Songwriter Profile of the Month

Dave Cole

By Jeff Walter

This is a true story. Dave Cole is a Kentucky native, born in Paducah, who has moved around a bit but has always come back to the Midwest. Now he lives in a log house he restored on 10 acres near Lake Monroe in rural Lawrence County, Indiana, and he makes a living as a woodworker.

He also writes and sings songs, of course, mostly "true stories about everyday people." Since joining LASC earlier this year, he has presented a number of his heartfelt folk songs for critique. Two of his songs, "W.F." and "Boy From the Burbs (Little Boxes)," were finalists in the recent LASC songwriting contest. Dave also was a featured performer at the Hit Makers '94 Awards Banquet.

Dave Cole

On December 2, Dave will release his first tape at a solo concert in Bloomington, Indiana. The eight-song cassette, titled True Stories, consists of all originals.

Dave, who has been performing folk music since college, moved to Bedford, Indiana, to teach high school speech and drama after a stint in the Army. He also was a radio announcer for 10 years. In the last two years, he has devoted more time to writing and performing. He performed at Bloomington's Waldron Arts Center last February with folk singer Deryl Dale, and he has played open-mike nights in Indianapolis and Louisville and on the East Coast.

Growing up with a musical father and brother may have helped spur Dave's interest in writing and performing, but he has chosen his own direction, inspired by singer-songwriters like John Prine and John Gorka. "I played trumpet and French horn in high school in the '60s," he says, "but it was folk music and the acoustic guitars that grabbed my interest."