DAVE FORAKER profile picture

DAVE FORAKER

About Me

I've been blessed by a career in music that has spanned parts of five decades, so far... An entertainment writer once called me "North Carolina's Number-1 Blue-Eyed Blues Singer"... that's a little hard to live up to... I've sung with rock bands, country bands, blues bands & variety bands... & at one time or another, I've backed up The Coasters, The Drifters, Spyder Turner, Maurice Williams, Percy Sledge, Marcel Evans, Thomas "Guitar" Gable & Clifford Curry... & opened for Leon Russell, The Doobie Brothers, Rory Gallagher, Wayne Cochrane, Badfinger, Tracy Nelson & Edgar Winter, among others. In my "spare time", I played piano bars from Virginia to Georgia. ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------- It was during my piano bar days that I was introduced to Ray Charles... he was staying at a hotel where I was performing... & when we met the next morning, he told me,"You got soul, brother... you can't teach soul..... God has blessed you with it... but, with that blessing comes a "re-spons-ibility" to share that blessing with the world!" YESSIR, BROTHER RAY! I'll do my best!------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------ For about a decade I was honored to lead a blues band... as Dave Foraker & TRUE BLUE... recording 3 CD's & burning up the blues circuit with my "funky white fiddle" & 4 of the best bandmates, ever... along the way, winning the prestigious Low Country Blues Bash in Charleston, SC in February of 1996... & a 2002 honor as "One Of 2002's Most Important Indie Bands".----------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- "Thank The Lord", a 2004 homage to Black Gospel, crossed over onto the Southern Gospel charts (October 2005 Singing News Top 80). In 2006, I spent time on the Southern Gospel circuit, before I returned to the blues circuit with NC/SC blues favorites, Gas House Mouse... but by 2007, I had decided to return to my "roots" with my 5th CD, "A Piano, A Mic & Me".-------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ -------- My name is Dave Foraker, although I've been called "Cousin Butch", "Fricker", "Fat Fury", "BluesFiddler", "Uncle Dave" & much worse........I pound the piano, tell stories & sing the blues... oh yeh, sometimes I get free food!. I'm currently doin' mostly solo gigs... but I team up, from time to time, with mandolin & guitar pickers, fiddlers & harp blowers flavorin' my already-bluesified sound... & someday, I may even get a "full band" back together... if the right players are aavailable! (Ya hear me, Hodge? How 'bout you, Bubba? Tommy??? Hey, Jeremy... what'cha doin'??? Hey, Cliff... ain'tcha gettin' cold up there????)-------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------- I just completed my 11th season at world famous Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC.... & I'd like to thank my many friends that have scheduled trips to The Biltmore Estate to coincide with my afternoon sessions @ The Winery. I'll be back in 2009 (starting May 3rd) at The Festival Of Flowers...see ya then...I'm also accepting bookings for 2009 at festivals, music halls and other venues ... & welcoming opportunities for collaboration with my many musical friends......Contact me @: Dave Foraker 1-828-669-0538 [email protected] www.myspace.com/davidalanforaker

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 03/10/2007
Band Website: myspace.com/davidalanforaker
Band Members: "I am proud to be carrying on a long tradition... that of a story-tellin' singer of the blues. The blues is an old man . . . he's been around for a long, long time... and after we've gone our way, that wise old gent will still be a sittin' and a rockin' . . . and observin' life. The blues is a universal language that knows no boundaries... that transcends time. The blues is basic, and inherently honest. The blues is a story . . . of anguish, sadness, despair... a story about hard-won victories, stated with resolved humor and acknowledged ironies. A story with subtle, satirical overtones... and these tales spring from the secret heart of a few of the chosen disciples... the Blues Balladeers." ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------DAVE FORAKER - I POUND THE PIANO, TELL STORIES & SING THE BLUES!
Influences: Musically: Ray Charles, Albert King, Mike McD, Gregg Allman, Randy Newman, Wilson Pickett, Marcel Evans, Leon Russell, among others.----------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- Life Lessons: My father, Orville C. Foraker... my uncle, John Harley... my high school orchestra director, Charles Musgrave...
Sounds Like: I've been told I sound "like the dude that sings "Toy Story".... or "the guy who sings the theme song to "Monk". Randy Newman could not be reached for comment!---------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------- What the music writers have said:The Charlotte Observer: "Foraker's gritty, soulful vocals fuse rock and blues into a style that is powerful and passionate." ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------- Piedmont Entertainment :"Dave has the kind of voice that aspiring singers long for... & the seasoning that can only be gained through thousands of performances. I've seen Dave in front of a hot blues band... & as a solo pianist/vocalist at several hotel piano bars. Either way, it's hard to top his voice for soul-filled sincerity."------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------------- Mountain Xpress : "Foraker's music speaks to all ages. I'm glad to report that he has almost miraculously recovered from the stroke that threatened to end his career." ------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------Blues Connection:"Great songwriting, a bluesy violin & bluesier vocals! Is this guy the next "Papa" John Creech? Remember... you heard it here first!"----------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------ Charlotte Entertainment Monthly: "Although we titled the initial article, "Charlotte's Best-Kept Secret", Dave Foraker should be recognized as "The Carolina's Number1 Blue-eyed Blues Singer!" ------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------Ashev ille Citizen-Times : "Foraker sounds like a down-to-earth David Clayton-Thomas, going for his notes with gruff emotion that is blissfully unpretentious & real."------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ --------- Rock Hill Herald : "Dave's sparse piano phrasings provide the perfect companion to his renowned vocal skills."---------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------- Occasionally Blues-letter : "Foraker's soulful voice, to me... reflects Ray Charles, Joe Cocker & Gregg Allman... & his "funky white fiddle" mimics the style of the late Albert King."------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------- REFERRALS: "In his 11 seasons of entertaining at The Biltmore Estate, Dave has proven to be reliable & quite a crowd-pleaser." -Hannah Parks / Special Events / The Biltmore Estate------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------- "Dave Foraker starts with a genre of music often characterized with bad times & sad songs. By weaving a story or two (or three) throughout his performance, & liberally seasoning his sets with humor, he delivers a message of hope that's guaranteed to inspire." Alan Beaty / WNC Promotions ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------"Dave Foraker has been coming to Highland Farms Healthcare Center for several years. He has been very faithful to the residents and it is a rare Tuesday afternoon when Dave is not here to entertain. He never asks for any money, just a piano to play on. Dave is a very talented musician, an accomplished singer/songwriter and a great asset to those he is able to serve. Dave sings many of the old hymns and standards, often adding his own style to the songs known and loved by the population here, as well as some of his own songs. The residents here at Highland Farms have been very blessed to be able to enjoy his music!"--Jen Thomas, ADC/HCC Activity Director---------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ -----------------------------------------------"I met Dave Foraker a few years ago when he was entertaining the residents of Care Partners Adult Day Services. I was so impressed and delighted to see the effect his music had on the residents, as many of them danced and sang along. When I was hred at The Laurels, one of the first calls I made was to ask Dave to come entertain our residents. We have been delighted, as the residents love his huge repertoire of songs, and they laugh at his many delightful stories. He enriches all of our lives."-- Lois Hodgson, Activities Department, The Laurels Of Summit Ridge------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------
Record Label: True Blue Music
Type of Label: Unsigned

My Blog

Accentuate The Positive

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.... Dave Foraker pounds the piano, tells stories & sings the blues. In this clip, he sings the standard, Accentuate The Positive"
Posted by on Tue, 14 Apr 2009 07:53:00 GMT

True Blue Music Notes- 3/28/09

Friends... not sure if many of you've noticed, but it's gettin' rough out there... layoffs, plant & bank closures, house foreclosures, etc... & your friendly neighborhood blues-singer has to deal with...
Posted by on Sat, 28 Mar 2009 13:15:00 GMT

TRUE BLUE MUSIC

Greetings from Glade Creek USA... the home base for TRUE BLUE MUSIC....TBM's Mission Statement is simple... "As music has proven to be a bridge to cross gaps in memories... a vehicle to express emoti...
Posted by on Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:08:00 GMT

FOR SALE: LOG HOME IN MOUNTAINS (10 minutes & 5 miles from I-40)

SECLUDED LOG HOME... 5 MILES & 10 MINUTES FROM I-40CATHY & I ARE RELUCTANTLY SELLING OUR LOG HOME IN THE WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS.------ WHILE IT IS SURROUNDED BY THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF FOREST,...
Posted by on Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:33:00 GMT

repertoire... hey! whatcha know?

REPERTOIRE THIS IS AN ACCURATE REPRESENTATION OF MY ACTIVE SONG LIST AS OF JULY 2008... BUT, IT'S WOEFULLY INCOMPLETE... AS I RE-DISCOVER EVERY TIME I SIT DOWN WITH OLD FRIENDS TO PLAY. SOMEONE WILL...
Posted by on Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:12:00 GMT

My Rig

Greetings from Glade Creek USA....Last night I performed at The Back Room @ The Flat Rock Wine Shoppe in Flat Rock, NC. We didn't have a very big crowd, but I did my best to make sure that everyone wa...
Posted by on Fri, 19 Oct 2007 06:56:00 GMT