David Bumgarner

David Bumgarner was born January 13 1981, in Beckley, West Virginia. His mother and father fresh out of high school worked hard to develop a strong home environment. Singing and music have always been a focal point in his life. His family frequently took trips to see his grandparents who lived in the rural hills of West Virginia. On these trips the family would sing songs from the Beach Boys to America hitting all points in between. This experience propelled him to sing in choirs throughout school, and at age 15 he was given his first guitar. This opened up a whole new world of songwriting. He enjoyed some local fame at coffee houses, but his big break came in the fall of 1999, when he was introduced to a successful band in need of a singer.
“Blurred Image” was already established as a working local band, but with the addition of this phenomenal singer success began to pour in. They released their self -titled album “Blurred Image” in the summer of 1999, and obtained some much needed radio airtime. Later that summer they won the WV State Battle of the Bands consisting of 35 local and regional bands. They began playing clubs 3-4 nights a week all around the state, and showing regional promise with out of state gigs, including: Philadelphia, Baltimore, Charlottesville, and Charlotte. This run of success ran about three years when the band left behind school, and their WV roots to pursue music full time. The band moved to Charlotte, NC, minus their bass player and long time friend. However, the same success was not shared in Charlotte and the band was forced to work full time at minimum wage jobs. In and out with bassists caused severe stress between the members. The band was officially disbanded in the spring of 2002. David returned to WV in the fall of that same year to work construction to save enough money to re-enroll in college. Returning to college with a new perspective on life and music, little did he know the surprises that lay ahead.
In the fall of 2003 David returned to the local music scene on the biggest night in the area, The Max Toy Drive at Foster’s with his newly formed ‘jam influenced dance infectious group’ The Fabulous High. The band recorded its 2004 self titled release and blew the minds of many fans and bar owners. The Fabulous High played several shows at local rafting resorts such as The Red Dog Saloon, Rivermen, Songer, and other local hot spots. The sky was the limited for this musically talented band, but internal issues caused the band to abruptly end its summer star studded success. Feeling a ton of disappointment David moved to Huntington, WV where he hoped to revamp his love for writing and music. During the next few months David began to focus in on his own style of guitar playing and songwriting.
When the opportunity came to begin recording in winter of 2005 he was more than ready. Working with the best musicians in the area in John Puckett and Randy Gilkey, David slowly but surely saw his songs begin to breathe with life. “It has become both a journey and a statement of life’s unexpected road”, remarks David. The album consists of 10 original tracks that give the deep expression of this ‘Blue Eyed Soul’ singers ability to entrench the listener into a world of eclectic, but fused songs of whole hearted love, deep empathic wisdom, and musical integrity. Listeners will find songs that span years in the making, from the earliest song, Sungirl, dating back to the summer of 1999 to present day cuts such as One More Minute. This span accounts for the diversity of both musical styles and lyrical content. “I have always wanted to compile and record the songs that have been with me and shaped my own path, as more or less a memoir of the travels and moments of my life.” That is exactly what you’ll get when you open your heart and mind to music of David Bumgarner