(Photos © Bob Bolton, collected for the 1997 concert at The Loaded Dog.)
Dave Alexander tribute @ The Loaded Dog, 8PM, doors open 7.40pm, Saturday 19th August (3rd Saturday) 2017 20th Anniversary Memorial concert -
Dave Alexander collection - 49 audio cassettes, 7 audio reels, 1 computer disc Donated by Patricia Early in April 2003. This collection contains 57 items - List of the items
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| 1. 13/10/1996 |
Dave Alexander, by John Warner, 1997
There’s an empty corner on a Friday night,
That you filled like a giant on the edge of the light,
And your scarlet poncho and your gentle, bearded face,
Were the mood and the spirit of the place.
We heard you stagger up the town hall stair,
And the fearful wheezing as you fought for air,
But you won that struggle and we saw you win,
You sung Northwest passage and we all joined in.
And it’s ee ah I can hew,
How the the whale fish spouted and the ale was new,
Dave has gone and we’ll all go too,
But by God we’ll sing some songs,
Before we do
We’ve sat and talked of Israel and the six day war,
You shared in the harmony of Albion’s shore,
You sang of the union, the struggles lost and won,
And then one day, old bastard, you were gone.
Though we all get together and the choruses still rise,
Your corner still stands empty to my thoughtful eyes.
A taxi swirls by in the drifting rain,
And I know you’ve found the road back home again
And it’s ee ah I can hew,
When the whale fish spouted and the ale was new,
Dave has gone and we’ll all go too,
But by God we’ll sing some songs,
Before we do
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10th Anniversary Memorial Concert - Cornstalk Article
Dave Alexander joined the great chorus in the sky 2 August 1997 – aged 52. He was a big bastard though he slimmed down to about 25 stone in his later years. I reckon if he'd been 5' 6" he would still have been a larger than life force on the folk scene – ever present at country folk festivals, clubs and sessions, belting out unaccompanied chorus songs and shanties. His blusterous behaviour often alienated your regular folkie (other XXXOX's complained that Dave gave them a bad name). But he could also be a gentle fellow and his passion for songs endeared him to many. And we also made allowances because of the pain he evidently suffered. Dave was a regular at the Friday night sessions at the Glengarry Hotel in Redfern where he encouraged others – especially newcomers to the scene. He was extremely generous in lending albums, making cassettes and writing out words for people.
In the year before he died, Dave was drawing up a list of songs to record and wanted various of the regulars at the Glen to join in the choruses. A group of us decided to make his dream a reality posthumously, and at the many wakes and concerts commemorating his death, we collected money for this purpose – with the Folk Federation of NSW kindly lending its facilities for caretaking the funds. Many volunteers listened to tapes that Dave had made over a couple of decades and Mike Reed cleaned them up and in some places, added fresh choruses recorded the team Dave had envisaged (under the title Dave had also selected – The Bilgewater & Fishtackle Ensemble). The CD titled: Singer at Large was put out in 1998. All costs were covered and there was even a little money left over that was made available for other Folk Federation recording projects. (I still have about 70 copies of the CD left – appropriately under my bed – well – you see – it's Dave's bed – made for him by Terry Gleeson – so I feel I can double my weight and still feel well supported!!
Ten years after Dave's death, Miguel Heatwole organised a commemorative session at The Friend In Hand in Glebe on Friday 3 August 2007. Nearly 50 people came – about 20 of which were frequent contributors to the sessions at the Glen; about 15 would have known Dave from clubs and festivals; and about 15 were new to the folk scene since Dave's time. All were people who shared Dave's love of chorus singing – and they were the order of the evening – I noted 50 songs sung. It was grand to see folks again – you only get a chorus that large at the National Folk Festival – and to know that that style of singing is still appreciated.
There was a heart-stopping moment when a young Indian man pulled out a sitar, played and sang; and suddenly everyone realised they were hearing a traditional Irish song with the refrain …"And you never will be able for to plough the Rocks of Bawn" – magic!
There was a collection to cover the rent of the upstairs room and the excess (about $140) was donated to Amnesty International.
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| 2. 24/2/1996 |
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| 3. 25/3/1996 |
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| 4. 14/7/1996 |
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| 5. 23/11/96 |
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| 6. 14/7/1996 |
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| 7. 14/7/96 |
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| 8. 26/8/95 |
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| 9. 26/8/95 |
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| 10. undated |
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| 11. 13/10/96 |
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| 12. photo label |
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