While it’s not unknown for many musicians to meet their musical heroes, it’s far less common to have the opportunity to work with them in a meaningful way. Growing up in the British town of Durham during the early 1960, singer-songwriter Dave Humphries was primed to experience the first wave of Beatlemania, discovering the music of guitarist Tony Sheridan along the way.
The reasons for Sheridan’s place in the rock music history books are many, but at the top of the list is the fact that the Beatles’ first recordings were as his backing band. Today, Humphries and Sheridan are good friends, with the British rocker Sheridan appearing on five tracks included on Humphries’ latest album, “And So it Goes “¦”
Humphries will celebrate the release of the album with an afternoon show on March 1, fittingly enough at Humphrey’s Backstage Lounge on Shelter Island. Humphries’ music echoes the classic Beatle-esque pop of Badfinger, Pilot and Wings, so he is particularly thrilled with Sheridan’s involvement on the album.
“I had the Hamburg tracks he did with The Beatles on an LP called ‘The Beatles First,'” Humphries said. “Can you imagine, I’m a kid in my bedroom listening to this, in 1960-something-or-other. Then years later, not only have I stood on the same stage with him, a place where Lennon, McCartney and Harrison stood, but he’s on my CD and most of all he’s a friend of mine. Wow,” Humphries said.
“And So it Goes “¦” includes a wide range of influences including rock, folk and psychedelia. Humphries cites the likes of Bob Dylan, John Sebastian and Jackson Browne as influences, with a clear McCartney-esque feel to much of his material.
“The Beatles do loom large,” Humphries said. “I always loved them and the variation you got on a Fabs album. Plus the feeling of joy when listening to them is always a pick-me-up.”
He got his musical start as a schoolboy in England, initially a fan of The Shadows, but with his love of the Beatles evident at his first performance.
“I remember being terrified, as I only knew about four chords,” he said.
The young group plowed its way through “Can’t Buy Me Love” and an original song called “The Girl from Tomorrow.” He was instantly smitten with a love for live performance.
“It was my first attempt and the response was great,” Humphries said.
Humphries arrived in San Diego during the mid-1990s, having married a local girl. It wasn’t long before he began performing solo on the local coffeehouse circuit.
The arrival in town of German keyboard player Wolfgang Grase-kamp, saw the formation of The Dave Humphries Band, originally known as Shooting the Breeze.
It was Grasekamp who made the initial connection with Sheridan, having worked with him in Germany. The connection soon saw Sheridan recording locally and Humphries backing him on a series of gigs.
As a Beatles fan Humphries considers the situation a little surreal.
“There are times when I wonder if I’m dreaming or maybe in the Twilght Zone,” he said. “I’ll be onstage or in the studio and turn right and it’ll hit me.”
Though he had some successes in his homeland, Humphries considers his music career to have taken flight when he arrived in San Diego.
“Gone are the dark days when I would be playing the working men’s clubs around the north of England,” he said. “You would work your socks off on your first set, only to hear the concert chairman (MC) say, ‘Thank you, lads. And now ladies and gentlemen, the high spot of the evening, bingo.'”
Humphries finds performing an altogether different experience stateside.
“Playing here is a different thing altogether,” he said. “It seems as if being a musician is appreciated more, lots of compliments and encouragement and a genuine interest,” Humphries said.
“And So it Goes”¦” is barely out of the starting gate, but Humphries is already eager to get back in the studio and begin work on a new album. After nearly four decades performing, he feels life may not get any better than it is right now ” and that’s OK.
“I get to make music and meet loads of really nice people while doing it. Is there anything else I could ask for?” he asked.
Humphries performs at Humphrey’s Backstage Lounge, 2241 Shelter Island Dr., Shelter Island, on Saturday, March 1 at 4 p.m. 21 and over. For more information, visit www.humphreysbythebay.com.
