Dave Rude


Dave Rude is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and performer. He is best known as one of the guitarists in the hard rock band Tesla.
In 2006 he was discovered by Tesla guitarist Frank Hannon, who contacted him via Myspace. He was impressed by Rude's music and offered him a job as a guitarist for his solo side-project, The Frank Hannon Band. He began playing with Tesla during the "Electric Summer Jam" tour in 2006.
He is credited as a co-writer with Tesla, and recorded with the band on their original albums Forever More in 2008, Simplicity in 2014, and the Phil Collen-produced album Shock in 2019. He also recorded the 2007 double album of covers Real to Reel, as well as 2012’s acoustic album Twisted Wires & the Acoustic Sessions. Rude also appears on Comin' Atcha Live! 2008, Tesla’s live DVD.
Rude started playing guitar when he was 9 and his main musical influences included Guns N' Roses, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Aerosmith, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
In addition to his work with Tesla, Rude writes and produces songs for pop, country, and rock artists in Nashville, Stockholm, Los Angeles and San Francisco. His music was featured in Keegan-Michael Key’s independent movie Don’t Think Twice and A&E’s Duck Dynasty spin-off series, Jep and Jessica: Growing the Dynasty.
His song “Standing Up For Love” was an official entry in Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2018. He also co-wrote the charting single “LA Calling ” for Swedish pop-country artist Chris Lindberg.
Rude fronts his own solo band whose latest album The Key was released on Rat Pak Records in 2013, and is the current guitarist in Tesla bassist Brian Wheat’s side project Soulmotor.

Discography