Meet Jeff Daugherty

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jeff Daugherty. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jeff, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

I constantly overcome imposter syndrome by pushing through! Trusting the process, regardless of what’s in the immediate view. Whenever the dark cloud of self-doubt and wondering if I belong come up, I know that something bigger, better, and brighter is just over the horizon. That’s when I put my head down and hit it harder. PUSH THROUGH!

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I was raised in a small farming town in Southeastern North Carolina by a bluegrass-heavy family. My Uncle Roosevelt had a long standing bluegrass/gospel band and held jam sessions after hours at his tire shop. My Papa would bring me to listen years before I ever picked up an instrument. When I was seven, while my family was visiting my grandparents in Tennessee, my Granda Ed put his old Gibson mandolin around my neck and showed me how to play Amazing Grace! I’ll never forget the feeling of pressing the strings under my fingers and the joy of accompanying him in my heart. That’s when the spark became a flame.
After a few years of loud rock’n’roll music on electric guitar I found my way back to bluegrass after picking up a banjo when I was 18. Less than two months after first touching a banjo I was standing onstage, in my matching red and black suit, with my Uncle Roosevelt playing to a crowd for the NC Christmas Floatilla. I performed with the family for a few months..until I was kicked out for having dreadlocks! I have performed and toured internationally for the last 15 or so years with numerous bluegrass acts.
While living in Germany, I recorded and released a solo album, Dreams & Ruins, in 2015. The solo performer role is one I am stepping back into now. While studying at the Apprentice Academy, in Nashville TN, with GRAMMY winning engineer/producer and hit songwriter Joe West, we recorded a solo EP of original songs. We brought in some heavy-hitters from the bluegrass world: Mike Bub, Mike Compton, Jereme Brown, Jake Clayton, & CJ Lewandowski who also cowrote one of the tracks on the release.
I am currently working on a large scale rebranding and look forward to releasing new music by the end of 2025.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I would have to say that good communication skills are absolutely invaluable. If you can’t talk to people, you will struggle to work with them. While, on the flip side, if you can effectively communicate with folks, you can usually convey ideas and even find common ground in difficult situations.
Musically speaking, a working knowledge of music theory is extremely useful. It’s like the communication piece, it’s the language of music.
Lastly, but certainly not least important, I would say patience! Knowing that if you put in the work, you will be rewarded. There’s simply no way around it. Trust the process and GRIND!

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I am ALWAYS looking for new collaborators, be it for songwriting, music creation, recording projects, engineering projects, etc, and from any and all genres! I strive to be in challenging positions musically constantly.
I am super easy to contact through all of the common social media platforms. Let’s work together!

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