PORT CLINTON – Eighteen years ago, at the age of 50, Jerry Davenport started writing songs about life around Lake Erie. Living on Catawba inspired songs about many subjects: The feel of the waves on shore and the sounds of the Miller Ferry heading to the islands.
Davenport has written about 120 songs, and on Friday, he sang a few of them as he performed as the featured entertainer at RiverFront Live in downtown Port Clinton.
Fifty, Davenport said, was a good age to start a new hobby. At the time, he also learned how to play guitar.
“When you’re 50, stuff comes easier,” he said. “Things make more sense when you’re older.”
Davenport hasn’t professionally recorded any of his music yet, but that may come in the future. For now, he said, he just wants to have fun with his music.
“I don’t take songwriting too seriously. I have a music room in my home and a live music room above my shop, and I may work on a song for two years,” he said. “I work real hard, but not in a hardworking way.”
At RiverFront Live, Davenport sang about boating, the long summer days on the lake, and the beauty of the local towns. He sang, “Catawba, the Prettiest Girl at the Dance,” a song he wrote by the request of his uncle, Don Rhodes, one of the area’s premier local historians.
“My uncle told me they used to call Catawba that,” Davenport said.
He also sang a song inspired by a vintage desk Rhodes gave to Davenport. When Davenport placed his computer on it, he was struck by the irony that the old desk would outlive both the computer and him. He sat down and wrote “Antique Desk.”
“I knew the antique desk was still going to be here after the computer and I are gone,” he said.
Davenport’s music has a fun and comfortable feel to it, creating upbeat ambiance for the dozens of people who gathered at tables in downtown Port Clinton on Friday night. Some came just for the music and others picked up carryout meals at one of the many downtown restaurants and ate while Davenport played.
Peter Corrado and his wife, Loretta Grentzer, just came for the music. When COVID forced the closure of their regular Friday spot, they were glad to discover that RiverFront Live offered a safe place to be entertained on a Friday night. They both said they enjoyed Davenport’s concert.
“I like his voice,” Grentzer said.
RiverFront Live’s free concerts, hosted by Main Street Port Clinton, are held in the downtown “Meals on Madison” (M.O.M.) outdoor eating space. This summer, entertainment will be provided every Friday starting at 6 p.m. through the first Friday in September. For the last RiverFront Live concert, held on Sept. 4, the Firelands Symphony Orchestra will present Samba Joia, an Afro-Brazilian percussion ensemble.
Judi Halstead, who emcees and livestreams the RiverFront Live concert on Facebook each Friday, said the events draw viewers from far beyond Port Clinton.
“We have viewers from all over the U.S. We love this venue because a lot of people get to enjoy the concert, and we always want to support live music,” Halstead said.
The downtown location also gives entertainers such as Davenport an even bigger audience.
“Jerry really is a good fit for this, and our entertainers get to be enjoyed by not only our RiverFront Live audience but also the people eating in restaurants,” Halstead said.
Many of them could relate to Davenport’s easygoing style that symbolizes lake life for so many.
“I don’t use any props or an iPad. Everything I sing, it’s in my soul,” Davenport said. “I just go up there and live it out.”
Contact correspondent Sheri Trusty at sheritrusty4@gmail.com.