Georgia Southern Names Gretsch Distinguished Scholar

Georgia Southern has named Eric Davis, an accomplished guitarist and Broadway veteran, to lead the University’s new music industry program. The inaugural Gretsch Distinguished Scholar of Guitar/Music Industry has extensive professional experience.

Davis has been the guitar chair and music director for numerous Broadway productions and most recently served as the in-house contractor for “Jagged Little Pill.” The show’s original cast soundtrack recording, which includes Davis, won a Grammy in 2019.

He has been the touring guitarist for singer/actress Kristin Chenoweth since 2012, and has been the guitar chair and music director for numerous Broadway productions, including “The Prom”, “Groundhog Day” and “Matilda the Musical”. He has degrees from Juilliard and the San Francisco Conservatory, and has taught at the Aaron Copland School of Music, New York University and the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music.

“I’m excited about having him as the leader of our music industry program because he will give our students a first-rate educational experience, as he has been involved in all aspects of the music business and understands how to make a career in it,” said Steven A. Harper, Ph.D., professor and chair of Georgia Southern’s Fred and Dinah Gretsch School of Music.

The Gretsch Distinguished Scholar of Guitar/Music Industry was named about a year after the papers were signed to establish the Fred and Dinah Gretsch School of Music at Georgia Southern. The Gretsches have long been involved in music education programs and lending their name and their history to Georgia Southern solidified a vision for the University to be recognized as having the very best music school in the Southeast.