Xaris Waltman

Xaris Waltman was born and raised in North Florida. As a young girl she picked up her great-grandaddy’s guitar for the first time. Living in South-Eastern Kansas, Julian Davis fell in love with music at around the same age. The two pursued music professionally after high-school. Music brought them individually around the country performing on television, festivals, and nationally recognized stages and finally to Folk Alliance International where the two met. From then on, the pair has been creating music as a duo; performing mostly traditional, gospel, and original songs… along with focusing on their own solo projects. Julian’s flat picking style mixed with Xaris’s old time way of doing things makes for a duo we know you’ll love.

Xaris was about eight years old when her dad taught her the four chords he knew on the guitar. They say to play country music all you need is “three chords and the truth”. Xaris now jokes that she knew one more chord than she needed. Not long afterwards the short stories she was writing up until then became songs, now being able to accompany herself on the guitar.

Xaris grew up a preachers daughter who wasn’t exposed to much music other than worship and gospel music. At around age eleven that changed, when she discovered Peter, Paul, and Mary. After that; some of her early influences included: Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Hazel Dickens, Joni Mitchel, and Doc Watson. Those artists lead her to many songs which lead her to many other artists. She describes it as “branches on a tree that led to fruits of so much more”.

At around the same age Xaris began performing at small coffeeshops around her hometown and gaining recognition elsewhere for her heartfelt performances.

As a young teenager Xaris performed at The Blue bird Cafe in Nashville, participated on NBC’s “The Voice” in Los Angeles, Uwf’s Acoustic Interlude, Wsre on PBS, and started testing the waters in playing songwriters festivals around the country. In 2019 Xaris signed and released an album with BigTone Records, received second place for her song “Birmingham” during Eddie’s Attic 50th Anniversary Songwriters Shootout, performed at The Listening Room in Nashville during AmericanaFest, gained sponsorship from Waterloo Guitars by Collings, and was featured on Ditty TV’s Spoitfy playlist “Ditty Dozens” as one of “twelve of the most exciting emerging artists in Americana & Roots music”.

Her album, “Under The Willow”, was released with BigTone Records in 2019. Xaris put together an album of eight traditional songs that she crafted to make her own. The album features Xaris Waltman on vocals and guitar, Kalia Yeagle on fiddle, Alex Brown on banjo, and Jon Atkinson on bass.

A second album is in the works. The album is fully written, waiting on funds to record the project like Xaris hopes to. Until then, Xaris is touring the USA capturing small town America’s ears with her high, melodious voice and old timey melodies. You can find her somewhere near you this year at www.xariswaltman.com/tour.