David Dee (24 March 1938 – 22, March 2023) was an influential East St. Louis soul singer, guitarist and bandleader. His music career spanned more than five decades, during which he thrived as a charismatic and versatile performer.
Dee was born David Eckford in Greenwood, Mississippi but St. Louis was the town he has called home since childhood after his mother moved the family in the middle of the night from Mississippi. She was in debt to the owner of a plantation, where the family was living as sharecroppers. She wanted a better life for her family. “She called the boss man and said she needed $200 to buy Christmas gifts for the kids,” Dee said. Instead, she used the money to buy bus tickets to St. Louis, where she had family."
He began singing with a spiritual group at the age of 12. When he reached the age of 16, he moved to Chicago and in 1963 after a stint in the military, returned to East St. Louis to form his first musical group, David and the Temptations. Following the break-up of the group, he free-lanced as a singer for other groups such as Clyde Jones, Walter Rice, Wahtachie and others. A booking agent in Springfield, Illinois, suggested the name David Dee to him and that’s the name he has used on all of his recordings. Although he initially tried his hand at playing keyboards, alto saxophone, and bass, Dee permanently switched to the guitar in 1972.
He worked the club scene, including the all-night venues in East St. Louis. Howlin’ Dee has been called the St. Louis area’s premier contemporary bluesman. Wolf recruited Dee to play bass for him. Albert King did the same. He played behind Jimmy Reed and performed and recorded with Oliver Sain, who presented Dee with a track that needed some lyrics. The collaboration became “Goin’ Fishin” in 1982 which took him from the local clubs of East St. Louis to the national soul-blues “chitlin circuit.”
David has released numerous CDs, which include a substantial body of original work, perhaps most notable is his 1991 album "Going Fishing", which colorfully portrays the consequences of neglecting a spouse. It has been suitably described as ST. Louis blues anthem..
Considered at the time by many to be St. Louis’s reigning blues king, David Dee earned the title of one of his original standards, "Workin Blues Man". The moniker embodied the various roles of bandleader, song writer, guitarist, entertainer, and singer that had been cultivated through 40 plus years of travels, recording and performing. From Parisian Hotels to East St. Louis VFW halls to festivals in Amsterdam, his performances delighted just about every type of audience imaginable.He performed regularly with his Hot Tracks band, augmented on special occasions by his three daughters who also sang.
Lesley Withers, a daughter of Dee, shared news of his death on 22, March 2023. He was 84 years old.
(Scarce info edited
from Discogs, Soul Blues Music, Radio KDHX & AllMusic) (* some sources
state 1942 as birth-year)