Extended Biog

Everything you ever wanted to know about Stompin Dave but were afraid to ask!

Stompin Dave was born in Royal Leamington Spar, Warwick(1974), but lived in the Bournemouth area from the age of 6. Dave began playing guitar & singing at the age of 15. Inspired by blues, blues rock, and rock 'n' roll Dave formed a few school bands, performing in assemblies, youth clubs and on one occasion a working mans club.

At the tender age of 18 Dave began performing solo guitar and vocals on the streets of Bournemouth and Poole, and Dave joined his first proper band a five piece Bournemouth based rockabilly band The Backbeats as lead guitarist.  The band performed rock n roll festivals in the U.K. and Germany, had residences in the London rock n roll scene and supported "Screamin" Lord Sutch. During this time Dave attended Bournemouth & Poole College and completed a one year musicianship course, and for a short time formed his own blues band Strut The Duck which performed at The Blandford Festival, and supported sixties blues rock legends Blodwin Pig at The Barrelhouse Blues Club, Sturminster Newton.

In 1994 Dave began a BTEC in Pop an Jazz music at Bournemouth & Poole College. The highlight of the course for Dave was performing as guitarist and lead vocalist with College band The Limit, performing reggae & funk in a few of Bournemouth's music venues. The band included Oz, with whom Dave began doing some performances in pubs and restaurants as The Duet, recording two demo albums. The Duet supported bluesman Kent Duchane at The Barrelhouse Club.

For a brief period Dave joined and recorded an album with a "Manhatten Transfer" type vocal group Rhythm Town managed by Neil Crawford leader of Dorset Youth Jazz Orchestra.

Upon leaving College Dave became interested in bluegrass banjo originally through the playing of Eric Weisberg. Dave acquired a four string banjo and began to perform hillbilly numbers with The Duet. Dave wondered why it didn't sound the same as Eric Weisberg until he saw Dave Hum performing on a five string banjo with his band The Huckleberry's in Bournemouth high street.

Dave immediately bought a five string banjo which he took on an extensive trip across Canada, performing on the streets of Toronto and Vancouver. Upon his return Dave spent a year taking a batch of courses at Bournemouth Adult Education Centre that included sight singing, exploring music and music for exams, eventually passing grade 8 music theory.

Dave began to perform at barn dances and folk festivals with Old-Time/Bluegrass band The Broken String Band, musicians for Bournemouth's Appalachian dance side Spank The Plank. It was through performing on banjo with Spanks that Dave began to dance old-time style & play fiddle.  For a very short time Dave at this time performed with Bournemouth based blues band The Reptiles.

In 1998 Stompy began a music degree music degree at Southampton University and as a result had banjo lessons with Pete Stanley who is described by The Friends Of Old-Time Music and Dance as Britain's grand old man of traditional banjo pickers. Later in the course Dave had lessons on fiddle with Pete Cooper author of Mel Bay books The Complete Irish Fiddler. Whilst still studying Dave began performing as Elmore and as Dr. Stomp both solo and with Prof. Oz.  

In 2000 Stompin Dave recorded Two Shores & A Sea Chantey with Professor Oz.  Dave specialised at University in performance, and composition and as a result produced a solo Dr. Stomp album of original material Tonic Time. Dave performed his final exam at University at The Turner Simms concert hall and gained a first class degree in music.

Soon after leaving University Dave had a nine month stint with Bournemouth based blues/rock band The Producers Blueprint Magazines blues band of the Year 1999-2001. Playing harmonica and guitar. This included gigs in art centres, pubs & clubs, two tours of Scotland and a performance at the famous 100 Club in Oxford Street, London.  

In 2001 Stompin' Dave moved west from Bournemouth to Bridport and began concentrating on performing with Professor Oz as Dr. Stomp. Performing at Glastonbury Festival 2004/5, The Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival 2005, Frome Festival 2005/6, Brampton Live Festival 2004, Bournemouth Music Live 2004/5.  Stomp also won Falmouth’s International Street Entertainer's Competition in 2004. Performing solo mainly with Oz & occasionally (between 2003-2005) with Matthew Hodgins on drum kit, Dave performed many hundred of other venues mainly in the South but across the U.K. and in Ireland, France, & Portugal.  Stomping at pubs, music festivals, beer festivals, music clubs, folk clubs, parties, restaurants, weddings, arts centres, fun runs, band stands, gardens, public houses, markets, meetings, churches, clubs, barn dances, village halls, processions, fetes, nettle eating competitions, wakes, marathons, and as a street entertainer. Dr. Stomp was featured in a documentary about Sidmouth Folk Festival on BBC4, on Hugh Fernley Whittingstall's Excape To River Cottage, on Kelvin Henderson's show on Radio Bristol, in The Dorset Echo, Scrumpy & Western, Blues In The South, Suited & Booted and The Good Gig Guide. In total Dave produced eight Dr. Stomp albums &a video.

In 2004 Stompin' Dave formed his own short lived electric blues band Dablues, including Oz on bass and Brother Matthew on drum kit. They recorded one album of original material Did you Ever? which was reviewed in Blueprint Magazine, Blues In The South & The Dorset Echo. Dablues performed pubs & clubs in Dorset & Hampshire including The Talking Heads, in Southampton.  

Professor Oz relocated to Portugal in May 2006 and Dave to decided to take the opportunity to re-brand from Dr. Stomp to Stompin' Dave Allen, recording two CDs Westwood Bound, and Like A Lotus Flower Growing In Muddy Waters & performing many venues in the UK solo. In 2006 Dave travelled across the USA, for a month with impromptu performances in Chicago, New York, Charlottesville  and New Orleans.  

In 2007 Dave had a busy schedule including performing at Glastonbury Festival, The Cornish Bluegrass Festival, Southsea Folk & Roots Festival, Wessex Folk Festival, Foxstock Festival (The Cotswolds), Bruton Festival, The Great Dorset Steam Fair and Dave supported Joe Brown at Lulworth Castle. Dave's was featured in Suited & Booted, on Blues In The South's BITS radio, in Scrumpy and Western, and named Artist of the Month on Lemonrock.com.

Dave also started a new project in November 2007 Stompin' Dave's Electric Band, recording the album Original Blues.  The electric band CD was reviewed in Blues In Blues, Blues Matters & Blues In The South, &  were featured on Wessex FM.