Dave Roe Bio

As a service brat, Dave grew up all over the U.S. and the Pacific Basin. He claims the defining moment in his life was The Beatles' first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in early 1964. That, combined with his mother's love of Country Music and Rock and Roll, as well as her large collection of saloon singer and vocal group records, molded him into someone who loved the entire palette of American and British pop music styles.

After playing in a few High School Rock and Blues bands, he went straight into the music scene of Honolulu, where his family ended up when Dave was 12 years old. This meant that in addition to all the music that a teenager would have loved in the late '60's and early '70's, Dave had to quickly learn all the Jazz and Pop Standards, to be able to work in a Tourist-driven club environment. The mid '70's found him performing with the top Funk and horn bands, along with stints in a few highly acclaimed traditional Hawaiian bands such as The Beamer Brothers.

By 1980, the thought of leaving Hawaii and moving to a music industry city was becoming the right thing to do. Nashville seemed to be the place to go, as Country and Roots Music had become Dave's first love. Within a week of his arrival, he landed a gig with Country Music Hall of Famer Charlie Louvin on the Grand Ole Opry. This was an explosive bit of luck, as most players can struggle for quite a while before they land a gig in Nashville. It led to his first high profile touring job with Guitar Great, Jerry Reed, a position that lasted for more than a year. This was followed by a long list of touring and recording gigs with a Who's Who roster of Nashville Legends, including Chet Atkins, Mel Tillis and Vern Gosdin, along with subbing tours with such stars as Vince Gill, Faith Hill and Leroy Parnell.

In 1992, Dave got the call from his friend Hugh Wadell, who was the publicist for Johnny Cash. That spot had opened up, and Hugh told Johnny a little bit of a fib, saying that Dave was the best Rockabilly Slap Upright Bass player in Nashville. The only problem was that Dave had never played either Stand Up Bass or Rockabilly music. So Dave followed Hugh's advice and borrowed a Bass and gave it his best shot. This was a secret that was easy to keep from Johnny until show time, because he never really reused or did sound checks.

After the show, however, Dave got called on the carpet pretty quickly. The conversation went as follows:

J.C. "Dave, you don't really play upright bass, do you?"

D.R. "Uh, no sir, not really."

J.C. "And the Slap Bass thing, not really possible then?"

D.R. "Sorry Johnny, but I couldn't really if I tried."

J.C. "Then why did you come here?"

D.R. "I don't know, at least now I can say that I played with Johnny Cash."

In almost all cases in the Music Business, that would have been the end of Dave's tenure with the show, as Johnny could have easily gotten someone much more qualified for the job. But what happened next was pure Johnny.

J.C. "Dave, would you like to have this job?"

D.R. "Well, Hell yes!"

Then Johnny said seriously, "In six months I need to look back at you and know that you are the right guy for the job."

This started Dave's new life as a roots Upright Bass player. He held the slot as Johnny's touring and recording bassist until health problems and Johnny's eventual passing brought a close to this amazing story.

Now Dave's career has blossomed into the kind that most musicians only dream about, touring and recording with an "A" list of Roots Artists and musicians. He currently tours with Dwight Yoakam and lives and works in Nashville, Tn as one of the leading proponents of Hillbilly Slap Bass, as well as other styles of Pop, Rock and Country music. He backs this up with a solid foundation on Electric bass, adding his strong singing background whenever called upon to do so.

When not on the road or in the studio, he can be found performing at the legendary Robert's Western World in downtown Nashville, with The Don Kelly Band, the city's oldest and finest hardcore Honky-Tonk/ Hillbilly band.

Dave is endorsed by Hofner, Paesold, Lakeland, Danelectro, Carvin, Barbera transducers and Supersensitive and Black Diamond strings.

 

Discography

Grammy Winners
June Carter Cash - Press On- Dualtone Records
Johnny Cash - Unearthed - American Recordings
                       - Timeless - Lost Highway Records

Other Recordings
Richard Moore - The Shine of Your Eyes - Herringbone Records
Katy Seale - Shine - Herringbone Records
Iris Dement - Lifeline - Flariella Records
Dwight Yoakam - Dwight's Used Records - Warner Bros. Records
Sue Foley- Where The Action Is - Shanacie Records
Andy Griggs - Freedom - BMG Records
Rick Vito - Band Box Boogie - Hypertension Records
Shawn Camp - Live at The Station Inn - Oh Boy Records
Todd Snider - East Nashville Skyline - Oh Boy Records
Whitney Johnson - Slow Records
Cowboy Jack Clement - Dualtone Records