David Alcott, better known as David Champagne, is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. His most prominent band was
Treat Her Right
Treat Her Right was an American rock group, formed in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, in 1985. The band originally featured Mark Sandman on "low guitar," Billy Conway on cocktail drum, David Champagne on guitar, and Jim Fitting on harm ...
.
Alcott grew up in
Kansas City. After spending time in New York and California, he moved to
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
, where he became a longtime fixture on the local music scene. Around the turn of the 1980s, he was in Shane Champagne, which ''Trouser Press'' described as being like
Graham Parker
Graham Thomas Parker (born 18 November 1950) is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead singer of the British band Graham Parker & the Rumour.
Life and career Early career (1960s–1976)
Parker was born in Hackney, East L ...
's band, the Rumour. This group issued several singles. Alcott was also in Pink Cadillac, "a sharp rockabilly-cum-rock'n'roll trio" that released one EP in 1983.
In Treat Her Right, Champagne's "tremulous slide guitar" provided part of the band's distinctive quality, as
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
music journalist
Robert K. Oermann put it. ''People'' magazine wrote that Champagne mimicked the moaning vocal-slide guitar interplay that
Robert Plant and
Jimmy Page did so well in the early days of
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
. That article also noted how Champagne and
Mark Sandman
Mark may refer to:
Currency
* Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic
* Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927
* Finn ...
wrote "bona-fide bad luck songs with a wink."
Whereas Sandman achieved greater fame with
Morphine
Morphine is a strong opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin in poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as a analgesic, pain medication, and is also commonly used recreational drug, recreationally, or to make ...
, Champagne was not in the limelight after Treat Her Right disbanded. Yet he continues to perform in the Boston area under his stage name. In recent years, his project has been called Agnostic Gospel. His wife Katie has been his partner in some of his musical endeavors.
In 2019, Champagne got together with drummer
Billy Conway and harmonica player
Jim Fitting
Jim Fitting is an American harmonica player based in Boston, Massachusetts. He is known for his work with Treat Her Right, The The, and Session Americana.
His credits include guest performances on various other artists' albums and live gigs.
...
- the two other members of Treat Her Right - and recorded an album. A live date for the trio billed as "Billy, Jimmy, & Dave" was announced for January 19, 2020 at Club Passim in Cambridge - their first appearance together on stage since all were in Treat Her Right.
Club Passim website
/ref>
References
External links
Interview with David Champagne at Identitytheory.com, 2001
{{DEFAULTSORT:Champagne, David
American rock guitarists
American rock singers
American rock songwriters
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)