Dave’s Bio

Dave's Bio Notes

Brief Biography:

Guitarist Dave Bell is a graduate of Berklee College of Music (’78) where he studied with many jazz greats, finding inspiration in the teachings of Gary Burton. He returned to the East Bay where his search for a place to make noise (bass and drums!) finally revealed his current space in Richmond, California. While living there, Dave began recording his own material and soon had requests from his fellow musicians to do their demo’s and CD’s. When his day jobs dried up in the mid-90’s, recording was on full time, and Bellboy Recording was born. Since then it’s been Pro Tools (from 2001), a drum room addition, and, thankfully, good word of mouth for Bellboy.

Playing wise, Dave has found outlets for all his musical loves over the years. Blues/reggae/soul with powerhouse singer/songwriter Johnny Smith, old school rock with Mr. Chin's Hot Sauce, and swing dance with Sweet City Blues.  2009 brought a solo guitar Xmas CD, and 2010 ended a ten year stint with Dan Hicks. The future looks bright, with CD’s, gigs, and tours in the offing.

Ever since Bellboy Recording came on line, these two passions, recording and guitaring, have been the day-to-day for Dave. In both arenas his love for a beautiful song and a rich tone comes into play, and is the hallmark of Bellboy!