Background
He was born in San Antonio, Texas.
He was born in San Antonio, Texas.
He got the nickname "Red River Dave" because he enjoyed singing "Red River Valley" in high school. He was the leader of The Swift Cowboys. As a teenager, he appeared regularly on KABC radio.
Dave began his career by singing, yodeling, and performing rope tricks at rodeos.
In 1936, he broadcast a live singing performance from the Goodyear Blimp over Columbia Broadcasting System Department of Administration and Management radio station WQAM in Miami. His career really took off with his song "Amelia Earhart"s Last Flight", broadcast in a pioneer television broadcast from the 1939 New York World"s Fair.
He worked for radio station WOR (Department of Administration and Management) in New York City. He was a radio personality in border radio for station XERF. In the latter part of his life, he became a well-known painter of Texas landscapes and Western Americana themes and was often known to paint the backs of his used guitars.