An Unauthorized Biography of the Paul & Dave Trio (Featuring Dave & Paul)
Dave Nuttycombe and Paul Dunlap began playing music together in the late 1960s. Paul played bass; Dave played drums. They played rock, they played jazz, they played country, they played western. They played private parties, they played public events. They played anything. And they played anywhere and any time that anyone offered them at least gas money and a bar tab.
Paul and Dave played with everybody -- at least once. Here they are backstage at the Howard Theater in Washington, D.C., waiting for James Brown to get offstage so they can entertain the crowd. Here they are hitchhiking to the Woodstock festival, to sit in with Sha Na Na. Here they are arguing with jazz critic Leonard Feather about a review of their show at the Blue Note. They both walked away with shiners that night.
The Paul and Dave trio was as tight a musical outfit as ever existed. So tight, that there was hardly any room for anybody else. Singers, pianists, guitarists, sax players, flute players, harp players, even a couple magicians spent time in that third spot, but never for long. Turnover in the Paul and Dave trio was higher than the Iraqi army.
Basically, the Paul and Dave Trio was a working band, trying to bring a bit of sonic happiness into the world, one set at a time -- with a 15-minute break every hour.
But one day, they stopped playing. Paul blames Dave. Dave blames Paul. Neither man has touched his instrument in nearly 20 years. They haven't spoken to one another in 25.
Until now.
The band's getting back together. This is their story...
