Dave Weston's career as a country singer spans a long hard road, from his first professional gig aged 13 to the present, being classed as one of the best country and ballad singers in South Africa.

Some of his early influences were country greats like Hank Snow, Hank Williams and Woody Guthrie. Later in the late 50's early 60's it was Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Conway Twitty and Buck Owens.

Born in England, Dave first picked up a guitar at the start of the Bill Haley era and sang his way forward through the early 60's Rock-a-Billy's with songs that have now become classics.

But the love of country music was always strong and urged Dave to form his own band of country musicians. After the "Folk" era during which Dave was involved with a Folk Club called the "Bottom House Blues" and with the songs of Dylan and Tom Paxton still in his ears, he and Ashley Milanese, a lead-guitarist, and old school friend, put together a country band, who called themselves, "The Tennessee Five".

The group played together from '65, gaining more and more popularity on their local scene and going from strength to strength in venues all over the UK. Due to circumstances the group broke up two years later but reformed as "Dave Weston and the Blue Country" with a line up of Ash Milanese on lead- guitar, Steve Hillier on Bass and with Frank Angwin on Drums, all fine country muso's. John Fortescue, another country singer, and long time friend of Dave's shared the vocals. He was to write songs for Dave's first South African album, and the group ran on until Dave and Ash decided to come to South Africa.

After, arriving in South Africa in 1975, Dave and Ash's first gig was on the veranda of the popular Durban beachfront hotel, the Beach Hotel. Dave later gigged at various venues in and around Durban for two years (Ash decided to pursue a business career) until moving on to Umtata in the Transkei where he made a little history by being invited to do the very first ever, live broadcast by Transkei Radio. Dave sang with his guitar live on air and it was such a success, and they had so many requests from listeners for more, that Dave was asked back to do a repeat performance. After Umtata, the next venue was The Van Riebeeck Hotel in Klerksdorp where Dave spent 3 months before finally arriving in Johannesburg.

He has appeared in concert, cabaret and country festivals before thousands of people since his arrival in South Africa and has had offers from just about every name recording company, but, in his true slow "country style" Dave chose carefully, waiting for the right selection of songs, people, and times to work with.

He appeared on SABC TV's country show "Gentle on my Mind" in November '81 hosted by Bobby Angel and later the TV show "Sing Country" with Clive Bruce. There were numerous guest spots on Springbok Radio's "Keep it Country" with Lance James as well as interviews on many other programmes including 'Tete-A-Taylor', and 'Audiomix'. Radio Port Natal with Isobel van der Linde and Radio Good Hope's "Southern Sounds" with Eddie Goldberg.

He gave his very first radio interview in Johannesburg soon after his arrival in '78 with the late, and much loved, Clark "Clacky" McKay and Dana Niehaus on their "Breakfast Show". Some years later Clacky was to arrange for Dave to appear and sing his popular "For Always" from the "She's In Love" album on South West Africa (now Namibia) televisions prime time "Nawa-Nawa" programme.

It was during his 21-month residency at the Skyline Hotel in Hillbrow Johannesburg, that Dave first met the two people who would be instrumental in the creation of Dave's first album, which has been acclaimed by many as the best country album ever to be produced in South Africa. It also claimed a place in the top ten best albums to come out of South Africa, as well as being featured on the cover of a book by Garth Chilvers and Tom Jasiukowicz; "History of Contemporary Music of South Africa" (Toga Publishing 1994)

Dave took a short break from the residency at the Skyline to go down to the coast and appear with Ian Lawrence at the Scott Bay Hotel in Scottboro' over Christmas 1978 and recalls it was one of the best times ever. Ian wrote two of the songs on that first album and he and Dave have remained firm friends over the years and still gig together whenever schedules allow.

Ton den Teuling and Peter Hubner owners of Emcee Studios first produced the album entitled, "I Never Stay In One Place For Too Long". They all took their time choosing the right songs, some of which were by Dave, some by local songwriters Brian Finch, Ian Lawrence and Hal Orlandini. John Fortescue, Dave's long time buddy from the UK wrote the title track and Clem Tholet, son in law of Rhodesia's Ian Smith, wrote the track "You Cant Be Free Without Me!" which seemed to voice the feelings of the people of what is now Zimbabwe. A love song to Rhodesia… Recording began on the 15th June 78 and the final mix was done on the 30th March 79 with a total of 156 hours of studio time and the mastering, completed at the EMI cutting rooms on 2nd April 79 by Billy Cooper. Well! We did say slow country style did we not?

Dave's many stage shows include "The State Theatre Goes Country" in Pretoria produced by Richard Loring in which Dave compered and featured, and later he was in a repeat show at The Civic Theatre in Johannesburg. At the State Theatre in Windhoek with the hilarious Pip Friedman, of Springbok Radio fame, as compere was according to Dave, one of the fondest memories of his career. Pip had his own show that ran on Saturday mornings for many years on Springbok Radio and when the station was closed down, Pip and Dave sat together in a Windhoek Hotel and listened to the very last show, a very sad moment for Pip and his many listeners.

Dave has twice appeared at the Oude Libertas Amphitheatre in Stellenbosch twice, the first time with "Keep it Country" as top of the bill and again on the "Dave Mills Special" as compere which was televised and shown on SABC TV. Both shows were produced by entrepreneur producer/songwriter Terry Dempsey who founded and got Dave involved with the "Looneys", an entertainment industry charity organisation, of which Dave became the First Squire.
Dave "Polly" Pollecutt was the musical director for the shows and Dave comments: "Polly is sadly no longer with us and I remember him with great love and affection and, as a great friend of immense talent. Remembering his personality and humour will gladden my heart for my whole life"
Dave worked with Polly on the advertisements for Winston cigarettes. Polly wrote the music and Dave did the smoky vocals. He was the "Winston" voice for 11 years and the ads became extremely popular with their changing stories and anecdotes and won many local and International awards. "I don't give a damn I'm a Winston man, I can do anything I try" was the punch line rendered by Dave.
And we believe that he can to!

The evergreen Des and Dawn Lindberg also approached Dave for their production of "The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas" and asked him to take the part of the bandleader. But due to Dave's unswerving loyalty to the hands that feed him he had to turn down the offer due to prior commitments, unfortunately putting off an introduction of his acting talents to South African theatre audiences.

The second album, "More Than That" was released in September '81 on the label CTV International and contained more of Dave's own songs. He wrote the title track and "The Best A Man Could Ask For" and the autobiographical "Feel The Country". Dave co-produced the album with Glynn Storm who said of Dave, "Working with an artist who has total sincerity and a deep love for what he is doing is refreshingly different". A song from the album, "You are Beautiful (Lorna's song) dedicated to his daughter Lorna in the UK won Dave a nomination to the Springbok Sarie Awards in 1981. He writes quite a few of his own songs and listening to them one knows they are mostly related to his own experiences and are sung with great feeling for life past and present.

After the Dave Mills Show, Terry Dempsey, who said it was time that they did a recording or two together, approached Dave and thus the album, "She's In Love" was birthed. Terry is a prolific, internationally recognised songwriter of note, (Excuse the pun?) writing such songs such as "Daydreamer", which was an international hit for David Cassidy and "Love is a Beautiful Song" which, along with another of his songs "Theresa" was a great hit in South Africa for Dave Mills.

In collaboration with Les Reed, writer of Tom Jones's "Delilah", and other world class writers, Terry put together a collection of songs that, although more ballad than country, are destined to become evergreens, showing off Dave's vocal range to the full. Not an album which will shoot up the charts but a perennial that will be popular year after year with it's timeless appeal and Dave's deep, strong country voice, does each song proud as he makes them totally... his own.

This then is Dave Weston a man who says of himself "I'm no better than anyone else... different is all... maybe a lil' bit crazy!". A man who never wanted to be, or has any intention of ever becoming, a superstar. "Me? Just one o' them old boys!". It has been a long haul and a hard road to recognition. "It's cost me more emotionally to stick to this game than anything else I've ever done," says Dave. But through all the setbacks his life offered and all the triumphs of achievements won, through many, many "Goodbye" songs, Dave has emerged as a talented, creative performer with a great voice, a good soul and personality with a sense of humour second to none. Still singing, entertaining and clowning his way into people's hearts wherever the "Country" road leads. And hey! We think he's a superstar anyway!

Dave withdrew from the entertainment scene when his son Jason was born to spend more time at home with his wife Cheryl and new son. Now Jason is 16 and second son Matthew is 14. And, through pressure from friends, family and fans Dave has returned to music, to play to the people, the Country Music he loves.

Get out the fiddles the Banjo's and the guitars boys! Raise them glasses! "Hobe's" back an' he's rarin' to... "Feel The Country".

And so…"the legend lives on"