Dave Williams (singer)

David Wayne Williams (February 29, 1972 – August 14, 2002)[2] was an American vocalist best known as the original lead singer for the nu metal band Drowning Pool.

Dave Williams
Birth nameDavid Wayne Williams
Also known asStage
Born(1972-02-29)February 29, 1972
White Plains, New York, U.S.[1]
DiedAugust 14, 2002(2002-08-14) (aged 30)
Manassas, Virginia, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active1988–2002
Associated actsDrowning Pool

Biography

He grew up in Princeton, Texas, living with his parents Charles Edward and Jo-Ann Williams. He grew up in a pious family who caused him to move away from religion. Notably, he also used to wear a T-shirt that read “Worship Satan and Smoke Crack”.[3]

In 1999, he joined Drowning Pool, who had formed in 1996 and had previously performed as an instrumental three-piece. The band released their debut album with Williams, Sinner, in 2001. Williams soon gained recognition for his performances with the band; his nickname "Stage" came from Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell, who gave it to him because of his known stage personality.

However, on August 14, 2002, Williams was found dead in the band's tour bus in Manassas, Virginia.[4] An autopsy established that he had died from heart failure caused by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy[5] (heart muscle disease), which went undiagnosed until his death.[2]

A public funeral was held in Plano, Texas, on August 18, 2002 at 10:00 am. A DVD titled Sinema which chronicles his life, has since been released. His lifelong dream was to buy his parents a house; the sales from Sinema fulfilled his dream posthumously.

Williams's microphone was given to Cristian Machado from Ill Niño. They were good friends, so after his death, Drowning Pool and Williams' family gave it to Machado as a token of respect. The band Memento dedicated their set to Williams on the Ozzfest 2003 stage.

Williams was ranked in the Top 100 metal vocalists of all time by Hit Parader at #82.

The Dallas, Texas music community honored Williams and his legacy with a multi-venue music festival named "Stage Fest." Stage Fest was held in downtown Dallas' Deep Ellum district on August 14, 2007, the fifth anniversary of his death, and played in seven Deep Ellum venues including Club Dada, The Curtain Club, The Lizard Lounge, The Darkside Lounge, Red Blood Club, Reno's Chop Shop, and Tomcat's.

On August 14, 2012, the 10th anniversary of his death, Drowning Pool released a ballad titled "In Memory Of..." dedicated to him.

The re-released 13th anniversary of Sinner contains never before released footage of Dave Williams and his bandmates speaking about meaning of the songs on the Sinner album and more.

The footage of Dave Williams while he was in Fugly (one of his previous bands) surfaced on the internet.[6] It was the band Dave Williams mentioned in the 13th anniversary Sinner release, while naming all the bands he was in before Drowning Pool.

References
  1. "WILLIAMS, MR. DAVID "DAVE" WILLIAMS, age 30, of Princeton, Texas, passed away August 14, 2002, in Manassas, Virginia. He was born February 29, 1972, in White Plains, New York". Legacy.com. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  2. "To Celebrate the 40th Birthday of Former Drowning Pool Lead Singer Dave Williams…We Give You the Bird". Whfs.cbslocal.com. February 29, 2012. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  3. Boucher, Geoff (August 16, 2002). "Dave Williams, 30; Charismatic Lead Singer of Rock Band Drowning Pool". Archived from the original on May 16, 2020.
  4. Joe D'Angelo (August 14, 2002). "Drowning Pool Singer Found Dead". Mtv.com. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  5. Archive-Joe-DAngelo. "Drowning Pool's Dave Williams Died From Heart Disease, Coroner Says". MTV News. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  6. "Fugly (Dave Williams, RIP, Drowning Pool)". ReverbNation. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
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