Award-winning percussionist/composer Dave Black received his Bachelor of Music in percussion performance from California State University, Northridge. While at Northridge, he studied with notable teachers and performers such as Louie Bellson, Joel Leach, Ed Shaughnessy, Steve Schaeffer, Jerry Steinholtz, and Nick Ceroli. He has traveled around the world with a variety of entertainers and shows, performing and recording with such artists as Alan King, Robert Merrill, June Allyson, Anita O’Day, Pete Jolly, Frankie Capp, Gordon Brisker, Kim Richmond, Victor Lewis, Jerry Hey, and Steve Huffsteter.
A prolific composer and arranger, more than 60 of his compositions and arrangements have been published by Alfred Music, Barnhouse, CPP/Belwin, TRN, Highland/Etling, and Warner Brothers, and many of those have been recorded. Mr. Black has written with, and for the bands of Louie Bellson, Sammy Nestico, Bill Watrous, Bobby Shew, Ed Shaughnessy, Gordon Brisker, and the C.S.U., Northridge Jazz Ensemble. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and commissions, including 26 consecutive ASCAP Popular Composer Awards (for his contributions to the symphonic and concert repertoires), two Grammy participation/nomination certificates (one for his performance contribution on Anita O’Day’s Grammy-nominated album In a Mellow Tone, and the other for his contribution as album-track composer on Louie Bellson’s Grammy-nominated album Airmail Special, the 2012 Percussive Arts Society President’s Industry Award, a Modern Drummer Readers Poll award (educational book), two Drum! Magazine Drummie! awards (educational books), and a certified Gold Record award for the sale of more than 500,000 copies of Alfred’s Drum Method, Book 1. In addition, many of his compositions have been used as source/background music on numerous TV shows including All My Children, Coach, The Drew Carey Show, General Hospital, Ellen, Grace Under Fire, Nightline, Roseanne, and Good Morning America. In addition, he co-wrote the “Final Rudimental Solo” (from Alfred’s Drum Method, Book 2) that was featured in the 20th-Century Fox hit movie, Drumline.
As one of the biggest-selling percussion authors in the world, Mr. Black is the author or co‐author of several best-selling books published by Alfred Music: Alfred’s Drum Method, Books 1 & 2 (the world’s current best seller); Alfred’s Beginning Drumset Method; Drumset 101; Big Band Drumming Fill-osophy; Cymbals: A Crash Course; A Jazz Diary (chosen for the 1998–2000 National Federation of Music Clubs Junior Festival Bulletin); Drumset Independence & Syncopation; The Essential Dictionary of Orchestration; the award-winning Alfred’s Kid’s Drum Course, Books 1 & 2; Alfred’s Kid’s Drumset Course; Bass Drum Essentials for the Drumset; Alfred’s Max Drumset Method; The Drummer’s Toolkit; Sound Innovations for Concert Band (the world’s first customizable method); The Drummer’s Lifeline, The Musician’s Lifeline, and Sound Percussion. His books and music are used and performed by young people all over the world, with combined sales now totaling more than two million units. He has also written countless articles, book reviews, and concert reviews for prominent magazines such as Down Beat, The Instrumentalist, Modern Drummer, Modern Percussionist, Drums and Drumming, Drum Tracks, Grammy Pulse, Jazz Educators Journal, DrumScene, PercusScene, Drum!, and Music Connection—in addition to being a featured subject in most of them.
As an active member of the Percussive Arts Society (PAS), Mr. Black served on the National Board of Directors for six years, was a member of the Sustaining Members Advisory Council, and was selected to host/chair the 1991 Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Anaheim, California. He is the former Vice President and Editor-Chief (School and Pop Publications) for Alfred Music (where he worked for 35 years), and endorses Tamburo drums, Sabian cymbals, Vic Firth sticks, and Remo drumheads.