PASSION feature
Story by Ashley Elvington • Reflection Images by Tracy Rowell
OVER TIME, DAVID JOINED ATLANTA BANDS Starfire, Sanford Niles, and Storm.
After his experiences with these, he journeyed as far as Chicago to pursue music, joining bands
Flight and State Line Avenue. “State Line Avenue was a good band. We were out of Texarkana,
Texas, and toured regionally. My good friend Larry Campbell played guitar; I was on bass at the
time. One of the guys’ father owned the only music store in town. Often before leaving town to
play, we would back the trailer up to the front door of the music store at night, turn off the alarm
and load up whatever we needed. Now that was fun!” During this time, David met Bill Dees, who
wrote “Pretty Woman” and toured with Roy Orbison. “He was our producer when we were recording ‘I Need to Know,’ a song I co-wrote with Gary Meggs, the lead singer and sax/flute player.” This
song brought the band regional success. Bill was interested in producing David’s song, “Be My
Girl,” but the band went in separate directions before it could happen.
Other notable accomplishments achieved throughout David’s career include collaborating with
a writer on songs intended for Marty Robbins (who unfortunately passed away before the songs
were delivered) and receiving Honorable Mention in Guitar Player Magazine for an original song.
He is also a photographer and published poet and has recorded a full length solo record, Devonshire: An Out of Order Anthology, Volume 1. When the mother of his two young daughters passed
away from cancer, David worked during the day, went home to be a single parent, and worked on
the album once they were in bed. While the album took years to complete, it will always hold a
place within David’s heart. “Many of the songs on the Devonshire album are special to me. Lyrically, several of those tunes really lay it on the line.” When it comes to songwriting, David prefers to
complete the process alone, in a quiet living room with a cup of coffee, preferably in the morning
with his mind is clear… just him and his acoustic guitar. Though, occasionally, he likes to turn up
the amps full-blast in the music room. “Sometimes, with a good idea and a little inspiration, I can
complete a new song, start to finish, in four or five hours. Others are on the back-burner.”
Today, David is a part of Heavy Clyde with Keith Hamrick, Bob Hitch, Jason Doughty and Jamie
Lambert. “These guys are very talented and good Christian brothers and friends. That means a
lot. You have to trust who you’re playing with or it just doesn’t feel right.” David writes most of
the original songs performed, in addition to providing guitar and back-up vocals. Some crowd
favorites are “Sweet Thing,” “Pushing Through the Ages,” and “In the Light of the Lord.” For David,
it’s important to convey a message. “Without God, we’re just the walking dead. God was, is, and
always will be life; He is the meaning and purpose in all things. Without God in music, it’s all just
loneliness and mating calls. Did you know God wears rose colored glasses? Yep, He sees you and
me through the blood of Jesus. My ministry really isn’t to the church; there are plenty of others
already doing that. We were told to go and be salt to the world. Jesus hung out with sinners, tax
collectors, and prostitutes. He wasn’t offended, He was focused!”
Looking back on his life, David can’t help but thank the two people who encouraged him most,
not only as a musician but also as a single parent – his parents. He’s also grateful to his sister
Teena, his wife Missy and their five children. This year, he hopes to invest in photography equipment and film videos. He also has something in the works involving his poetry. With such a fulfilling career, one may wonder what David’s life would be like without music. To him, it’s simply
unimaginable. “I’ve been playing music so long now that I can hardly remember not playing. It’s
somehow part of most everything I think and do.”
David Carpenter