DAVE HUM

Dave started out learning to sing and play the guitar aged eight, then after finishing college he began busking and getting work as a classical guitarist based in Dorset, then later joined various bands with styles of music ranging from swing, jazz, latin and blues.

He sang and played guitar for eight years with “Street Level”, a wacky busking jazz band, and won the 1996 International busking competition held in Birmingham UK by BBC Radio 2.

Around this time he was visiting Bournemouth one day, which is on the south coast and stopped to listen to a family band that were street performing in the town square. They were called “Same Train Different Teapot” and the instruments they played were a banjo, a mandolin, a lap dulcimer and a double bass. He really liked the sound of the music they were making and got chatting to the banjo player Mike Preston who organised bluegrass gatherings in the area and invited him along, which is how he got hooked on the music and keen to learn how to play the banjo and the mandolin.

Dave’s father-in-law had an old banjo which Dave taught himself to play. By 1996 Dave had teamed up with a guitar-playing friend, and the group The Huckelberries was born. The members grew in number and the group played publically for some time. These early experiences, coupled with his love of music, provided the skill set to provide for his future wife, Mel, and their family, and set Dave on the life course which brought him enjoyment, friends, and distinction in the music community.