Biography

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(Part 1)

Baby Blues

Dave’s musical career started early – singing in the local Welsh Baptist Chapel and learning harmonica from the age of seven. Music was always around the family home - Dave’s mother had ten brothers, most of whom made up a regular male voice choir at home in Lime Street in Pill, the dock area of Newport where the family lived.

Dave discovered an early passion for music - being moved to tears by the Harvest Festival hymn 'We Plough The Fields And Scatter' and a love for sad songs such as 'Love Letters In The Sand'. It’s no surprise then that by the age of twelve he was absolutely hooked on blues. His first introduction was seeing Memphis Slim playing when an early American Folk Blues Festival finally reached the British television screen. Sonny Boy Williamson and Lightnin’ Hopkins were also early influences.

Dave’s first band ‘Skid Row’ was formed at the tender age of twelve - the teddyboys and rockers could dance to the bluesy rhythms and the four young lads won some affection (and protection) from the girls. Skid Row played in some wholly inappropriate venues and loved every minute of it!

With Dave on vocals and guitar, Steve Ralph on rhythm guitar, Nigel Mann on bass and Greg Evans on drums, most of the material was Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, Elmore James and early Stones numbers. Their local heroes were a band called ‘The Cellar Set’, a cracking bluesband who packed them in all over South Wales. Eventually, Skid Row were allowed to play between their sets. What a privilege! Dave didn’t know it at the time but The Cellar Set were to metamorphose into Blonde On Blonde and ask Dave to join them as their lead singer.

Blonde On Blonde

In 1969, when they relocated back to South Wales from London, Dave began rehearsing with the band for the Isle of Wight Festival. It was too soon for him to join them on stage (a regret he has to this day), but was ready for the first tour after the festival and, shortly after, they put together the second Blonde On Blonde album Rebirth.

Still just eighteen years old, it was time to grow up – quickly. He certainly did that during the next three years on the road!

During that period they played at festivals and colleges all over the U.K.

Some of the artistes and bands they appeared with included:

The Doors
Jefferson Airplane
The Pretty Things
The Graham Bond Organisation
Georgie Fame
Alan Price
Martha Hunt
The Gun
Deep Purple
Genesis
John Hiseman’s Coliseum
Pete Brown’s Piblokto
Wishbone Ash
Budgie
Barclay James Harvest
Roy Harper
The Steve Miller Band
Fleetwood Mac
Hawkwind
Slade

It was the era of ‘Progressive Rock’ – where experimentation and risk-taking could still happen. The high point of this time was when they topped the bill in Keighley, Yorkshire, where they were actually supported by Fleetwood Mac!

It wasn’t long after that that they were working on what was to be their third and last album Reflections On A Life. Still no sign of a hit single so Ember, the record label, withdrew support, and Gareth Johnson left the band for a more serious career as an architect and civil engineer. The farewell tour featured Graham Davies on lead guitar and Dave took over on bass. As a three piece Blonde On Blonde was far from the creative unit it had been. So, looking back, it’s no surprise that their days were numbered. There was nothing for it, the delights of shift work beckoned - same thing, every day, working at the mill. For a full Blonde On Blonde discography click here.

London calling

In 1972 Dave moved to London and sang with various rock bands before deciding he’d be much happier going back to the blues.

From 1974 to 1978 he played the folk clubs again with Hugh Gregory. Together they formed acoustic blues duo Shortstuff and played all over the U.K. and at the Cambridge Folk Festival in 1977 – one of the major highlights of the period. A long term residency at The Half Moon in Putney was taken over by one D.P. Costello – later to become Elvis! In the 80’s Dave appeared at Knebworth with Shirley Roden and Jim Litherland from Coliseum singing in a Greenbelt rock opera – this time in front of 25,000 people.

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