Listener

About David Ramsey (a.k.a. Davey Bob Ramsey) Born in Western New South Wales in 1973, Davey Bob Ramsey's childhood was characterised by changing scenery. His family moved to a different area of New South Wales every few years, from Wagga Wagga to Sydney, from Dubbo to the Far North Coast of New South Wales. He began to learn the guitar in Dubbo at the age of nine, instructed by an Irish Catholic nun. Davey was taught to sing and strum traditional folk songs like 'Tom Dooley' and 'The Streets of Laredo'. Living in Newcastle by the time he finished school, he continued to play the guitar and began composing his own songs. In 1992 he became guitarist with the The Hanged Man, an art-rock band that attracted a loyal local following. The Hanged Man performed in Newcastle, Sydney and Brisbane, playing support for acts such as Died Pretty, Kim Salmon & the Surrealists and the Whitlams. After leaving the band, Davey Bob became involved in the fertile cultural arts scene in Newcastle, performing and hosting events at the original Newcastle Fringe Festival (1996-8), which over the years evolved into the annual Electrofringe and This Is Not Art festivals. By 1998 he was performing his songs around Newcastle as half of the acoustic duo Yab- Yum with Rebecca Rushbrook. He relocated to the North Coast of New South Wales in 2001 and began a prolific writing spell, influenced by the creative atmosphere of the area. As well as continuing to listen to his long-time favorites such as Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Captain Beefheart, Davey Bob also immersed himself in the great pre-war Country Blues recordings, absorbing the influence of, among others, Charlie Patton, Son House, Sleepy John Estes, Blind Willie McTell and Bukka White. Davey Bob began to perform his new material on the North Coast music scene with the band Dogsbody, developing a local reputation as a guitarist and songwriter. Davey Bob was performing his unique blues material in a Lismore pub in 2003 when he was spotted by songwriter and performer David Virgin (front-man of the 1980s Sydney post-punk band Sekret Sekret), who produced Davey Bob's debut album Listener, released in 2005. David Virgin introduced him to the artist, performer and puppeteer Jimmy Willing, known for his energetic performances with Ragadoll, a legendary act born of the 1980s Sydney punk scene. Davey Bob joined the band Jimmy Willing & the Real Gone Hick-Ups on acoustic guitar, performing alongside Dan Rumour, whose distinctive electric guitar tones were the basis of The Cruel Sea, one of the most notable Australian bands of the 1990s. Performing with the Hick-Ups took Davey to the Tamworth Country Music festival, the Woodford Folk Festival, and on tour with Machine Gun Fellatio. He played and sang on the Hick-Up's debut self-titled album released in 2005, including the track "Catfish Fishin'", which features a guest vocal by the star cabaret performer Christa Hughes (a.k.a. K.K. Juggy of Machine Gun Fellatio). Davey Bob formed D.R.A.M. in 2006, performing original material and electric arrangements of traditional songs with drummer Matt Elliott (of Ragweed, the Hoochers & the Blueskillet Rovers). Together they gigged around the North Coast, creating a stir wherever they played. D.R.A.M. played a couple of memorable gigs with Daevid Allen, the timeless and irrepressible front-man of the legendary space-rock band Gong. Around this time he was also lending his guitar and vocal talents to various North Coast acts, gigging with the Box Monsters, Blurter and Black Train. In 2007 he put his hand up to join Country Rock & Roll outfit the Re-Mains on electric guitar, looking forward to a hectic touring and recording schedule; but fate intervened. On July 4 2007 en route to Darwin for the first gig of a six-week tour around Australia the band's touring van collided with a huge Brahman cow in a remote area of the Barkly Region of the Northern Territory. The front end of the van collapsed, badly wounding the driver (drummer Grant Bedford), and causing multiple fractures to Davey Bob's right leg. The cow died instantly. His music career then took a backseat to convalescence in the Blue Mountains. The injuries were serious and Davey Bob considers himself lucky to be among the living. Four years and five operations later he has returned to the North Coast and continues to be a part of the vibrant cultural landscape of the area.