Dave Malone

Dave has been the guitarist/vocalist of the Radiators forever it seems. The Radiators were one the bands that started it all for bringing New Orleans-inspired music to the rest of the world. Their music has been defined as "Fish-head Funk". The band has been together for over 25 years and has recorded more than 20 albums together!

I was just a kid in Edgard, Louisiana when the Beatles played the Ed Sullivan Show. Singing and playing guitars seemed like an extremely cool thing to do. I was mesmerized and hooked on the music completely; especially since Mom & Dad's record collection consisted of Marty Robbins "Gunfighter Ballads", Johnny Horton's" Greatest Hits", a couple of "Sing Along with Mitch" LP's and the Johnny Cash album with "Don't Takes Your Guns to Town". Thank God my older brothers started collecting hip stuff. (Although, I have to confess, I still love those Marty, Johnny and Johnny albums!)

Growing up mostly in rural Louisiana, there wasn't a whole lot going on to occupy young minds. My brothers were already fooling around with guitars and eventually my brother John put a band together. I hung around so much that I picked up some of that stuff too. My folks were kind enough (or crazy enough) to let us commandeer their family dining room for several eons to practice. A little later I joined my first band, "The Family Tree" (later "The Family Dog") with some other Egard guys including Jeff Amedee (older brother of Subdude Steve Amedee) on drums. We got regular gigs in Morgan City and Port Sulphur and bought a milk truck for equipment and thought we were really rollin'. Miraculously, no one died!

After high school, I moved to new Orleans and joined a sort of country rock band... "Dustwoofie". That band did pretty well and we went through several personnel changes and, later, my Subdude brother Tommy joined. We did a handful of original tunes and made a bunch of sort of low rent studio recordings. That was great fun! Jim Scheurich (our drummer, who later played with James Booker) probably still has those tapes, one day, we'll find them and transfer them to better quality tape.

Anyhow, after "Dustwoofie", I wound up in "Roadapple" and then the Johnny Zimple Band (with Subdude John Magnie) and bounced around in other bluegrass, rock & roll, and country rock bands.

I had known (and played in different line-ups with) Reggie Scanlon for quite some time and one day we got a call from Ed Volker to come over and jam with him, Frank and Camile. We had such a a great musical experience that we decided to become a "Band" the very next day. The name took longer than the music. We played a few gigs as "Them Neighborhood Boys", then a few more gigs as the "Weema Woppas" until finally someone, I think it was Reg, came up with the "Radiators". Over 20 years later...same guys... same fun... lots of miles... lots of stories... Now I'm just an older kid and ... Yes... it IS an extremely cool thing to do!

For more information on the Radiators, visit their website!