pedestrians”- a Steely Dan cover band. She currently performs with the Melrose Symphony Orchestra. Eclectic indeed.
She plays an ancient fiddle of unknown origins but a stunning sound and a 5 string electric violin when volume is needed. Her classical training gives her a smooth sound, but she sure can fiddle.
Bill Hunt
Bill Hunt, Guitar
Bill's musical journey began at his father's knee, age 9, with two old guitars and a lot of really old sheet music. And what started as a hobby with his Dad, became a lifelong obsession, a passion, a longing for all things guitar. Bill has been playing in cover bands since the 70's, in all kinds of places with all kinds of people, all of which contributed to his overall playing style, but Bill's father has always been his biggest musical influence.
One of his most memorable gigs was playing in support of the Vietnam Veterans Wall That Heals. "The Rockafellas," a classic rock and blues band formed with his best friend, drummer Jim Slattery in the late 90's, opened the show for a nationally known act at Landry Stadium in Amesbury circa 2005. As time went by, Bill rediscovered his love for country music. A fortuitous meeting with steel player Hank Clark in 2011 paved the way for the first incarnation of what is now "Honky Tonk Heartache" a new project with five great musicians who love what they're doing.
After more than 50 years of playing guitar, Bill's passion is still intact.
Tom Petersen
Tom Petersen, Bass Guitar, Lead and Harmony Vocals
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Tom Petersen fell in love with 'classic' country music back in the early 70's, while in college in the midwest. He played in both the Hired Hands and Nashville West bands during that decade. Upon return to his native New England he played all kinds of music in such bands as The Distractions, the Loose Associations, and Bottles and Cans. The opportunity to join Honky Tonk Heartache allowed him to 'come full circle', back to the music that had captivated him at the start, in the company of wonderful people who are amazing musicians to boot!
John Matthews
John Matthews, Drums
From the Texas two-step to the Cowboy shuffle John’s drumming keeps the backbeat for a great Country Band.
John plays DD drums with a maple thin shell to fit his country sound,
,although his favorite kit is an old Gretsch "round badge" set.
All his drumming influences were rock drummers with Charlie Watts being a favorite.
Upcoming Shows
Friday February 2, 2024
7pm to 11pm
Haverhill Amvets
576 Primrose Ave
Haverhill, MA
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