Check Out David Spires’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Spires.

Hi David, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. 
Born and raised in Zanesville, OH, the son of a private music teacher… I was immersed in music. Won my first singing competition at age 6, but my first guitar lesson came at 10. The banjo followed, but when I started Pedal Steel Guitar (that twangy sound in country music) at 13, I knew what I wanted to do. 

I see my story like links in a chain… My Dad’s lessons prepared me to win “The Competition” in 1989, that featured the best amateur steel guitarists from around the country, and that lead to a phone call to play for Shania Twain at Fan Fair (now CMA Fest) in 1995. Over those next 25 years, I moved to Nashville and toured for Jo Dee Messina, Craig Campbell, and Josh Turner. Pedal Steel Guitar, Dobro, and Lap Steel Guitar took me to all 50 states and 8 foreign countries. 

The pandemic changed a lot of things for everyone, but it’s been silver-lining positive for me. I left the touring lifestyle and get to spend every day with my beautiful wife and son in Millersport. I picked my guitar back up and started performing solo gigs around Buckeye Lake and Zanesville. That lead to more songwriting and recording, so now you can hear my original music on all of the streaming services. I record pedal steel tracks for producers in Nashville via the Internet, and I record song demos for songwriters all over the world. (www.nashvillesongdemos.com) 

Our art gallery, BunkoJess in Zanesville, has been home to my Songwriting Workshops and Showcases for the last year and a half. My wife’s Guitar Parts Factory, in Millersport, is where I teach guitar and the other eight instruments I play. GPF ships guitar parts all over the world every day, so if you need a Fender part, chances are that we have it. You can still hear me play Pedal Steel Guitar with the house band in McConnelsville at the Ohio Valley Opry! 

So, come to a gig at the lake, take guitar lessons, join a songwriting workshop, or buy yourself a new guitar: 

www.davidspires.com 

www.facebook.com/davidspiresmusic 

www.nashvillesongdemos.com 

www.bunkojess.com 

www.guitarpartsfactory.com 

www.ohiovalleyopry.com 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
You know what they say, “if you choose to do something you love, you’ll never work a day.” Well, that’s baloney! I work hard all the time! Hahahaha. 

Being a touring musician really equates to being on the road 100 days a year. Deciding to leave that has really opened doors to making my own music and being the husband and father that I want to be. I’m open to the future, but right now I know I am where I want to be and doing what I want to do. 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am enjoying songwriting to a level I never thought I would. As a musician, first, I always focused on the music: melodies, rhythms, textures, feelings. Now, I feel like I have things I want to say, and now focusing on lyrics and relating stories from my life are everything from fun to therapeutic! 

Country Music is what I know best, and when you come to hear me sing and play, you’ll get a heavy dose of 90s Country, some of the classics, and some of today’s hits, along with my original songs. A friend called me “the Jimmy Buffett of Buckeye Lake.” I haven’t earned that moniker yet, but it’s one to strive to be! 

The tie-in from my professional musical touring life is playing Pedal Steel Guitar. Playing pedal steel works best in a band setting, and I’ve been lucky to join the Ohio Valley Opry, that puts on a monthly “Grand Ol’ Opry” style of show. It’s really where I get to be the old me and focus on the instrument that has taken me so many places. 

What are your plans for the future?
I have so much to look forward to and strive toward! More songwriting. Releasing more of my own music. Music is a pursuit, and I am enjoying the personal journey more than ever. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.davidspires.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/davidspiresmusic
• Other: nashvillesongdemos.com

Image Credits
Jessica Spires