Back Door Slam
Back Door Slam is a blues rock band started by Davy Knowles on the Isle of Man in 2003–04. The band got its name from a Robert Cray song of the same name. Originally a four-piece, with Castle Rushen High School friends Jamie Armstrong (bass guitar), Ross Doyle (drums) and Brian Garvey (rhythm guitar), the band was torn apart in 2004 when Garvey was killed in a car accident along with their close friend Richie Brookes.
Deciding to carry on in Garvey's memory, Knowles, Armstrong, and Doyle reformed the band, with Knowles writing an emotional tribute to his friend and former bandmate, "Stay", which appeared on an EP and on their debut album, Roll Away. The trio recorded two EPs together, and played hundreds of gigs on their native Isle of Man before moving to London to live with Knowles's manager, Bob Miller (Corinne Bailey Rae, Christine Collister). After a handful of gigs in the UK, Armstrong decided to pursue a career in music production and left the band to go to university.
In 2007, with a spot secured at the SXSW Festival in Texas, Knowles and Doyle recruited former schoolmate Adam Jones to replace Jamie on bass. Jones joined Back Door Slam for what turned out to be two extensive tours of the US lasting until January 2009.
The band's first and fourth albums, Roll Away and Coming Up for Air, peaked on Billboard's Blues Albums chart at No. 3 and No. 2 respectively.
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