Today we’d like to introduce you to David Whiteman.
David, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I was born and raised in Dallas, I grew up in Oak Cliff and attended Bishop Dunne high school. After a few years of college, I joined the Dallas Fire Department in 1989. I spent most of my time working in Oak Cliff and West Dallas, where I was a firefighter and Paramedic. My last assignment was at Fire Communications (911 Office) from 2010 until I retired in January, 2018, serving 28 years. Being a firefighter/Paramedic/first responder, in one of the busiest cities in the country helped shaped the person I became. My extra time allowed me to pursue my love of music and performing, juggling the work as a firefighter and musician for most of my career.
After a couple of stints with other bands, I started my own in 2001. It was not something I set out to do, it happened unintentionally. The band started as a 3 piece group which eventually grew to a 14 piece band. And again, unintentionally, but I’ve grown to really enjoy it. It is a lot to have so many personalities to work with, but it’s worth the work.
What I’ve created was done on my own. No help whatsoever from anyone, other musicians, investors, outside parties etc. I had to learn the business on my own… how to approach a show, perform a show, purchasing proper equipment, hire and deal with musicians, deal with clients, professionalism, learn what NOT to do, advertising. All done on my own. I started off with a small sound system that I could fit in the trunk of a sedan. Now I own a full production worthy of a mid-line festival, which I purchased, on my own and learned how to use it on my own. Looking back, I wish there was a resource for me to make better decisions. I’ve made a lot of mistakes on the way. Some days I wish I could get back that I can’t. I hope I can be a resource for people so they won’t make the mistakes I made, if they are starting out or just need a little knowledge based on experience.
There were several big points I had to learn on the way. The biggest was to surround myself with good people and likeminded people. Identifying them is not always easy, but it’s crucial to everyone’s success.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I’m a musician…Band leader, guitarist and vocalist. I see myself as an entertainer not just a musician. My band is a dance based cover band, mostly R&B, but full variety of music: pop, top 40, hip hop, rock and even country and Latin.
My mission for every show is to entertain! I see every performance as an audition for a future performance. Music has a way of uniting people, bringing out, positive energy, the happiness that my struggle to come out. I really focus on presenting music to the masses that can’t easily be experienced by other local acts. With a 14 piece band, and outstanding musicians, we make that possible. I approach every show with the thought of giving the audience plenty of their favorites, and plenty of favorites they can’t get anywhere else. Whether they are dancing or sitting, my job and passion is to entertain.
We are not a gimmick either. We don’t use pre-recorded backing tracks and try to synthetically make our show better with programmed stage lights to pre-recorded background music. Our show is based on real musicians playing real music, and singers actually singing, without any pre-programmed backing vocals or pitch correction. The sound system and the lights we use accentuate our show, without dominating our show. Our band is one of the few party bands in Dallas that is 100% live music. Clients truly get more than what they pay for.
Our future is to create original music based on my influences of the past, with the musical and recording techniques of today. Imagine Earth Wind and Fire, Ohio Players, Quincy Jones, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Pink Floyd all wrapped up into one, with a groove that bounces and an 808 kick in the mix here and there! LOL
What responsibility, if any, do you think artists have to use their art to help alleviate problems faced by others? Has your art been affected by issues you’ve concerned about?
You have to go out on faith but be responsible. I’ve learned that cutting corners is a recipe for disaster. It sometimes works, but any art requires smart investment in reliable equipment, promotion and advertising.
KNOW YOUR VALUE… This is tricky, but you can overprice yourself out of work… And, you can Underprice yourself out of work. You have to be very honest with yourself here. Many artist may believe they’re worth more than they are. And I’ve spoken with others who are hurting themselves by accepting lower pay for their work. It’s sometimes better to turn down the work than take less than your worth. The hard part is figuring out what you’re really worth. You can base that on what you offer vs someone else in your field. But you have to factor many variables like experience, popularity, amount of work you have in the future vs the other person etc.
Many artists shy away from the “business” side of their work and hope the money will somehow find them. That rarely happens. All artists must do the necessary, footwork, research and networking to GO GET the work for their talent, if they want to succeed as an artist.
Be careful on the thought process “That’s all you need” … It’s a minimalist attitude that works against your best YOU. Approach everything with the mindset of being great! From your art/performance to the equipment your purchase, invest in yourself and whatever your main tool for your art is. Really invest well into something that you can continue to use throughout the years. If not, you’ll find yourself replacing the cheap equipment you purchased that breaks down on you. Then you’ll be spending even more money. For me, “Good enough” is never Good Enough… I want GREAT, not just good. The Time you invest is important as well. You have to spend time on your craft, and spend as much time if not more, getting people to know about it.
Understand that investing in Advertising and Promotion must be done at a strong percentage. If you plan on making money through your art, you must aggressively promote yourself and wisely promote yourself as a professional. This is a business mindset that every artist must develop to have sustained success.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Our info can be found on our website at www.kingdavidband.com … Our band Calendar for the year is on our “Schedule” page. We are currently upgrading our site, and should be finished by the end of July.
We are also on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram as “King David Band” or King David Band Texas (Instagram)
Our regular public venues are:
Glass Cactus – In Grapevine at the Gaylord Hotel
Oasis at Joe Pool Lake
Fat Daddy’s – Mansfield and Fort Worth
Z Grill and Tap – Flower Mound
We also perform Festivals, Weddings and Corporate Events regularly.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kingdavidband.com
- Phone: 214-454-9669
- Email: david@davidwhiteman.com
- Instagram: Kingdavidbandtexas
- Facebook: King David Band
- Twitter: King David Band
Image Credit:
Tamytha Cameron Photography, Stadpro Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
