David Van Allen, currently resident of Doylestown Pennsylvania. Married since 1982 to Elizabeth, AKA "Lizz." I have been playing Steel Guitar since 1972, professionally since 1973. Grew up mostly in Washington DC's Maryland suburbs, listening to the Beatles et al, and wanting badly to play electric guitar like most suburban kids. Then I heard a "sound" on a record (Poco's "Pickin' Up The Pieces" album) and said "what the hell's THAT?" Upon discovering the "what" I was so intrigued by the bizarre concept that I said "I gotta try THAT!" Saved up my pennies and ordered my 1st 8-string E9th Emmons student model.
I don't know if other steel guitar players have had a similar experience, but when I first sat down to that guitar and tried to play, it was as if I had done it in a previous life. I'm not saying that I did it well initially, but the feel of the bar, and the use of the pedals were not "alien" to me, as I have seen it to be with some students of mine in later years.
I have played many styles of music including my own Original Rock, Top 40 Country and Western Swing, Punk, Lite Jazz Audio Wallpaper and some Classical Transcriptions, and played with many Nashville legends as an opening act, or pick up sideman. I have recorded extensively as a "hired gun" for other songwriters and producers in the DC area, such as Bill Baker, Kevin Johnson, Karl Straub, as well as with the bands of which I was a member, such as Sleaze, Martha Hull and the Steady Jobs, Capitol Hillbillies, Beggars and C&W top 40 bands too numerous to name.
Musicologically I've worked my way backwards from Country Rock to discover the roots of this fantastic machine to which I have become addicted, and become more familiar with the great players from the past and the historical time line of the Steel Guitar.
I'm particularly fascinated with the 1950's, the period of transition from lap to pedal steel, the "paradigm shift" for steel guitarists, the age of classic Honky Tonk; the singers, the pickers, the music.
Currently I repair computers (mainly Macintosh) and manage
networks in a K-5 educational environment as my "day job."
I continue to write and produce my own music as well as playing
with Last Train Home
since 1997 as often as humanly possible.
My absolute all time fave is Tom Brumley, his classic work with Buck Owens and his under-appreciated work with Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon Band. Other major influences are of course POCO's Rusty Young who was my initial and primary influence; Lloyd Green who's tone, taste and arrangements of Pop oriented instrumentals still knock me out; the ubiquitous and inevitable Buddy Emmons whose playing is the standard by which we all can judge our own chops, taste and musicality; and Jerry Byrd the Master of Touch and Tone.
My other influences are not steel players...but musicians of many genres and instruments from Charlie Parker to Jimmy Smith to Bill Evans to Howlin' Wolf to the entire British Invasion to Bethoven to Nelson Riddle... I could go on all day and into the night.
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