You might know Dave Fenley from his 2013 stint on America’s Got Talent Season 8 or as part of Team Blake in The Voice Season 15. Though he did not win in these competitions, we’re sure that he completely blew you with his awesome vocals and his heart-strumming guitar skills. And for that, he won many hearts.
Now, Dave Fenley is making a living by writing and performing his own songs. You would often see him covering songs like his recent reinvention of Shallow with Briana Moir. But aside from these known facts and updates, Dave gives his fans through social media, there’s still a lot to know about this gifted singer and musician.
If you don’t know him yet, then this is the best place to start. Plus, we’re throwing in some trivias.
1. He was born and raised in Lufkin, East Texas.
To fill out the basic details of his bio, Dave Fenley was born on October 15, 1979, in Lufkin, East Texas. His birthday does not actually come up in most wikipedia sites about him but we can always count on a Facebook post to give us the details. Above is a post uploaded by Wegotit Nashville celebrating Fenley’s birthday with some throwback photos.
He was raised in a Southern Baptist Church singing in a children’s choir while his father Elton sang bass at a big choir. His father would always sing at home and he taught Dave the harmonies to all the ‘good’ country songs that played on the radio. He joined the choir during his elementary until high school years.
He now lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
2. He dropped out of college to pursue a music career.
When his family moved to Canada in high school, Dave was introduced to new music and his influences expanded. From country music, he grew to love songs with soul, and then he started with Boyz II Men and discovered Otis Redding, Ray Charles, and Percy Sledge.
At the age of 15, he began writing his own songs and when he turned 18, he picked up the guitar. And against his parents’ wishes, he dropped out of college, worked many odd jobs, and pursued music full-time.
He taught himself how to play songs he loved hearing on the radio, and he even performed them in bars way before he was even allowed to drink.
3. He joined America’s Got Talent Season 8 back in 2013 as a singer and guitarist.
Of course, a list of everything you should know about Dave Fenley should never leave out this part. In 2013, he auditioned with an acoustic version of Too Close which earned him a yes from all four judges on the panel.
In the Vegas Round, he performed Otis Redding’s These Arms of Mine on the guitar which sent him straight to Quarterfinals. And in the fifth week of the Quarterfinals, he sang his version of Ray LaMontagne’s Trouble. His performance won him enough votes to continue to the Semifinals.
For the 1st week of Semifinals, he performed Spice Girls’ Say You’ll Be There with a guitar and added in a twist of beatboxing. Unfortunately, he only earned Mel B’s vote and he was eliminated from the competition.
4. He was on the road with Miranda Lambert after AGT until 2015.
Before being part of Team Blake on The Voice Season 15, he first crossed paths with the country singer when he joined Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton’s wife at that time, on the road for two years. Although Blake did not really recognize him as he had an unconventional role in Miranda’s lineup.
In an interview, Dave said that Miranda first saw him in a bar in Nashville where he moved after getting eliminated on AGT. He joined in as the only beatboxer in the team, and he never really sang so there was no association.
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5. After AGT, he joined The Voice Season 15 in 2018.
For his blind audition, he covered the song Help Me Hold On by Travis Tritt. Both Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton turned for him and he ultimately chose to be on Team Blake. Though he did come far into the competition, he was eliminated alongside Team Adam’s DeAndre Nico before Top 8.
Nevertheless, he swooned the crowd, especially rival coach Kelly Clarkson with his cover of Amazed by Lonestar. Kelly Clarkson commented how the song was a very smart choice and how she loved his voice in it.
6. His motto is ‘spread love like peanut butter.’
According to Dave, he wasn’t exactly the happy, loving guy that he is now. So one day, he got called out by a friend who told him to stop being a jerk and just start spreading love like butter. His first reaction to that was he never really cared about butter but he really loved peanut butter.
So the next day, he decided to spread love like peanut butter and his day turned out to be so much brighter. And three days later, he met his wife Eden whom he married in April 2010. He also finished his record and first album, so it seems like it really worked. Ever since that, he never stopped living in that mindset.
7. He is known for his ‘genre-free’ philosophy.
Although Dave is primarily known as a country music artist, he learned that he loved every genre of music and is not afraid to explore these songs. On his shows, no one actually knows what to expect next because he would always surprise the audience with something new.
Aside from his musical talent, he also had a noticeable talent with the audience. He also shared stages with music royalties like Miranda Lambert, Dwight Yoakam, and Dierks Bentley.
8. His song ‘Come To Think About It’ was inspired by his ex-wife Eden.
One of the themes woven into Dave Fenley’s music was accepting faults, looking both at the good and the bad, and finally letting you decide where the scales rest. One of the songs that truly captured this theme was Come To Think About It.
This song was inspired from an argument he had with his now ex-wife about ‘networking’ in Nashville which was code word for drinking. He did not blame her but the separation was inevitable. And he had to just accept it and forgive himself. Then he learned that he can always choose to make a change and that was what he did.
9. He married his now-wife, Amy Joyce, in December 2019.
The two first met through Amy’s sister and brother-in-law, Laura and Jim Mason. Dave played for their engagement party back in 2011 and also in their wedding. Ever since, she had always been a fan and even watched and supported him on TV. At that time, Dave was also taken.
Then life had some unexpected twists for them, and after 8 years, they reconnected at a show in New Braunfels. Then he invited her to one of his shows in Austin, Texas and that was where the sparks really flew for them.
He proposed to her just before Thanksgiving with a special song with a rewritten chorus asking her to marry him. They originally had the date March 14, 2020 for the wedding but they decided to not wait and have the wedding in three weeks. And so, they were married on December 28, 2019.
10. He currently has two albums and lots of covers.
As of now, Dave Fenley released two albums, namely A Dave Fenley Christmas and The Spread Love Sessions Volume 1, with 5 tracks including She’s Fine (Eden’s Song). You can catch all his covers on Youtube and get yourself updated with his Tik Tok.
