David Pack - Career

Career

Pack was co-founder, guitarist and main vocalist for the band Ambrosia. His collected works as a performer and producer have sold over 40 million units worldwide. Noted hits from the band written and sung by Pack include BMI awarded 3 Million Airplay and certified Gold singles "Biggest Part of Me" (1980-Warner Bros) and "How Much I Feel" (1978-Warner Bros), and Top Ten BMI awarded 2 Million Airplay hit song "You're the Only Woman" (1980-Warner Bros), as well as co-writer of their first Top 10 hit, "Holdin' on to Yesterday" (1975-20th Century Fox/Warner Bros).

He also is a Grammy-winning producer for Wynonna, Phil Collins, Aretha Franklin and Kenny Loggins. He also has produced: LeAnn Rimes, Faith Hill, Michael McDonald, Natalie Cole, Patti LaBelle, Amy Holland (he sang a duet with her called "I Still Run To You" which was on Amy's second album On Your Every Word), Trisha Yearwood, Selena, All-4-One, Bette Midler (and also sang a duet with her, "I Know You by Heart," on the Beaches film soundtrack), Brian Setzer, TLC, Brian McKnight, Little Richard, Buckner & Garcia, Patti Austin, Linda Ronstadt, James Ingram, The Pointer Sisters, Mavis Staples, Andrae Crouch, David Benoit, Take 6, Bruce Hornsby, Branford Marsalis, Chick Corea, Steve Vai, Tevin Campbell, The Jerky Boys, Paul Rodriguez, Yakov Smirnoff, Def Jeff, Amy Grant, Chet Atkins, Olivia Newton-John, DC Talk, recent Academy Award–winner Jennifer Hudson and CeCe Winans.

He served as Music Director/Producer for President Bill Clinton's inaugurations in January 1993 and 1997.

In 1992, he teamed with Bernie Taupin to produce/music direct a tribute to Barbra Streisand & David Geffen, w/Elton John, Billy Joel and Eddie Van Halen for the Aids Project L.A Commitment to Life VI. He also worked with the 1995 Benefit for Children of Bosnia with Fleetwood Mac, Yes, Roberta Flack, Yanni, Kitaro, Ambrosia, Kenny Loggins and Alan Parsons.

David also produced the 1995 album The Songs of West Side Story, which benefited the school founded in Nashville by one of his mentors, Leonard Bernstein, but which did not open until shortly after Bernstein's death. The album featured several of the musicians that worked on the Commitment to Life project, collaborators Brian Setzer, Michael McDonald and James Ingram; a rollicking take on "I Feel Pretty" from Little Richard; Phil Collins and Aretha Franklin, who performed separate versions of "Somewhere; and "A Boy Like That" performed by Selena. The album is notable for being the final recorded performance of Selena, made just three weeks before her April 1995 murder, and for containing the final work by Marty Paich, who arranged the strings on Franklin's "Somewhere".

He produced the 1988 Carnegie Hall AIDS Benefit “Children Will Listen” featuring Leonard Bernstein and the Boys Choir of Harlem, David Benoit & Patti Austin. In 1997, the White House asked him to direct the music and produce the Presidents' Volunteer Summit in Philadelphia for Presidents Clinton, Bush, Carter and Ford. In 2000, he was asked to direct and produce Yamaha’s Michael McDonald Lifetime Achievement Award Show at the L.A. Shrine for his good friend. David brought together Ray Charles, Patti LaBelle, Kenny Loggins, Boz Scaggs and Christopher Cross for the event. More recently he produced and directed the 2005 World Aids Day Concert at Saddleback Church in Orange County for author Pastor Rick Warren. He not only performed but he also brought in Wynonna, DC Talk, and Out of Eden.

David Pack guested on lead vocals on the song "Ground Zero" for Kansas founder Kerry Livgren's 1980 solo album, Seeds of Change. He then performed on Kansas's Vinyl Confessions album in 1982. He would later contribute guest lead vocals on the track "Shine On" off of the album It's a Jungle Out There! by Mastedon, one of two Mastedon albums written and produced by former Kansas lead singer John Elefante and his brother Dino Elefante. Pack's 1985 solo album "Anywhere You Go" spawned the song "Prove Me Wrong" which appeared on the soundtrack of the 1985 film White Nights starring Gregory Hines & Mikhail Baryshnikov. Pack lent his vocals to a Mike Post/Pete Carpenter-penned song, "Signs of Human Error" for an episode of the TV series Stingray in 1987. He co-wrote two songs ("The Three of Me" and "I'm Talkin' to You"), sang and played guitar on Alan Parsons' 1993 album, Try Anything Once, and sang and played guitar on the song "You Can Run" on Parsons' 2004 album, A Valid Path (Ambrosia's first album was engineered by Alan Parsons, who served as producer and engineer for their second; all four members of Ambrosia played on the first Alan Parsons Project album, Tales of Mystery and Imagination.) Pack's 2005 solo album, The Secret of Movin' On included collaborative efforts from musical legends such as Journey's Steve Perry, Heart's Ann Wilson, Timothy B. Schmit from the Eagles and America's Dewey Bunnell. Steve Perry makes his first appearance in mainstream adult contemporary rock in over eight years on the album. The album includes remakes of 2 of his biggest hits with Ambrosia, "Biggest Part of Me" and "You're The Only Woman".

David Pack has toured with and/or performed in concert with: Fleetwood Mac, The Doobie Brothers, Michael McDonald, Barbra Streisand, Ray Charles, Beach Boys, Heart, The Alan Parsons Project, David Benoit, Patti Austin, Chet Atkins, Wynonna Judd, Kenny Loggins, Bela Fleck, BeBe Winans, Billy Joel, Elton John, Leonard Bernstein, Patti LaBelle, Andrae Crouch, Russ Freeman, Mark Knopfler, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Foreigner, Supertramp, U2, Eddie Van Halen, Natalie Cole, Bruce Hornsby, The Everly Brothers, Emmylou Harris, Chic Corea, Toto and Huey Lewis & the News.

David joined producer Alan Parsons on his 2001 live tribute tour to the music of the Beatles called A Walk Down Abbey Road which featured other headlining performers Todd Rundgren, Ann Wilson, and John Entwistle.

In 2007, David Pack released a five song EP on Speakerheart.com self-titled "David Pack". He also released the singles "Walkin' In Worship" and "Psalm 23".

In 2010, David Pack joined forces with Avon as a celebrity judge for Avon Voices, Avon’s first ever global, online singing talent search for women and songwriting competition for men and women.

In November 2011, David Pack appeared on the Howard Stern Show as Robin Quiver's guest. Pack sat through the news and spoke about his time with Ambrosia, his solo career and his life on tour. Scott the engineer came into the studio and revealed his love for Ambrosia by playing their anthology album on his phone.