Dear Microwave Dave
Thank you for showing us that when we work together to help one another, we are all better.
With a name like Microwave Dave and an energy that was almost too big for the stage, the legendary blues musician did not go unnoticed. I am very sorry I’ll never get to meet him.
Stephen King wrote of Microwave Dave and The Nukes’ version of Highway 49: “That electric slide guitar will change your way of life.” The video above shows a 2007 live performance of that song. King also wrote the foreword to this book about Dave and the band, if that’s not the coolest thing you’ve ever heard you can stop talking right now.
Dave Gallagher, aka Microwave Dave, was supposed to perform Friday night at The Nook, an exceptional establishment on Bob Wallace Ave in my beloved Huntsville, Alabama. The Nook is one of the best places in the world for a beer lover like yours truly. They advertise over 400 different kinds of beer (including 80 on tap), mead, cider, whiskey and who knows what-all. I usually go try something new when I’m in town.
He posted to his Facebook page that he wasn’t going to make it Friday night.
His close friends received the news a few hours later. Dave had passed. Many of my dear Huntsville friends knew, loved, and admired him. Some worked with him at the foundation that bears his name. They are all in shock and heartbroken. With this post I want to hold them in my arms as they grieve.
Writing, I was recently saying to someone close to my heart, consists of exploring the world looking for beauty and telling its story. I had been wanting to hear Dave Gallagher play live, and get to know him a little. I knew there was an extraordinary story behind those overalls and underneath that soft hat.
He was inspired to become a musician in fourth grade, when a local band visited his Dallas, Texas classroom. His music education foundation raises money to help bring music to classrooms and to provide scholarships for young local musicians.
Writing in 2014, local historian William H. Hampton of Huntsville Revisited noted, “During his tour in Vietnam, Dave found solace in a GI soul band called the Rotations, with members coming and going as their tours completed. During this period, he made the decision to become a full-time musician after the service.”
Microwave Dave’s energy on stage, his presence and devotion to his friends and family, his extraordinary contribution to his art, and his love for northern Alabama are all reflected in the tributes that poured in following his death. I’m reproducing some of them below.
The point of art is to bring joy, inspire people to be their best, lift spirits and use whatever means at our disposal to sing the beauty that’s everywhere around us.
Dave Gallagher showed everyone that when we work together for one another, we are all better. Something to keep in mind and emulate in these dark times.
Rest in peace.
On stage, Dave had a way of making his guitars sing and weep in the same breath, guiding us all through a musical blues experience that only he could conjure.
While his talent was unquestionable, his ultimate joy was found in the classroom. Nothing made Dave smile quite like seeing school children light up with amazement as he and The Nukes ripped through a set.
— Microwave Dave Music Education Foundation Facebook post
A man who could hold a room’s full attention with his deep bass voice in his signature overalls. He was an inspiration to so many of us coming up in the Rocket City music scene.
— Foot Pound Force Facebook post
For more than 36 years, he brought that lifetime of experience to listeners through his show Talkin’ the Blues on WLRH, sharing not just songs, but context, history and a deep respect for the artists behind the music. He had a rare gift for making the blues feel both universal and deeply personal.
— WLHR Facebook post
Dave showed us all what it means to love your craft fiercely, give selflessly, and leave a community richer for having known you.
— Arts Huntsville
Microwave Dave was one of the most generous people I have ever known. He believed in the power of music to bring people together. Huntsville has lost a true original, and his kindness and talent will be deeply missed in our community.
— Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle