Here are some highlights.......
1985: joined seminal Australian band Weddings Parties Anything
1986: WPA records first album Scorn Of The Women. Dave contributes three songs and multi instrumental skills. Album produced by David Williams, engineered by John French.
1987: WPA records second album Roaring Days, which includes two of Dave's songs and uses his instrumental and arrangement skills. Album produced by Alan Thorne. Both these recordings were nominated for ARIA awards.
1988: WPA continues to tour relentlessly in Australia, North America and Europe.
1989: Having left WPA, Dave records the first of three solo albums for WEA all co-produced with Graham Bidstrup (Angels, GangGajang). Album titled Bitter Street. The song The Hardest Part nominated for an ARIA.
1991: Bitter Street released in Canada, Dave performs 23 date solo tour there.
Second solo album Angels Never Cry completed.....engineered by David Nicholas
( Elton John, The Pretenders)
1992: Third solo album, The Last Radio completed. Again co-produced with Graham Bidstrup, this album features Dave playing almost all the instruments.
1993: Produced debut album for Irish born Sydney singer/songwriter Peter Baxter,
Since Then, with Russell Pilling engineering. Commenced writing and performing with guitarist Andrew Pendlebury.
1994: Fourth solo album Cross My Palm produced by Dave and engineered by Russell Pilling, relesed independently in Australia and in Europe. This album nominated for an ARIA award-best independent release. Dave and his band The Roadside Prophets tour the UK and Holland and Dave performs solo in UK, Holland, Germany and Switzerland. During 1993/4 Dave also produced albums for the Pale Riders and Sydney independent Desert Boot, as well as EP's for Central Australian band Amunda, and Sydney bands The Scrub Hornets and Boneman.
He was also a session instrumentalist for Ruby Hunters's album Thoughts Within, produced by Jen Anderson.
1995: Touring as a multi instrumentalist with Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter in Australia, Canada, and Europe. Session guitarist for Robin Habel's album Red, produced by Graham Bidstrup.
1996: Completed self produced fifth solo album Old Salt Blues, released by Larrikan/Festival. Toured Old Salt Blues with a marvelous trio comprising Dave, Andrew Pendlebury on guitar and Sandy Brady on Upright Bass. Session Instrumentalist for Archie Roach's third album Looking For Butterboy, produced by Canadian Malcolm Burn(Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris). This album wins ARIA award 1998.......Performed as part of the Sing Sing concerts which featured indigenous artists from Australia and New Guinea at Melbourne Concert Hall, Sydney State Theatre and in Port Moresby, and also on the amazing Womad train from Perth to Adelaide across the Nullabor with artists from several countries.
1997: Produced second album for Peter Baxter, The Miracle Bell
Session guitarist for Kavisha Mazzella's album Fishermans Daughter .....this album wins ARIA for best folk/world music record1998. Toured Australia, Europe, Asia with Archie Roach, Ruby Hunterand the Deadly Band.
Produced album for Sammy Butcher, guitarist for the Warumpi Band, in Alice Springs.
FormedThe Green Room with local musicians from the south coast and recorded an EP of instrumental tracks called Mongrel Music. Both CD's available by mail order, at selected stores through Niche Records, and at live shows.
1998: Worked as instrumentalist with Kavisha Mazzella, touring in Australia, Canada, and Europe. Performed with The Goanna Band at the Melbourne Festival. Began recording sixth solo album Edge Of The World.
1999: Finished Edge Of The World.....
Working with brilliant young singer/songwriter Tiffany Eckhardt and upright bassist Sandy Brady as a trio which performs either Tiffany's material, with Dave playing guitar, mandolin or harmonica; or Dave's material with Tiffany playing guitar and accordian...This trio is vibrant, tough and exciting and has already made a mark on the Australian Festival scene with packed out shows and record sales at Apollo Bay Music Festival, Queenscliff Music Festival, Maldon Music Festival, and The Dandenong ranges Music Festival.
Performed at Womad New Zealand with Archie Roach, also at Byron Bay Blues Festival..
Working also with new country singer/songwriter Cindy Boste, as a multi instrumentalist.
Session instrumentalist for the following CD's
Ninos Cafe....Tiffany Eckhardt, Butterfly....Marcia Howard, White Bird....Rose Bygrave
The Closest...Brent Parlane
2000: Performances at ....Cygnet Music Festival, Dandenong Ranges Folk Festival, Port fairy Folk Festival, Apollo Bay Music Festival, Australian Folk Festival at Kiama
Session Instrumentalist for Brent Parlane's new CD
Produced CD "Ride" for Melbourne based singer/songwriter Rory Ellis
2001 Formed the Welcome Wagon, a blues and roots trio with longtime cohorts Sandy Brady (bass)
and John Parry (drums). Recorde a live-in-the-studio CD titled Goin' Up the Country
Session instrumentalist fot Tiffany Eckhardt's third CD Leap of Faith.
Began recording seventh solo CD Home is a Hard Thing to Find
Session Instrumentalist for Rose Bygrave's second solo CD Walking Home
Session instrumentalist for Cyndi Boste's Second CD Push Comes to Shove
Performances at National Folk Festival, Cocos Island, Adelaide Festival (with Archie Roach), Brooklyn Academy of Music (with Archie Roach), Queenscliff Music Festival.
2002;Home is a Hard Thing to Find completed and released on Black Market Music
Session Instrumentalist for Dirty Lucy's debut CD
Session Insrumentalist for Merilyn Simmons' second CD
Performances at Port Fairy Folk Festival, Barwon Heads Festival of the Sea, Dandenong Ranges Folk Festival, Maldon Music Festival