Artist description I have performed Folk music, Blue Grass and Rock and Roll in and around Lowell, Massachusetts for the past 30 years. Raining outside is a collection of original and traditional songs.

Music Style Original and Traditional Folk Music

Musical Influences Doc Watson, Norman Blake, Pete Seeger

Similar Artists Doc Watson, Norman Blake, John Sebastian, Tom Rush, Paul Simon

Artist History I started my musical life in 1965, (I was then in the 8th grade) as a drummer in a garage band first called "The Rebels" then called "The Souls". I progressed from drums to piano over the next four or five years and by 1970, I was playing a Fender Rhodes in a local blues band called "Salty Dog". In the early 70's I took up the five-string banjo and played in a folk rock band called "Winslow Gray". It was at this time that I began studding classical and traditional guitar, and decided to make the Guitar my main instrument. In 1976, I bought a Guild D44M acoustic guitar and settled down with my wife to raise our family. I have spent the last 10 years occasionally playing out at local clubs with a cover band called "Stages". Throughout my many musical experiences of the last 30 years I have been writing songs, learning traditional tunes and jamming with friends. My CD "Raining Outside" is the first public release of songs I have written and collected over the years.

Group Members Dave Norton

Instruments Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Vocals

Albums Raining Outside

Press Reviews Celtic BeatDedicated to Traditional and Progressive Celtic Music Vol. 8 No1 November 2000CD ReviewDave NortonRaining Outside (MP3.com)Lawrence Carradini It may have been raining outside when Dave Norton composed the title track, but he takes us on a musical journey across time and the continent with this–his first, recording. His voice, is a man’s voice. Like “Doc” Watson’s, it is the voice of an honest, hard working, man. This fact becomes immediately apparent on the first track, “Banks Of The Ohio”, a traditional tune rendered here in a manner I found reminiscent of the great,Woody Guthrie. The next track, “Buck Dancers Choice”, is an instrumental which brings to the minds eye visions of southern barn dances. You can hear the influence of Celtic ancestors in this masterfully picked traditional mountain dance tune. “Pallet On The Floor”, brought to mind images of side-wheelers on the Mississippi. Another traditional, this one seems to carry the flavor of Acadia in the breeze that waifs beneath my nose as I play a hand of cards on one of those steam boat’s while Dave plays for the passengers on deck. Yes, the listener can sit back and dissolve into these comfortable home-style interpretations that only a master of the art can achieve without compromising the integrity of the original piece. While on the water, Dave briefly jumps the big pond, taking us to Liverpool–where we hear the Celtic influence drift into port (and out again) with a wonderful shanty, “Off To Sea Once More.” But, while folk music honors tradition, it is itself a living document of our times, continuing to create traditions. The next three cuts, all Norton originals, attest to this. We hear west coast folk-rock in “Time Is The Beginning,” the kind of Fun Blues that we heard James Taylor sing in “Steam Roller Blues,” rekindled in Norton’s, “Dead Crow,” and some of you may hear a jauntiness that draws from earlier “trad” music, (perhaps you’ll hear a little Papa John Creach/ Hot Tuna) in Dave’s, “Old Testament God.” Dave briefly moves into a melodic composition that is pure Norton, “High Above The Moon.” The only other familiar compositions that I recall hearing that had a similar feel, is material found on Simon and Garfunkel’s, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme. “High Above The Moon,” is one of those songs, one feels compelled to revisit. And then it’s another funky 12 bar. I’m speaking of the title track, “Raining Outside,” a fine tune indeed. At this point Dave returns to a traditional tune, one of Celtic origin, before finishing off with two of his original compositions. His version of “Barbara Allan,” practically gives me goose bumps. As is true of all great singer songwriters, you believe Dave when he sings. Whether the words were penned by his hand or that of another artist, Dave Norton puts forth to the listener an earnest sense that what he is singing comes from personal experience and that what one is hearing is the artistry of conveyance–honest emotion. He finishes with “Pawn In A Game,” a fine example of contemporary coffee house folk, followed by, “Rainy Monday Blues,” a tune played here in a manner that proves once again the old adage that the blues can never be played too slow. Overall, Raining Outside plays as a balanced piece of work. Dave Norton has successfully managed to provide his listening audience with an interesting cross-section of traditional and contemporary stylings. Check it out on MP3, at http://www.mp3.com/davenorton .

Location Lowell National Historical Park, Massachusetts - USA

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