FM
Biography
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, January 8th, 1960, to a mother who loved music and a father who played the piano as a hobby, Dave started playing drums around the age of 8. During his high school years he received many awards from the NAJE (National Association of Jazz Educators) for his outstanding performances in his high school's competition winning jazz band, and was involved with numerous local groups from a very early age while studying with St. Louis area teachers Bob Matheny and then Joe Buerger*. At age 16 he began to work professionally with local pop and jazz groups. As he turned 19, he moved to the east coast in 1979 to study music at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. While playing the club scene in New York City with a band called Nite Sprite, Dave started to receive accolades from established studio musicians such as Steve Kahn, Michael Brecker, and especially the great drummer Peter Erskine. It was Peter who recommended Dave for his first 'big gig' in town with a group called French Toast, forerunner to the Michel Camillo band, which has been recorded quite extensively over the years. From this group bassist Anthony Jackson recommended Dave for the prestigious Simon and Garfunkel reunion tour in 1983. After this tour it was not long before he was regularly being called for radio and TV jingles, sound track sessions, and top recording dates with such artists as George Benson, Peabo Bryson, Diana Ross and Robert Plant, to name a few.
In 1985 Michael Brecker told Chick Corea to check out this new young guy in town, Dave Weckl, for his new 'Elektric Band'. That was the beginning of a 7 year relationship with both the 'Elektric' and 'Akoustic' Bands, where 9 recordings and 3 videos were produced, and the 'Akoustic Band' winning a Grammy for the band's first release. It was also the Elektric Band's first recording where Dave's spectacular drumming and innovative use of combining electric and acoustic drums really brought him world wide recognition.
