The name Dave Gahan is widely known to fans of heavy electronic music. In 1980, he founded the legendary Depeche Mode, and in 2007 he was among the top 100 singers and greatest frontmen according to Q magazine.
The songs of Dave Gahan are very popular among fans of electronic and dance music, because the vocalist of Depeche Mode always put his feelings and soul into them.
Biography
David Calcott was born on May 9, 1962 in the small village of North Will, Essex, UK. His father was the bus driver Lin, and his mother was the conductor Sylvia. The family of the future vocalist was extremely religious, and young Dave was subjected to a serious drill from childhood, undergoing various deprivations and humiliations from relatives.
Soon, Dave's father left the family. Sylvia began to live with Jack Gahan, who worked at the Royal Dutch Shell and brought good money to the new family. This allowed not only to move from the village to the city of Basildon, but also to send Dave and his sister to Barstable private school, which was considered quite prestigious for people of their prosperity and social status.
Studying was difficult, and instead of attending classes, the young man preferred to hang around, draw graffiti on the walls, and also sell soft drugs.
early years
It is not surprising that Dave Gahan soon had problems with the law. At the trial, it turned out that the future musician also stole and set fire to other people's cars, came into conflict with law enforcement officers and illegally traded in alcohol. From the criminal prosecution of the musician saved only the fact that at the time of the investigation he was still a minor. The court sentenced him to serve his sentence in a special center for difficult teens in Romford. Dave came there every weekend for a year and did various dirty and hard work.
Gahan understood that if he committed even another illegal act, he would be sent to prison, so he dutifully served his sentence, thinking about who he would become in the future. Most employers refused to hire a young man, only learning about his criminal past.
After serving his sentence, Dave returned to school, finishing it a few years later with pretty good results.
This inspired the future star to continue her studies, and in 1979 Dave Gahn became a student at the University of Southend Arts.
In 1981, he graduated with honors from the University, receiving a diploma of designer and specialist in layouts.
Depeche mode
The year 1980 turned out to be a great success for Gahan. The guy who dreamed of making music met Vince Clark and Andrew Fletcher. The year before, they had gathered a small group with Martin Gore and rehearsed in the garage. The group did not have a name and played mainly instrumental music until Gahan took everything into his own hands, inventing a new concept, name and logo for the collective.
Since 1981, the group became known as Depeche Mode, and heavy electronics with an active bass line became the chosen musical direction. Thus began a new story.
Thanks to the innovative approach to writing music, as well as the memorable appearance of the participants, the group instantly gains popularity, with each new album only reinforcing itself the title of “band of the future” and “geniuses of electronic sound”. Depeche Mode are considered the founders of a new genre - “synth-pop”, as well as the ideological inspirers of many currently known groups.
Health problems
In the late 90s, Ghana's drug dependence is especially acute. He does not come to rehearsals, breaks concerts, shows signs of deviant and inappropriate behavior.
Under pressure from the US government, which threatens to deprive the singer of a residence permit, Dave Gahan, with his wife and children, is moving to a more comfortable area for family living, and also undergoes a three-year course of treatment and rehabilitation for drug addiction. The constant joint stay with the family became a good incentive for the musician, and in 2004 he not only continued his active creative work, but also began to write songs for Depeche Mode, sharing this responsibility with Martin Gore.
Solo work
There are not so many albums recorded by Dave Gahan. As the musician himself admitted, working in Depeche Mode took up most of the time and most of the energy, so there was simply no more for solo work.
Most of Dave's compositions were recorded during treatment or interruptions in concert activity, which, of course, affected the quality of the material.
Below is a list of the musician’s albums, released both solo and with the participation of the Soulsavers team:
2003 - Paper Monsters
2007 - Hourglass
2012 - The Light The Dead See (with Soulsavers)
2015 - Angels & Ghosts (shared with Soulsavers)
The individual works of Dave Gahan were not widely recognized and could not occupy high places in various music charts. Critics noted a sharp discrepancy between the image of the musician and the topics he touched, as well as the insufficient modernity of the sound of the instruments. According to reputable music publications, Gahan’s solo work sounds like “rough sketches for the not-so-successful Depeche Mode album.”
The musician does not react to attacks of the musical community. He notes that he creates primarily for himself. He tries to express what he felt for many years, and finds the most correct ways for this. The opinion of the people around him does not bother him at all.
Personal life
Gahan was married three times. In 1985, he married Joe Fox. He did not live with her even for six years, having married Teresa Conroy in 1991. Three years later, the woman leaves Gahan because of the singer’s most addictive drug addiction.
1999 is a turning point in Dave's life: he marries Jennifer Skliaz, with whom he still lives.
Family photos of Dave Gahan are extremely few. The performer treats relatives with trepidation and does not allow journalists into his personal space. So he protects the family hearth from the curiosity of reporters.