Writer/ Arranger/ Producer
The name Dave Appell will probably associated first of all with the Cameo-Parkway label, in which he played a substantial part. Prior to joing the label, which was founded by Kal Mann and Bernie Lowe over a Christmas Party in 1956, Dave worked as an arranger for several big bands dating back to his wartime service in WWII.
You would think today a man born on March 24th, 1922 that has worked hard in the music business for over 67 years would be relaxing in the sun and not doing much of anything. But that is not even close to reality. At 89, Dave is writing and producing brilliant smooth jazz music at his home studio with some of the best and brightest young talent in the Philadelphia area.
Dave started his music career at an early age playing guitar and trombone. Between his stint in the navy and joining Cameo-Parkway Dave started to gig around town and formed a group called "Dave Appell and the Applejacks". Before long he landed the job of musical director on the Ernie Kovacs Show, which was an NBC Network show out of Philadelphia. In addition to the group's duties on the show they worked as backup musicians for John Zacherle on his Top 10 hit " Dinner with Drac". Then the Applejacks broke into the national charts under their own name with the instrumentals "Mexican Hat Rock" (#16) and "Rocka-Conga" (#38) both in 1958.
Dave and his group went on to become the house band at Cameo-Parkway backing such artists as Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell, The Dovells and Dee Dee Sharp whose records he also arranged and in many cases co-wrote with Kal Mann, such as "Let's Twist Again", "The Bristol Stomp, and "Mashed Potato Time".
Dave Left Cameo-Parkway in 1964. In the seventies he had great success with his productions for Tony Orlando and Dawn, including the #1 hits "Knock Three Times" (1970) and "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" (1973), on Bell Records. His co-producer was Hank Medress, who had been a founding member of The Tokens in 1956 and also sang in the reformed Tokens of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" fame.
It's incredible to think that in the Mid-Forties, Dave, who wrote charts for such famous bands as Earl "Fatha" Hines, Benny Carter, Boyd Raeborn, Sam Donahue, and Clean Head Vinson, can today turn on the radio and hear Bobby Rydell sing his song "Wild One" of the Orlons singing Dave's classics "Soth Street" and "Don't Hang Up". Only a few years ago he wrote a beautiful jazz instrumental which was recorded and released on Columbia Records by the late great Grover Washington Jr.
Dave is as busy as ever these days writing and producing Smooth Jazz music featuring a variety of young, up and coming musicians from the Philadelphia and South Jersey area. Coming soon will be a 12 song project titled "Dave Appell's Applejacks". In addition to the next generation Applejacks, Dave is releasing 4 volumes of original music which will be available for digital downloads and film/television/commercial sync licensing opportunties.
Check out Dave's Classic- Mexican Hat Rock
