Dave Wagner

“Wilton Ave” is the latest in a long line of musical accomplishments for solo artist Dave Wagner. With its musically refreshing mix of styles and dulcet vocals, the album is a combination of quality songwriting and great performances. Dave is no stranger to the music world. While growing up in the St. Louis area, he began performing at an early age. Born into a musical family, by the age of four Dave was learning the piano and singing in every local choir his parents could find. This continued until Dave left for the University of Illinois, where he graduated with a degree in vocal performance. While in college, he toured the country with U of I’s premiere a capella group “The Other Guys.” With this group, he enjoyed performing in such venues as Yankee Stadium, Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, and the Eugene O’Neill Theater on Broadway.

After college, Dave sang and played keys with the Chicago rock group “Henderson Inches.” After enjoying some local success with the band, he became certified in recording engineering and opened Super Buddha Studios. During his years owning Super Buddha, along with engineering, Dave often found himself lending his talents as background vocals and harmonies for countless clients in styles ranging from hip-hop to rock to jazz. Many recordings he engineered received airplay on most of the major Chicago radio stations. During this time, Dave never stopped performing and writing music. Often he would sit in with other local groups singing at such venues as House of Blues.

But it wasn’t until summer 2003, when a Chicago radio station held its own “Chicago Idol” contest, that Dave gave serious thought to pursuing a career as a solo artist. After placing third out of nearly 5,000 people, he decided to get out from behind the mixing console and get back on the microphone. Before closing Super Buddha, Dave gathered some talented friends and recorded “Wilton Ave,” a collection of just 10 of the many outstanding songs he has composed. Although Dave at first intended the recording to be only a studio project, he realized that he had created something bigger. He took the same players and assembled an 11-piece band. “Wilton Ave” is just the beginning of what is sure to be a long, rewarding journey for Dave Wagner.