David Dyson (musician) facts for kids

David Dyson is an American musician born on April 3, 1965. He is known for playing the bass guitar. David is also a talented songwriter, arranger, and producer. He has worked with many famous artists throughout his career. Some of these include New Kids on the Block, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Lalah Hathaway. He has also performed with Pieces of a Dream, George Duke, and Jonathan Butler.

David Dyson's Early Life

David Reeves Dyson was born in Rapid City, South Dakota. When he was two years old, his family moved to the Washington metropolitan area. This is where he grew up and went to school.

David first played the baritone, which is like a small tuba, in school. But when he was twelve, he heard music by bass players Larry Graham and Louis Johnson. Their music inspired him to switch to the bass guitar. By age fourteen, David knew he wanted to be a professional musician.

After high school, David went to Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated in 1988. Even though he mostly taught himself bass, he took some lessons in college. He also learned to play the upright bass, piano, and guitar.

David Dyson's Music Career

After college, David Dyson started his music career. He joined recording artist Walter Beasley as a bassist from 1988 to 1989.

Touring with New Kids on the Block

In 1988, a producer named Maurice Starr was looking for musicians for the popular group New Kids on the Block. David auditioned and got the job! He toured with them from 1989 to 1992. He was their bassist and also their musical director. After touring with New Kids on the Block, David developed his own special "Mutepicking" style of playing bass.

Working with Many Artists

Since 1993, David Dyson has toured and recorded with many musicians. These include Michael Franks, Bob James, and Meshell Ndegeocello. He played with Meshell Ndegeocello from 1997 to 1999 and again from 2001 to 2002.

From 2003 to 2006, he was the bassist for Jonathan Butler. In 2000, David started playing with Pieces of a Dream. He filled in for their original bassist at a concert and continued to work with them. He has also recorded and performed with Peter White since 2005 and Lalah Hathaway since 2008.

Teaching and Producing

Besides performing, David Dyson has also taught music. He was a bass instructor at Towson University. He also taught an online course called David Dyson's Groove Concepts. David is part of InDepth Jazz clinics and teaches at Gerald Veasley's Bass BootCamp. He used to write for Bass Musician magazine. David also started his own companies, Lil Doc Productions and Lohandfunk Records.

He has released his own music albums:

• Soulmates (2000)
• The Dawning (2004)
• Unleashed (2008)

David Dyson's Custom Bass

In 2008, David Dyson received his very own special bass guitar. It was a "David Dyson/Lohandfunk signature series" bass made by Pete Skjold. This bass was designed just for him! It has five strings and is made from special woods like ash and maple. In 2011, David showed off his new fretless signature bass at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California.

David Dyson's Music Albums

David Dyson has released several albums as a leader and has also played on many albums for other artists.

As a Leader

• Soulmates (1999)
• The Dawning (2004)
• Unleashed (2008)

As a Sideman (Playing for Others)

David has played bass on albums for many different artists, including:

• Philip Bailey – Soul on Jazz (2002)
• Rick Braun – Yours Truly (2006)
• Jonathan Butler – Jonathan (2005)
• Chico Freeman – Threshold (1992)
• New Kids on the Block – Step by Step (1990)
• Peter White – Playin Favorites (2006)