Dave Dowlings Corner
I have sometimes described myself as “a writer who owns a guitar.” Actually I own several, plus a banjo, a mandolin, 2 button accordions, a stand-up bass, lots of harmonicas, penny whistles, and kazoos. I am not a “jazz musician” – except for the kazoo. Jazz kazoo is easy.
I have been a professional performer since my late teens and I love doing it. If someone asks “Are you going to play?” I say “Oh no, I’m going to work.” If someone asks “Are you going to work?” I say “Oh no, I’m going to play!”
There is no difference in my opinion. The only real division in my life is whether I am asleep or awake. In spite of withstanding some hard knocks in life, I am a very, very lucky man.
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My current band is The St. Augustine Ramblers. Jim Brady (formerly of Nashville) plays “a little bit” of guitar and sings. Shari Sax plays saxophone and flute and also sings. Sometimes I do solo gigs and sometimes duos with either Jim or Shari. This is a new band and we are excited about the future. Since Shari has a beautiful 3 year old daughter and a professor job, Jim and I do the long distance gigs.Some other of the St. Augustine musicians I have played and recorded with are: Bill Austin, Rob Piazza, Sam Milner, Bob Hensley, Bob Wilhelm, Doug Richard, Chip Herrington, Dick Kraft, Rocky Blaze, the late John Westbrook, my younger daughter Susannah Dowling (11 at the time), Steve Buell, Vince Jeffs, Mike Hart, Lon Williamson, Janine Newfield, Ed “Pops” Thomas, Drew Dixon, Jim Stafford (owner of Eclipse Recording Studio), Long John Higginbotham, and Bonnie Ferrari, and Julie Vaill Gatlin.
Some “out-of-towners” who have recorded with me are: Fiddlin’ Jack Schuster, Bob Kogut, Neil Thomas (of The Five Chinese Brothers), Markus Dietrich, Beek Webb (“The Flash of Coosaw Island”), Mike Metis, and Allan Block (“Dean of the New England Fiddlers”).
I am also currently recording with Long John and Stan Lynch (formerly of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) on a project.
I often perform with Tommy Bledsoe and The Old City Farmers. I have performed with so many that it would take a week to list them all. I don’t even recall the names of all the people I was busking with in England, France, and Germany in the 1970s.
I have a slight distaste for name-dropping, but since I have been asked to, here we go: A few of the people I have “opened” for are: Norman and Nancy Blake, Chris Smither, Catfish Hodge, Guthrie Thomas, Jonathan Edwards, James Talley, and Steve Riley and The Mamou Playboys.
I have “shared the stage” with many. A favorite way to perform is sitting on stage with other songwriters “in the round” and taking turns – the Austin City Limits way.
I would say that hearing Bob Dylan in the early 60s changed my life. My high school yearbook picture has me sitting in a bathroom sink with guitar and harmonica rack. The caption is “Don’t sink twice, it’s all right.”
I don’t intend to sink. I know a lot about keeping boats afloat. May the wind be always in our sails. I hope you can find me playing my songs somewhere. Thanks for time spent reading this.
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