Legendary Johnny Cash / Country Bass Player Dave Roe Dies
For decades, if you wanted to not only bring skill, but class and prestige to your recording project, you wanted Dave Roe involved if at all possible. Simply including his name in the liner notes meant whatever you were recording would enjoy an elevated stature due to Roe signing off on it. But it was also his taste and his respect for the song that made Dave Row one of the most sought after bass players in the country music industry and beyond.
News came down on Saturday, September 16th that Dave Roe has passed away. But he leaves behind over 500 album credits, including from top-flight and diverse acts such as Sturgill Simpson, Loretta Lynn, Tyler Childers, Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, John Mellencamp, Chrissie Hynde, Taj Majal, Ian Hunter, Brian Setzer, Dan Auerbach, CeeLo Green, Kurt Vile, Yola, John Anderson, Carrie Underwood, Marcus King, Malcolm Holcombe, Brandy Clark, Joe Ely, Gretchen Peters, Ray LaMontagne, Faith Hill, Kathy Mattea, Rodney Crowell, and many more.
Born David Roe Rorick, he had the rare privilege of growing up in Hawaii. His father was in the military, and much of Roe’s childhood was spent in a small town called EwaBeach outside of Honolulu. Roe started out as a drummer, but since there was a dearth of bass players on the island, he transitioned to bass and was mostly self-taught.
Dave Roe got his start playing in funk and R&B bands in the ’60s and ’70s where the bass is more out front. But after moving to Nashville in the early ’80s, he fell in head first with the country crowd, first signing up with the more funky country outfit touring behind Jerry Reed. He also played early on with Mel Tillis, Vern Gosdin, Charlie Louvin, Dottie West, Chet Atkins, and Vince Gill as he toured the world.
But then everything changed when Roe got the rare opportunity to call himself a member of Johnny Cash’s legendary backing band The Tennessee Three. Cash called Roe up personally, and it was impossible for him not to accept, even though it meant learning upright bass on the fly since he’d never played the acoustic instrument previously.
Signing up with Cash in the ’90s, Dave Roe played bass form Cash for eleven years, and was one of the mainstays in Cash’s band until his death. Roe also can be heard on many of the legendary American Recordings albums produced by Rick Rubin. Rubin rarely used artist’s touring musicians, but he preferred Roe over others.
After Johnny Cash passed away in 2003, Dave Roe saddled up with Dwight Yoakam for five years before deciding to settle down in Nashville and focus mostly on session work. That didn’t stop him from performing live though. He was a mainstay in the legendary Don Kelley Band playing at Robert’s Western World for some 13 years, and would regularly gig with “Cousin” Kenny Vaughan. Roe could also be seen playing in scores of other projects here and there around town.
Everybody wanted to work with Dave Roe, and many did. Rosie Flores may have said it best when remembering Roe. “If not for Dave Roe, the music scene in Nashville would not have been so full of heart,” says Flores. “He taught me so much about arranging songs and making them unique but keeping them true to its style.”
Dave Roe earned five Grammy awards over his career, and incredible admiration from everyone he worked with.
September 17, 2023 @ 6:11 pm
Thanks for taking the time to post this about Roe
September 17, 2023 @ 6:51 pm
That is very sad news to hear. He was at The Grand Ole Opry on Tuesday September 12th, 2023 as part of The Tennessee Four in tribute to Johnny Cash. As the Opry payed tribute to Johnny Cash on the 20th anniversary of his death. He was a Great musician. RIP. Mr. Roe.
September 17, 2023 @ 6:55 pm
A couple of months ago, l listened to an online interview with Dave Roe where he told the story of joining Johnny Cash’s band. After the first performance with Cash, it was obvious that Roe was not adept on the upright bass. Cash told Roe he would keep him on and pay for Roe to take lessons to learn the slap technique he wanted from his bassist. In the same interview, Roe told of touring with Dwight Yoakam at the time of Cash’s death and requesting time off to attend the funeral. Not only did Yoakam give Roe the time he requested, but accompanied him to the funeral. Dave Roe came across as a salt of the earth kinda guy and a great storyteller. Thanks for covering this, Trig.
September 17, 2023 @ 7:05 pm
On YouTube, Otis Gibbs has a series of interviews with Dave, including one where Dave tells the story of learning doghouse style bass from nothing to join up with Cash. Godspeed, Mr Roe.
September 17, 2023 @ 8:25 pm
“Dave Roe earned five Grammy awards over his career.”
The Grammy award for country instumental performance has gone to prominent headline or featured artists over the years like Chet Atkins, Danny Davis, Doc and Merle Watson, Roy Clark, Ricky Skaggs, Asleep at the Wheel, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Friends, Mark O’Connor, Bela Fleck, Steve Wariner, Marty Stuart, etc. Not to Dave Roe.
I’ll take it that whoever wrote that must have meant that Roe played on five albums or recordings for which the name artist was awarded a Grammy. I’d imagine that backing players may receive a certificate. They surely don’t each get the gold-plated gramophone like the named winner.
September 18, 2023 @ 4:16 am
I got to work with Dave Roe thanks to a demo session Cousin Bob Clement put together for me at Cowboy Jack’s old place. He was really kind to me and it meant the world to me, being the new kid!
September 18, 2023 @ 5:09 am
I’ve seen Roe over the years pop up at numerous gigs all over. Saw him last year with Hillbilly Casino. He’s bass player royalty and he’s on a very short list of Nashville go to guys that includes Dennis Crouch and Mark Winchester.
Speaking of Winchester, he’s been a Brian Setzer go to bass player for awhile, but on Setzers last album Gotta Have The Rumble, he enlisted Roe. Normally, Setzer likes the upright slapped aggressively 90% of the time, but on this record he asked Roe to play a plucked walking bass line on all the verse sections, and then slap on the chorus sections only. It’s a way of adding a bit more complexity to the arrangement, and it tends to build more excitement on the chorus sections.
There’s some great stories about him, but the best one I’ve heard him tell, was a day he was working with The Highwaymen, and Waylon Jennings was hanging with Cash, and mentioned to Cash that his bass player was pretty impressive and that he might steal him away. Spontaneously, Waylon ran up behind Roe and picked him up, threw him across his shoulders and started walking away from Cash, who was busting up with laughter! Roe was genuinely in shock, needless to say!
September 18, 2023 @ 5:48 pm
High on the list of “you gotta see this guy play” bass players in Nashville. Was a pleasure to get to see him at Robert’s.
RIP.
September 18, 2023 @ 6:35 am
I was just on a Dan Auerbach/Easy Eye Sound kick, and I realized how much he played on those records, then started seeing at how prolific he really was, and the absolute legends he’d played with.
Godspeed, Dave.
P.S.: The bass line from “Shine On Me” is stellar.
September 18, 2023 @ 7:27 am
Ironically,Johnny Cash,71,passed away Sept.12,2003,four months after his wife,June Carter Cash,on my late sister Karen’s 47th birthday and four weeks before my mother,who was 86.RIP,Dave !!!!!!
October 29, 2023 @ 11:23 pm
I never had alot of time to spend with David. David is my cousin at 18 I moved to Nashville from Ohio for school.and then every chance when David was playing locally in Nashville I would go to watch him play and time during the holidays. Our dad’s were both military so seeing each other was hard. I am grateful for the time to get to know him more living in Nashville. The music industry lost a great and talented musician. Now he’s playing in heaven.