Born
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16 Apr 1943 - Dullwich, England
(Grew up in Brixton, South London)
Died
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7 Feb 2000 - From complications arising from cancer.
Bio
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David "Lonesome Dave" Peverett wrote songs that defined rock and
roll for an entire generation. His music has become symbolic of the '70s
era, as demonstrated by its countless appearances in television, film,
commercials, and other media.
Dave was born in England on April 16, 1943. He was an early fan
of the blues and of blues-based rock and roll, and began to master these
forms while performing in mid-'60s London. After a brief tour with Swiss
blues band Les Questions, he joined the immensely popular Savoy Brown as a
rhythm guitarist, eventually also taking over as lead singer. After five
albums with Savoy Brown, Dave decided to pursue his own vision, taking
drummer Roger Earl and bassist Tony Stevens with him.
The new project took form with the addition of lead guitarist
Rod Price in 1971. Dave decided to call his new band Foghat, a
nonsense word he had made up as a child while playing Scrabble with his
brother. Foghat soon recorded their first, self-titled LP for Bearsville
Records, with Todd Rundgren and Dave Edmunds each producing tracks. With
the success of an early single, a rousing cover of Willie Dixon's "I Just
Want to Make Love to You", their debut release soon went gold.
This would be the first of many gold and platinum albums for
Dave. In 1974, Foghat released two gold albums, Energized and Rock and Roll
Outlaws. Their first platinum album, Fool for the City, was released in
1975, producing three hit singles: the title track, "My Babe", and the
monster hit "Slow Ride".
In 1976 they began touring even larger venues, and recorded
another gold album, Night Shift. But no one could foresee the much greater
success they would have with their next release, 1977's landmark Live album.
It reached multiplatinum sales status and cemented the band's reputation as
the world's foremost purveyors of blues-based rock. Though another gold
album was still to follow, 1978's Stone Blue, this was undeniably the band's
peak.
In the early '80s Dave decided to spend time in England with his
wife, Linda, and three children. Unlike many of his peers, Dave had never
subscribed to the wilder aspects of "the rock and roll lifestyle", having
become a family man early in his life. The relentless touring and album
promotion of the past decade had earned him a well-deserved respite in the
countryside, writing songs and raising his family. After all, he was
content with his career - he had shared the stage with many of his heroes,
including his idol John Lee Hooker, and had helped to bring some of the joy
he had felt from discovering blues and rock and roll to an audience of
millions. Those that met him knew that he was a peaceful quiet man off stage
and one of the most energetic rock performers
on stage.
But moving back to England was not the end of Dave's legacy.
While he was living the family life in England, his songs were appearing in
movies and television across the world. His music came to embody a certain
spirit
of youthful rock and roll, as well as to represent the entire genre of '70s
rock. To meet yet a whole new generation of fans, and at the encouragement
of producer Rick Rubin, Dave reunited with the original Foghat lineup in
1993, beginning the first of several tours. He continued to write and
record songs not only for Foghat, but also for a wide variety of projects,
until his death from cancer in 2000. He even embarked on what would become
his final tour after receiving months of intensive chemotherapy and
radiation treatments.
Ironically, despite the instant recognition most contemporary
listeners have of Dave's music, he is still widely unknown personally as the
songwriter behind the songs. However, the music he dedicated his life to
will continue to bring joy and inspiration to his audience, wherever it
might emerge next.
Other Bands
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Cross Ties Blues Band
Lonesome Jax Blues Band
Les Questions
Savoy Brown
Lonesome Dave's Foghat 1990 - 1993
Mail to Foghat I
Mail to
the Webmaster
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