David Harley

A Bit of History

David first came to the local music scene’s attention by performing original songs in venues throughout the bay area and writing songs for and collaborating with other aspiring artists like Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac.

Dave Harley! My favorite songwriter…!
~ Stevie Nicks, back stage at Day on the Green Concert,
1976, Oakland CA (after seeing Dave for the first time in many years)

By the mid-70s, he was scouted by ABC Records whose roster included Steely Dan and Tom Petty. Despite being scheduled for a demo budget and anticipated signing, the deal with ABC was thwarted at the last minute by the acquisition and restructuring of the company by MCA Records. But like most genuinely inspired musicians, he continued to create his art despite the inevitable setbacks and to write and record great music over the years with some of the Bay Area’s best pop songwriters. Many of the songs we hear now on his recent albums come from these earlier years of musical exploration which just now are bearing the fruit of their original inspirations.

“Best Singer-Songwriter In The Bay Area”
~ Bob Ohlsson, production and mastering engineer, Motown Records,
after hearing Dave’s song Rising Son in the early 1970s