Event

DAVE MALLETT

Dave Mallett's musical career began when Mallett was eleven years old, playing in a country and folk duo, The Mallett Brothers, with his older brother, Neil. We played everything from old songs like Carry Me Back To Old Virginny, which is the only song that my father ever sang, recalled Mallett, to stuff that was on the radio, Johnny Cash to Peter Paul and Mary. to Sinatra. We had our own tv show in the sixties for a few seasons, made a few 45s and did a lot of nice shows. It was a great way to grow up in show business. As an acting student at the University of Maine, Mallett discovered the music of singersongwriters like Gordon Lightfoot and Bob Dylan and soon began writing his own songs.
A turning point in Malletts career came in 1975, after he discovered that Noel Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary had moved to Blue Hill, Maine and was opening a recording studio. Within six months of their initial meeting, Mallett found a true mentor in Stookey. In addition to producing Malletts first three albums, Stookey helped to bring his tune, The Garden Song, to the attention of influential folksinger Pete Seeger who included it on his 1979 album, Circles And Seasons. John Denver soon recorded the song and took it to the top ten in the adult contemporary charts in the late 70s.
Touring the folk circuit for ten years and moving to Nashville in the late 80s Mallett continued to record and write new songs.

While in Nashville, with the help of veteran producer Jim Rooney, Mallett recorded a total of three records for Chicago-based Flying Fish Records and two collections for Vanguard and wrote songs recorded by Marty Stuart, Hal Ketchum, Emmylou Harris, Kathy Mattea, Alison Krauss and others.