INTERVIEW: Dave Colwell Of Humble Pie On The Band’s Hamptons Gig, His Musical Journey, Guitar Hero, And More

Dave “Buckets” Colwell took time off from his Humble Pie rehearsals in Philadelphia to talk about the band’s upcoming show at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center (WHBPAC) on Saturday, September 14 at 8 p.m.

When I asked Colwell, who is a master guitar player himself, what should the audience expect, he revealed, “We will be playing reverence to the music of Humble Pie… Jerry [Shirley – the original drummer of Humble Pie] and I got to the point where we wanted to keep the music of Humble Pie alive. Even though Jerry can’t play anymore because he has arthritis, he is man the behind this tour.”

Humble Pie was one of rock’s seminal incubators of British talent and was born/formed in 1969 when Steve Marriott, Peter Frampton, Greg Ridley and Jerry Shirley convened at Steve’s Essex home. Right off the bat this collision of musical prowess produced a completely new sound and the band took both sides of the Atlantic by storm with hits like 30 Days In The Hole, I Don’t Need No Doctor, Hot ‘n’ Nasty and Fool For A Pretty Face.

Colwell, who eventually spent time as a guitarist in Humble Pie said, “Of course we will be playing all the hits. We will be doing some five and six-minutes songs from the [Humble Pie] records.

The musician’s journey through music started when he was five or six and his dad, who as Colwell said, “Didn’t play any musical instrument, couldn’t even play a record player” bought him a $6 Beatles Guitar. “By the time I was 11, I was better than the classical guitar teacher at school.”

When Colwell was 16-years-old, he had a band and a record that was played over the radio. He admitted he and the band huddled around a radio to hear the song played for the first time over the radio. “Our manager tipped us off to the time and station,” he fondly recalled.

When I asked Colwell, whom many consider “a master guitarist,” about guitars he shared, “I have always favored the Gibson Les Paul Juniors since my early guitar hero Mick Ralphs used them. It was Mick who got me into [the rock band] Bad Company. He was very generous on stage.”

Being reflective about all the bands he has played in, such as Bad Company, Humble Pie, and The Jones Gang, to name just a few, Colwell said, “I have always been very lucky because I genuinely seem to get on with folks.” As he said, “There were times I’d be playing in a bar in London with perhaps 150 people. Then the phone would ring and a week later I’d be playing in an arena with 12,000 people there.”

He guarantees the September 14th show “will be a great show!”

Tickets to Humble Pie at WHBPAC are $61 to $71.

Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center is located at 76 Main Street in Westhampton Beach. For more information, call 631-288-1500 or visit whbpac.org.