BIO

"Congratulations DAVE DUNLOP and RIK EMMETT
The Nominating Committee of the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards is delighted to announce that you have been nominated in the following category:
Rik Emmett - Male Vocalist if the Year
and for your work with the Strung Out Troubadours in the following category:
Group/Duo of the Year for 2009
SMOOTH JAZZ AWARDS APRIL 2010 RESULTS COMING SOON"
---> VOTE HERE! <---

Dave Dunlop has been a pro guitarist/songwriter/singer/educator for the past 20 years, and is currently a member of the award-winning ‘Strung-Out Troubadours’, as well as the ‘Rik Emmett Band’, the’ Allen Frew Trio’ and ‘Jeans ‘n Classics’.

Dave is an endorser of Gibson guitars, Dean guitars, and Traynor amplifiers.

Dave was also lead guitarist and writer in ‘The Full Nine’, signed with Disney’s Mammoth Records.

In 2005, he put ‘Room 9’ studio together in his Toronto home, where he has been busy recording and producing projects non-stop ever since.  The studio also drew him into the jingle world, writing the music for an American Budweiser radio campaign.

He has been a faculty member at the National Summer Guitar Workshop, and has done  sideman stints with Bo Diddley, Mike Reno (of Loverboy fame), Ron Sexsmith, and others.

In 2005, Dave was also fortunate enough to hook up with ‘Jeans ‘n Classics’, which  is a group of musicians who travel around North America playing live shows with Orchestras.  Dave has won rave reviews for his handiwork in various shows, featuring  the music of Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Queen, and many  others.

His working relationship with Hall of Famer Rik Emmett had grown to the point that they released a duo project called ‘Strung-Out Troubadours’, with Dave co-writing, recording, co-producing, mixing and performing, all in his Room 9 studio.  The strength of the duo’s chemistry led to their winning ‘Album of the Year’ and ‘Best Group/Duo’ at the 2007 Canadian Smooth Jazz awards, where they were the most heavily nominated act.  Each of the ‘Troubs’ was also up for “best guitarist”.  Far from resting on their laurels, they recorded their follow-up CD entitled “Live at Hugh’s Room” [produced and mixed by Dave], showcasing the acoustic duo in a magical evening captured just before Christmas 2006 at the fabled “Hugh’s Room” in Toronto. 

In 2008, Dave joined the re-formed Hall of Famers, ‘Truimph’, supporting the original line-up of Rik Emmett, Gil Moore and Mike Levine.

The  ‘Troubs’ have since followed up the “ Hugh’s Room” disc with the 2009 critically acclaimed release “ Push & Pull”,  again produced at Room 9.