Biography (Dave Panting)

Biography

Schedule

Dave Panting

Biography

personal groups composer producer session musician

February 12^th 1956:

David Ernest Panting is born in Fort Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.

1958:

The family moves to St. John's, Newfoundland.

The 1960s:

Dave spends his formative years between St. John's, Winnipeg, Toronto and London [Ontario]. He is exposed to the Scottish pipe band tradition through his Irish grandfather Dave Lyttle, a sergeant on the Winnipeg police force. He sings in a church choir.

He watches the popular Newfoundland TV show "All Around the Circle" as well as national favorites such as "Don Messer's Jubilee" and "The Pig And Whistle Show". These shows featured traditional music, song, dancing and comedy from Ireland, Britain, Newfoundland and The Maritimes.

During the two years Dave spends attending public school in Toronto, he is introduced to The Beatles and The Dave Clarke Five by the teenage daughters of his landlord. At the same time he absorbs the 60's pop and rock TV shows from Canada and the US.

Meanwhile his parents' eclectic record collection is spinning in the background: The Clancy Brothers, The Irish Rovers, Peter Sellars, The Chad Mitchell Trio, Harry Belafonte, Enrico Caruso, Rimsky-Korsakoff, Swann and Flanders, Max Ferguson, and Herb Alpert, to name a few. His parents' open-minded enjoyment of many different musical genres is a huge influence.

1969—1973:

Dave spends the summer of 1969 in Oxford, England where he catches the guitar bug for real. With his brother Geoff he tunes in each week to "Top Of The Pops" [The Rolling Stones "Honky Tonk Women" is No. 1 for several weeks running]. The brothers pool their allowance and buy a British pressing of Jimi Hendrix's "Smash Hits".

Back in Newfoundland, with the help of various contemporaries and older friends, Dave teaches himself guitar and bass and goes from the garage to high school dances to his first club gigs and provincial road trips. His first attempts at songwriting and demo making are during this period. He begins to check out the club and concert scene with local and imported entertainers: Irish, MOR show bands, hard rock and country.

1974—1983:

Dave is approached by St. John's brothers Noel and Philip Dinn about working in a band merging traditional Newfoundland and Celtic music with rock. The band [called "Figgy Duff" after a common Newfoundland dessert] travels Newfoundland during the seventies learning from traditional musicians and singers that they meet.

It is during this period that Dave picks up the mandolin and becomes immersed in Celtic music, especially the jigs, reels and waltzes of Newfoundland, Ireland and the UK. He also begins composing tunes in this genre.

For the next decade "The Duff" takes the young musician from the local to the national and international stage as well as into the recording studio. He is part of the international music festival circuit where he experiences live music of many types including reggae and blues. This is also his introduction to radio and television work.

1983-1988:

After leaving Figgy Duff Dave works on several local projects and begins to play with his brother Geoff on a regular basis. They work for a period with Carribean drummer and percussionist Charlie Wade.

He continues to fuse local traditional music with other influences and develops his songwriting. He releases three independent solo cassettes:

New Dreams [original songs 1987],
Newfoundland Spring [traditional instrumentals 1988] and
Mandolin Christmas [instrumental Christmas carols].

This last project sold well locally and received some national airplay. It was later upgraded and expanded upon for CD release in 2000 and is currently available.

In 1985 Dave meets Nova Scotia piper Ian McKinnon and begins the musical relationship which eventually develops into Rawlins Cross.

1988-2000:

Rawlins Cross enjoys a successful 12 year run before disbanding in 2000. The band does a huge variety of gigs and travels extensively....

And beyond

In the last 3½ years Dave has concentrated on the development of his solo career as well as a partnership with longtime friend Rik Barron of St. John's.

Recent highlights include:

3 trips to the UK
A tour of Holland with Rik
Gigs in Luxembourg and Norway [March/April 2004]
4 years participation in "A Feast Of Cohen", an annual concert celebrating the songs of Leonard Cohen. This event is more popular each year and is directed by Vicky Hynes of St. John's.
Featured performer on "Whatever Gets You through the Night" a John Lennon retrospective performed to full houses at the St. John's Arts And Culture Centre.