Dave Swift, born 11 January 1964, is a British

British people

The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...

 bassist. He is best known for his work on the BBC2 Television

BBC Two

BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...

 program Later... with Jools Holland as part of Jools's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra.

Life and career

Born in Wolverhampton, England, Dave's musical experience started with singing in the local school choir and later at church. Throughout his childhood he was exposed to the acoustic guitar, which both of his brothers played at their home. Dave was fourteen when he decided to take up the trombone

Trombone

The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...

 at school. Later on, some friends formed a band and needed a bass guitar

Bass guitar

The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

ist so Dave volunteered. Shortly after this, he was advised to take up the double bass

Double bass

The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...

.

Dave turned professional aged 18. Being highly skilled at sight reading

Sight reading

Sight-reading is the reading and performing of a piece of written music, specifically when the performer has not seen it before. Sight-singing is often used to describe a singer who is sight-reading.-Sight-reading:...

 and extremely adept at each of his three instruments, he became a session

Session musician

Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...

 bassist in and around the Midlands

English Midlands

The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...

. In 1988 he moved to London and quickly became involved in the session and jazz scene there.

In 1991 Dave heard that Jools Holland

Jools Holland

Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...

, ex-Squeeze keyboardist and TV presenter, was looking for a bassist who played both Double Bass and Bass Guitar. Dave auditioned for Jools, got the job there and then, and has been Jools's bassist ever since.