Teddy Davenport

Teddy Davenport was born April 30, 1987 in Madison, WI. Raised just outside in a small town, he grew up listening to old country tunes. Outlaw country stars like Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings were introduced to him early on. Music and hockey were his first passions. Teddy naturally excelled on the ice and at 14; he was given his first guitar. His love for music grew stronger with The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and that very special guitar. Hockey lost all sense of excitement during Teddy’s high school years. That was when he ditched his skates and ran into a life of chaos. Drugs and alcohol took ahold of him and wouldn’t seem to let go, no matter how much suffering he endured. As a sophomore, Davenport was expelled from school and sent to his first stint in rehab, followed closely by military school. He dismissed help from mentors and counselors one after another. When he returned to Deforest High School for senior year, it wasn’t long after that his best friend was killed in a tragic car accident. After 2005 graduation, Teddy escaped to San Diego and plunged deeper and harder into addiction. The pain followed him to California and back to Wisconsin, where another best friend passed away in an alcohol related crash, only a year after his first loss. This sent Davenport into the darkest depression he had ever faced. Not knowing where to turn, he continued to look straight at drugs and alcohol. By 19 Teddy was fully addicted, completely strung out, and the only thing he felt he had left was his guitar. After kicking hard drugs in 2012 he was called to music again, a powerful voice he couldn’t ignore. This time able to seriously play, Davenport found the determination to put the band Rustic Road together. After their first gig he had his final run in with the law, the start to an end of a decade full of blackouts, overdoses, and withdrawals. Teddy, broken and lost, found hope in sobriety and strength in recovery. By 2014, his body clean and mind clear, Davenport could see the direction he was going, where he had always wanted. He had gotten his feet wet with the band, tirelessly wrote, and started playing solo shows. His courage to revisit his past through music proved to captivate music fans with his first EP, A Shot of Grace. Davenport’s songs are influenced by traditional American music. You can hear the influences of Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, with a modern country swagger. He writes with complete honesty about love, sin, struggle, and hope. Teddy, a new man, played shows weekly throughout all of 2015. He made appearances at Mile of Music as well as Madison’s own Bratfest and Wurst Times. He proudly opened for Michael McDermott, The Blackbird Revue and Deadstring Brothers. Davenport stays busy locally, but has also taken his music nationwide. There are no limits to his talent or his passion for music. He sets out to reach as many people as possible, hoping most recently to touch them with his second EP, Middle of a Miracle, to be released December 2015.


“Davenport’s obviously been down a hard road and is clearly a changed man with a mission to help people through music… He’s found himself and this infuses his songs with life.” ~Rick Tvedt, Local Sounds Magazine.