David Peverett or Lonesome Dave (16 April 1943, in Dulwich, South
East London 7 February 2000) was a British musician who was the original
singer and guitarist of Foghat.
Early years Peverett
was an early fan of the blues and of blues-based rock and roll, and
began to master these forms while performing in mid 1960s London. After
a brief tour with Swiss blues band, Les Questions, he joined Savoy Brown
as a rhythm guitarist, eventually also taking over as lead singer. After
five albums with Savoy Brown, he decided to pursue his own vision,
taking drummer Roger Earl and bassist Tony Stevens with him.
The beginning of Foghat The new project took form with the addition of lead guitarist
Rod Price in 1971. Peverett decided to call the new band Foghat, a
nonsense word he had made up as a child while playing Scrabble with his
brother. He used his new portmanteau word to create Junior Foghat, an
imaginary childhood playmate who became an alter ego and therefore the
genesis of the "Lonesome Dave" persona that he was to employ as a
performer. Foghat soon recorded their first, self-titled album for
Bearsville Records, with Todd Rundgren and Dave Edmunds each producing
tracks. With the success of an early single, a cover version of
Willie
Dixon's "I Just Want to Make Love to You", their debut release soon went
gold.
Foghat success This would be the first of many gold and platinum albums for
Peverett. In 1974, Foghat released two gold albums, Energized and Rock &
Roll Outlaws. Their first platinum album, Fool for the City, was
released in 1975, producing three hit singles: the title track, "My
Babe", and "Slow Ride".
Peverett Performing in New Haven, CTIn 1976 they began touring even
larger venues, and recorded another gold album, Night Shift. But no one
could foresee the greater success they would have with their next
release, 1977's landmark Foghat Live album. It reached multi-platinum
sales status and cemented the band's reputation as the world's foremost
purveyors of blues-based rock. Although another gold album was still to
follow, 1978's Stone Blue, this was undeniably the band's peak.
Hiatus In the early 1980s Peverett decided to spend time in England
with his wife, Linda, and three children. Unlike many of his peers,
Peverett never subscribed to the wilder aspects of "the rock and roll
lifestyle", having become a family man early in his life. The relentless
touring and album promotion of the previous decade had earned him a
well-deserved respite in the countryside, writing songs and raising his
family. He was content with his career and had shared the stage with
many of his heroes, including his idol John Lee Hooker. Those that met
him knew that he was a peaceful quiet man off stage, but one of the most
energetic rock performers on stage.
Reunion and death While he was living the family life in England, his songs were
appearing in movies and television across the world. His music came to
embody a certain spirit of youthful rock and roll, as well as to
represent the entire genre of 1970s rock. To meet yet a whole new
generation of fans, at the encouragement of record producer Rick Rubin,
Peverett reunited with the original Foghat line-up in 1993, beginning
the first of several tours. He continued to write and record songs not
only for Foghat, but also for a wide variety of projects, until his
death from cancer in February 2000. He even embarked on what would
become his final tour after receiving months of intensive chemotherapy
and radiation treatments.
Despite the instant recognition most contemporary listeners have of
Peverett's music, he is still widely unknown as the songwriter behind
the songs.
Personal life Not much is known about Dave's family. His son Jason works in
Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.