Meet Dave Revels

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dave Revels a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dave, thank you so much for making time for us today. We can’t wait to dive into your story and the lessons you’ve learned along the way, but maybe we can start with something foundational to your success. How have you gone about developing your ability to communicate effectively?

From the very beginning of my venturing into the entertainment industry, I learned quickly that if you do not have a two way communication between yourself and the audience, they won’t react favorable to anything you have to offer. It’s not about you so showing them how talented you are but making them feel that they are the most important person in the room and that you want them to be happy. I call it the “living room principle.” If you can behave as you would when you have guests or family over to your home for a celebration then you will begin to unlock the secret to becoming an excellent entertainer. At a party at your home, you spend time with your guests, laughing with them, listening to whatever news they bring to you, go out of your way to mingle and really paying attention to their feelings and react accordingly. If you can be that comfortable on stage then you’re in a good place. I personally call any room I perform in,”my living room,” “my house.” Attendees are entering my house and are my guests so I treat them that way. After all, if your name is on the marquee, isn’t it infact your house that night?

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am a singer-songwriter, producer and entertainer. I have been in the music industry for well over 40 years and have been active over that span of time. I got my professional start in the early 70s as the lead singer of an r n b group, Zenith on a CBS records subsidiary label and toured briefly with them. I then joined the legendary singing group, The Drifters and toured worldwide with them through the 80s up until 1990. We toured with the who is who roster of rock and roll stars like Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Chubby Checker, Leslie Gore, Fabian, Shirelles, Wolfman Jack, Dick Clark, The Spinners, Temptations, The Four Tops and may more. I call those days the real school of rock and roll academy. I learned how to become an entertainer by watching them perform night after night and getting standing Ovations. I would study not only the stage side but the technical side of the production, emcees, everything. I learned what made these artists so special was that they were never pretending to be anyone or anything but themselves. The same person that was talking with you backstage, when they crossed from the wings onto the stage, it was the same personality that greeted the audience. From that, I learned to be myself. Talk the way I do, laugh the way I do and sing the way I do. No two of them sounded alike. They were all unique unto themselves. So, I kept to that approach, to hone my own unique style. My song writing style is a reflection of that. I never worry about genres or trying to fit into any one category. A song comes out of me whichever way the emotion or message finds its clearest path to crystal clarity. I’ve written songs in reggae form, calypso, rock, r n b and folk to country rock. I have been blessed to work with artists in all those genres and so it’s as natural to me as talking. In fact my attitude about songwriting is simple. As a human being, we have multiple conversations with people of all races and cultures, covering a multitude of topics and emotional expressions and no two conversations are alike. So, why should the music we write be any different?
My friend, Jorma Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna and member of the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame wrote the liner notes for my album and summed me up pretty much. “Dave Revels is a most singular artist. He is not bound by genre. His music is always indelibly his own as he refuses to be bound by category. He has a comfort zone that could fill the universe with passion and honesty.  Dave’s music is soul music on the deepest level!” -Jorma Kaukonen

I recently recorded and released two reggae songs that were produced by reggae legend, Ed Robinson. Years back he had a huge reggae hit with Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heavens Door.”
I also wrote and released a song with Jorma Kaukonen, “Birds & Sleeping Dogs,” along with one of his, “In My Dreams.”

My present album release is called, “Soul Surfer.” It reflects what I said about my songwriting style which is eclectic in nature so, it ebbs and flows like a conversation covering many topics in the form of storytelling.
In addition to my original songwriting and performances, I am the creative director and producer of a nationally touring Motown Tribute production called “Shadows Of The 60s”
We just wrapped up our fall into winter schedule and begin again in January. That show does primarily performing arts centers. In that production I strive to recreate the specific energy of the original artists mindset when they went out to perform the songs they recorded for the first time before a live audience. Tie that energy with that of an audience seeing them for the first time after having heard the songs on the radio and bought those records. That energy must have been explosive.
How do I do that? Well, you start with singers and musicians who grew up with those songs and who love them as a fan and not just playing and singing notes. When they sing and play, they are channeling people they idolized as the fans coming to the show does. Both our people and the audience have direct memories they can recall about the songs and when those notes are played, it takes us all back to that very moment. That’s the magic I work to rekindle and stoke.
We do this by not changing or “updating” a thing. These are cherished memories we hold in our instruments and people come to the show to recapture those moments. You change anything and you rob them of that memory.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

1. Attention to detail.
2. Believing and sticking to my message
3. Discipline to see things through from beginning to end and not delegating things for others to do until after I know I have sharpened and shaped it to my vision.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I am always open to collaborate because you get to unlock little kernels of creativity in each other that neither of you are aware of in yourself.
The type of person I would say should be not locked into only one form or genre of expression.
Come with the thought that whatever we may create is waiting to be discovered and we can do that by listening out for what neither of us has yet heard. I had that experience when I collaborated with the Canadian rock group, Barnaked Ladies with legendary A cappella group, The Persuasions that I was lead singer and vocal arranger for the past 18 years.
To me it didn’t matter what they had accomplished before. In that studio, in that moment we were driven by the music we were working to make a joint expression through.

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Where do you get your resilience from?

Resilience is often the x-factor that differentiates between mild and wild success. The stories of

Productivity
Beating Burnout

Often the key to having massive impact is the ability to keep going when others

Leadership Development
Finding Your Why

Not knowing why you are going wherever it is that you are going sounds silly,