Cheryl Daveiga Top Frog

January 11, 2019/in The Creators /by the Waterhole Bunch

Cheryl DaVeiga
Top Frog

A born and raised New Jersey girl, Cheryl’s father, proudly hailing from North Carolina, always reminded her she was “half rebel.” He filled the house with his beloved country music, which included tunes by Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, Jim Reeves, Patsy Cline, and so many more. Cheryl learned every word to every song and never stopped singing. Music was in her blood, but so was paying her bills, so she went to the University of Arizona, got herself an accounting degree and a CPA license, and got a job with one of those big accounting firms, where she became a partner and made a good living and put her right brain on hold. But there were signs even back then that her music wouldn’t let go. Her creative musical side manifested itself into a gratifying but unpaid side job of writing comical parody songs….if someone at work was getting a promotion or retiring–or if one of her friends was hitting a milestone birthday — Cheryl would write them a personalized sing-along parody song. Requests for her songs were unending, and it became almost an official part of her job at the accounting firm and among her friends.

A big aha moment came when she was listening to a kids radio station with her nephew Michael and said to Michael… “we could write a better song than that!” Michael replied quizzically ….”we could write a song?” ……and so the seas opened up. Cheryl formed an animated alter ego called “CADi Grace,” and with the help of producer and guitarist Anthony Krizan (of Spin Doctors, Lenny Kravitz fame) made animated videos of story songs she wrote and released The Craziest Dream CD. The fire was lit, and she tried her hand at big people’s songs. Teaming up once again with Anthony, she wrote a song (lyrics written while she was staying at the Thayer Hotel at West Point) about the struggles of vets returning home from combat called Home Don’t Feel Like Home and won an ASCAP songwriting award for it. She collaborated with her friend, singer-songwriter Maria Adubato and wrote the theme song Where Angels Play for the non-profit organization of the same name. One More Last Time, a song co-written by Anthony Krizan and Dave Gibson is featured on Krizan’s latest LP. Three of Cheryl’s songs were featured on the recently released, critically acclaimed EP “Lady E” by powerhouse singer Eryn (Shewell). Cheryl’s New Jersey anthem song (co-written with Krizan) Jersey Style, belted out by Jersey shore legend Christine Martucci, was featured on NJ 101.5 FM (who called it the perfect NJ summer song) and NY 104.3 FM, was identified as one of the top 350 Jersey songs by NJ Arts, and is the theme song for IHeart Radio’s Animal House Radio show.

Now back to full-time creative arts, partnering with Nashville songwriting legend Dave Gibson, Cheryl is is having the time of her life writing, singing, fooling around, and playing the sassy singing waitress Lily Paderini…and making up for lost time…..

Dave Gibson Boss Frog

January 11, 2019/in The Creators /by the Waterhole Bunch

Dave Gibson
Boss Frog

Born in Arkansas and raised in west Texas, the youngest of three siblings, his daddy was an oil field worker and and his mom was a saint. Dave remembers listening to Elvis Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison and country stars like Marty Robbins, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. Their songs were the early impetus for his love of music and his lifelong career as a singer/songwriter. He learned to play guitar when he was thirteen when his mom bought him one for Christmas out of the Sears catalog, much to the chagrin of his hard working father.

Music became Dave’s obsession, and after graduating high school and college he moved to Chicago to pursue another dream of his, which was becoming a commercial artist. After working several art jobs and also teaching school for a few years he still played music at night and began writing songs. He formed his own band, Dave Gibson and Hackinbush, the name being taken from a Groucho Marx character in the movie. He had the top band in the Windy City for almost ten years, until he decided to move to Nashville to make his dreams come true.

He arrived in the early eighties and was soon discovered by The Oak Ridge Boys who gave him his first publishing deal. Since then he has written six number 1 songs and numerous top tens, for artists such as Alabama, Tanya Tucker Confederate Railroad, Montgomery Gentry, Joe Diffe, Marie Osmond and many more. He got a record deal with his own group, The Gibson/Miller Band and won the ACM award for best new group in the early nineties. Dave never stopped writing and wrote a song a few years ago called “The Frog Song” with a little friend of his named Frank TL Frogg, so aptly named. It has become the inspiration of a music and comedy series with puppets that he is currently producing with his ASCAP award winning writing partner, Cheryl DaVeiga, and it is a hoot. You never know what Dave is going to come up with, and his tongue and cheek sense of humor and infectious laugh are catching, just like his new venture, The Watehole Bunch…..coming soon to a Youtube channel near you.