Dave Hillyard


"Disco" Dave Hillyard is a tenor saxophonist originating from San Diego, California. He has performed in groups such as The Slackers, The Rocksteady Seven, The Donkey Show, Hepcat, Stubborn All-Stars, and has guested with the likes of Rancid, Victor Rice, Skinnerbox NYC and Alexandra Lawerentz. He is a skilled improviser and composer/arranger with more than thirty album credits to his name.

Biography

Tenor and soprano saxophonist David Hillyard is one of the innovators of the American ska scene and is at the forefront of the jazz and reggae scene. The talented musician-arranger-composer has been instrumental in creating and re-popularizing the sound of "Jamaican Rock n Roll" and "Ska Jazz" and has been a professional musician for over 20 years.
At 17 years old, Hillyard played with The Donkey Show, one of California’s pioneering ska bands. He also played with Hepcat, which went on to become one of the biggest ska acts of the 1990s. He has also performed with ska groups like the Stubborn All-Stars, reggae artists like Cornell Campbell, Congo ‘Ashanti’ Roy and Johnny Osbourne, jazz artists like Roy Campbell, Jr., blues artists like Simon Chardiet, and even soul singers like Archie Bell, although he is best known for his work with the Slackers beginning in 1991. He continues to be a key member of that organization and has appeared on their 10 cd releases and thousands of live gigs, currently averaging about 120-150 gigs a year in the USA, Canada, Japan, Latin America and Europe.

Discography

With The Rocksteady Seven