Looking at the clean- cut image of Dave Beckwith on a stage today, you’d never know he was once a long-haired rock and roller who lived on the wild side.
As a teenager he was playing rock in a club when a fight broke out and his biggest worry wasn’t getting hurt- it was getting caught being 15 in a rock club. That night he learned one of the cardinal rules of the stage- no matter what happens around you, you KEEP playing. He survived the fight and finished the night, and went on to front various bands over the years- mostly rock with some oldies or blues tossed in.
Today, hearing him play a country ballad or a fiery fast tune that causes jaws in the crowd to drop as his fingers are a blur on lead guitar, you’d never know he used to dislike country, either. The music seems to come from within him, as if he is somehow driven to play. Why the change from steadfast rock and roller to country music? When asked, Dave simply answers- “My dad”.
His dad loved country music- always had it playing somewhere in the house, but as a teenager and young man Dave hadn’t been interested in his dad’s taste in music. Rock and roll was the way of the future, and country had no place in Dave’s life. When his dad passed away several years ago all that changed.
Suddenly, country seemed a little less hokey and a lot more important, and Dave found himself becoming the front man for Smokehouse.
Since helping to form Smokehouse over 10 years ago, there have been various changes in the band, and Dave remains upbeat and focused as they move into the future. Together he, Rick Credit and Walt Murawski have written award-winning tunes that have won acclaim from country music organizations and fans alike. Recently Dave sat down to write several new tunes, several of which tell the story of Dave’s life today. “She’s a Miracle” is about his God-daughter Grace and the lyrics of the song reflect the quiet caring man that lies behind the high-energy stage persona that most see. He knows he is a man graced with many gifts and sharing his music with others brings him a kind of satisfaction he can find nowhere else. These days, playing ‘country music on fire’ prompts him to break into the trademark smile that makes fans feel warm and welcomed - as though they are among friends. One can only think that somewhere, as he listens to his son play…. his dad is smiling too.
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