Sing 'em a song... tell 'em a story...

During a stint at a piano bar in Charlotte, NC, I met the chief pilot of Ray Charles Enterprises. When asked if Ray was staying at the hotel that night, I was told, "Well, he was headed for his room when he walked right behind you 'bout a half hour ago!"   I was introduced to Mr. Charles the next morning, & he was gracious & kind when he said,"You've gotta lot of soul in your singin'... now, ya can't teach "soul", so you been blessed with it. But, ya got a responsibility that goes with it to share your voice with the world!"

 Yes sir, brother Ray... I will.

In the early eighties, soulful rock singers like Con Hunley & T.Graham Brown were tearin' up the country charts. When I visited Nashville for a showcase, I was told,"You're too bluesy for country music!"

About ten years later, I was fronting a blues band, doing about 200 dates a year in blues clubs & festivals, when I was introduced to Bruce Iglauer, president of Alligator Records. When we talked about the possibility of recording for his blues label, he said,"I really like your sound & your concept... but, I think you're just a bit too country for us!"

My band, True Blue, closed our "live" sets with a little 12-bar blues about prayer, called "Talk To Him". We played it in front of crowds for 3-4 years. In the spring of 1996, we had just won the prestigious Low Country Blues Bash in Charleston, SC... & we were booked to do a two-week tour in Europe. Instead, I ended up in the hospital, victim of a severe stroke. None of the doctors, rehab specialists & therapists were very optimistic about my recovery. My career as a musician & a singer appeared to be over.

As the word got around the nightclub circuit, I began to receive cards, letters & phone calls... with each message saying almost the same thing... "Hey, Dave... ya remember that song ya used to sing about prayer... well, we're prayin' for you, brother!"  Within a short time, my rate of recovery was increased... much to the amazement of my doctors.

Well... my given name is David Alan Foraker... but, to my cousins from my childhood I guess I'll always be "Cousin B utch"... & to my schoolmates from my youth around Alton, IL, I'll long be remembered as "Fricker".  To my bandmates, from the amphetamine-fueled '70's, I am "the Fat Fury" .

During the late eighties & early nineties, I was in the habit of wandering the streets of Charlotte, NC with my "funky white fiddle" (a 1975 Barcus Berry Electric Violin), & sitting in with any musicians that I could find gigging on that particular night. One evening, as I unpacked my fiddle & bow at the legendary Double Door Inn, a young fella came scootin' across the floor, pointin' at me & sayin',"It's you... a bunch of us been talkin' 'bout ya... you come into a club with your white fiddle... ya play a couple of tunes...& ya disappear like the friggin' Lone Ranger... we call ya "the bluesfiddler". And so, for the last few years, I've been tagged with this unusual nickname. 

My pastor has called me "Scruffy" from time to time... let's hope that doesn't stick! Hey, call me what ya want... just don't call me too late for supper!

In 2004, I recorded a gospel CD, entitled "Thank The Lord"... a homage to all the great gospel artists that have , in one way or another, influenced my music. By October of 2005, a song from the CD had crossed over onto the Southern Gospel charts, The Singing News Top 80... which led to me singing at several Southern Gospel venues. It was an awesome experience sharing stages with Karen Peck & New River, The Jeff Treece Band, Purpose, The Father's Four &  other Southern Gospel artists. At every concert, though,  someone would ask, "Hey, you're not a real Southern Gospel singer, are ya?" 

"Thank The Lord" was reviewed by several Southern Gospel magazines... but, each writer pointed out that "this is not traditional Southern Gospel" (no kidding!)... & one writer even coined a new genre for my music... "GospelBlues"!