Dave (singer)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dave is the stage name of Wouter Otto Levenbach, a Francophone singer from the Netherlands who had a string of number one hits in France in the 1970s. Despite his great success, he is still virtually unknown in his country of origin.
[edit] Biography
Born on May 4, 1944 in Amsterdam, he has two brothers Marteen and Lucas and a sister Elsbeth. His father was Jewish, a professor of English by trade and his mother a classical dancer. He learned how to play of guitar at 14 years of age. He liked to listen Gene Pitney and Roy Orbison, and was very heavily influenced by the Everly Brothers.
At 16, he becomes very spiritual: he prayed a lot and even planned to study theology, but he finally sets out to study law, because, apparently, he likes to be the one who is listened to. Unlike many other students, he chooses not to engage in the wave of "Provo" (anarchist) protests in 1965 in the Netherlands.
He is inspired, inter alia, by Jack Kerouac's On the Road , a revolutionary novel which incited the young people of the world to leave to learn the life on the roads, and to communicate with others. Passionate about the sea and rivers (a love which he owes to his grandfather), he leaves the Netherlands by boat in the autumn with 1,000 florins in his pocket (maybe about two months' living expenses).
He meets Eddie Barclay in Saint-Tropez in 1968, and begins his career in show business thanks to him. From 1971 to 1974, he takes part in the musical Godspell, a highly successful show. Here, he will make friends with actor Daniel Auteuil who will become his best friend.
In 1974 he releases Trop Beau, French adaptation of The Rubettes' hit Sugar Baby Love, then Vanina, million-selling French adaptation (by Patrick Loiseau) of Runaway by Del Shannon. These were followed in 1975 by Mon cœur est malade and Dansez maintenant. His first album is released at the end of the year at the same time as Du côté de chez Swann. In 1978, Lettre à Hélène and Comment ne pas être amoureux de vous were new hits for him. In 1979, Allo Elisa comes out and becomes a massive Number one hit.
In the 1980s, his profile was lower mainly due to the advent of FM radio in France. He still had an audience due to live performances, and his bank of hits. However, he himself likened the ebb to "crossing of a very pretty desert". In 1993, a new album comes out, then in 1994, he makes his comeback on the back of a successful compilation album of which more than 200,000 copies were sold. He will be able to thus record a[n unpublished new] album entitled Toujours le même bleu, a single from which enables him to hit the charts once again. As of this time, his homosexuality is no longer a secret.
In 1996, he appears in an advertisement for cheese of his country, the Netherlands. He is a co-presenter on television with Sheila for a year, then solo presenter of the program Salut les Chouchous on TF1. Lattès Editions, publishes an autobiography in 1997 entitled Du côté de chez moi ("Around where I live"). An album Dave classique, is released, fulfilling his dream to record some classical compositions.
In 2003, he releases a book Soit dit en passant... mes années paillettes (published by Le Pré aux Clercs), the life of a showbiz celebrity in the 1970s. The book also reveals the love story which has united Dave with his lyricist and companion Patrick Loiseau for more than thirty years. The latter also participates in the work to share his version of the events.
In 2006, he releases a new album under the name of Dave Levenbach: Tout le plaisir a été pour moi. In September, he played four special concerts at the Théâtre de l'Européen in Paris.
