David Dunkley, following the rhythm of his heart.

If you know Dave, you that he's got the bluest eyes, and nearly the blondest hair; but let me tell you it's all a crock...David Dunkley is the blackest man I know, in every sense of the word. He is a true brotha.

I seems like I've known Dave forever, but I really got to know him during a short spell on his couch for a few months back in the early 90's (one of my nomad periods...).
Dave was living in the swinging bachelor pad on the Westside of Charleston, playing music everywhere with everyone, and trying hard to make it in the music biz.
At the point that he and I started hanging out in earnest he was playing with a band called Sleeper, a groove machine of a group. During our Sternwheel Regatta, they enlisted me to sit in on the saxophone for the night and it was too much fun.
Dave was their drummer at the time and he would keep the band in stitches with his crazy humor (just somthin' about them drummers, and being hilarious).
Over the years it seemed that David was just everywhere at once, and luckily for me whenever I would show up he would personally see to it that everyone was aware of my presence. I can still hear him..." Tee, don't be tryin' ta hide in the doggone corner, where's that saxophone? (...in my car Dave !!), well just march yourself out there and get it !!! "
You can't be anonymous with him, but that's the spirit of Dave Dunkley.
He and I spent countless hours talking about the music business and the things that Charleston needed to do for our fellow musicians here. One of the cool things about David is that he didn't limit himself to just being a drummer, he'd break out and play some pretty mean percussion once in awhile, if he needed to, he didn't have the kind of ego that said I must be the drummer at all times, he would just go with flow.
At a certain point, like most folks in this town, he started to get really restless. It's really difficult to make music your life's work in this area, for a number of reasons which I won't get into now ( stay tuned for a blog post on the pitfalls of Charleston music, in Standing In The Shadows Of Music), but like alot of folks Dave had to leave for greener pastures. Well, our loss, was the tremendous gain for Nashville and legendary country singer Tim McGraw. As being blessed would have it, they soon found each other, and I am happy to report that David Dunkley is one of Tim's Dancehall Doctors ( Tim McGraw's serious alter ego band.).
I cannot begin to tell you how absolutely proud and happy I am for a man who followed the rhythm of his heart and came up a winner.
Another thing that makes me love him even more is he's now found solace in the arms of the God, and he and his beautiful wife and family are a part of Gods' everlasting family, and Dave still is one of us, he didn't go Hollywood and forget about us, his love has increased 10 fold.

It's my pleasure to tell you that you can catch Dave Dunkley with Tim McGraw in the upcoming Live 8 concert being broadcast live throughout the world.
This is a concert to help end poverty throughout Africa and the Third World.
Also check the internet and you local library for Tim McGraw's music which features our Dave.

This post is also dedicated to David's mother Pat, who did one helluva job raising her son by herself, and turning him into a decent, caring and "COOL" man.

Support Live Music today, tomorrow, and always...