Bio
David Alexander is an R&B artist who recorded for SoundTown Records in the late 1980s and hit Billboard Hot 100 Black Singles Chart in 1987 with “Ms. X”.
Born David A. Small in Dallas, Texas, he was first trained as a percussionist. As a senior in high school, David Small sat as First Chair Percussionist in Texas’ UIL All-State Orchestra in 1977. Small then obtained an Associate’s Degree in Music Composition and Recording Technology at Cedar Valley College in Lancaster, Texas. While attending junior college, he was drummer for many of the established jazz musicians in the Dallas area, including Roger Boykins, Robert Sanders, Marchel Ivery, James Clay and Claude Johnson. Small also became the drummer for the local jazz radio station’s official band, the KSAX Jazz Band.
In 1980 Small attended the Berklee College of Music along side Branford Marsalis, Marvin “Smitty” Smith and many others. While in Boston, Small was the drummer for the latin jazz band “Birdland” which included for a short while bassist Victor “Slim” Bailey (who replaced Jaco Pastorious in Weather Report).
After returning to Dallas from Berklee, David Small began his career as a studio musician. At the same time Small was playing with jazz bands at night, he spent many days in various recording studios in the north Texas area. Small recorded primarily in Dallas, but also in Memphis and Nashville. Small’s album credits include virtuoso violinist Mark O’Connor’s “Meanings Of” (Warner Bros. 1985) and “Stone From Which the Arc Was Made” (Warner Bros. 1986, which also featured Steve Morse, Chet Atkins, Bela Fleck and many others).
Small began to pursue original music and songwriting with the local three piece punk/ rock band The Symptoms. The Symptoms were locally acclaimed on the Dallas live music scene in the mid 80s, and performed on shows with British reggae band UB-40, guitar hero Eric Johnson among others.
After the break-up of The Symptoms, Small started a new-wave funk band called Racer X which opened for Herbie Hancock and Pieces of a Dream among others. Racer X was very short-lived, as Small’s focus was recording original music and working as a studio musician.
While working on a recording project with Kraig Pride (son of country music legend Charley Pride), Small was part of a recording team which delivered a demo to Memphis’ Sound Town Records. Impressed with Small’s studio production, the label asked Small to deliver something of his own. The label quickly signed Small to a solo recording agreement and released his music under the name, “David Alexander.”
Sound Town Records, formed by Stax Records producer Homer Banks was producing primarily blues hits. Sound Town boasted J. “Taxi” Blackfoot, Shirley Brown and Randy Brown. http://www.soulexpress.net/shirleybrown_part2.htm
The David Alexander project was primarily recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis, TN. David Alexander produced the project along with renown engineer Robert “TD” Jackson who also recorded several hits for the Bar-Kays.
In 1986, Sound Town released its first David Alexander single, “U Drive Me Wild.” This was a new wave/ funk single which only picked up a few urban radio stations throughout the south. “U Drive Me Wild,” was selected as a Hot Pick in Cash Box magazine. However, its funky new-wave B-Side “Lovin’ In the New” picked up more stations than the A-Side promoted single.
In 1987, SoundTown released the second David Alexander single, “Ms. X.” This song hit Billboard’s Hot 100 Black chart in the summer of 1987 and remained there for five weeks, PEAKING AT NUMBER 75. Although the song never reached the top 40, certain major market stations reported the song in its Top 10, including Dallas’ K104 and Memphis’ WHRK – K97.
David Alexander continued working as a studio musician/ producer (under his true name David Small) until enrolling in law school in 1989. David A. Small now practices entertainment law in Dallas, Texas.
