“A homeless man gave me a guitar… That’s what started all of this…..”

In June 2018, a gift of a prized guitar from a mysterious homeless man to a complete stranger to ease the burden of his load came with “no strings attached” other than a promise: the stranger must play it.

Like many who have had their share of hard knocks, Dave Gates had been down on his luck. That is, until a chance encounter in a parking lot with a man he describes as “rather tall and portly with a ripped up t-shirt, an army satchel, unkept facial hair with long dreads, a pit bull, and a guitar.”

Also? A cross tattooed on his forehead.

The mysterious man yelled at Dave from across the parking lot and quickly approached, giving him no time to react or enter his car to drive away. “I’m homeless, and dealing with the backpack, the dog, the guitar - it’s a lot,” he said.

Then, as the man grinned with the most brilliant white teeth that defied his life predicament, he pleaded, “Will you take this guitar from me, help lighten the load?”

“I don’t play guitar,” Dave replied.

“It’s too much for me to carry all this,” the man insisted. “You can start playing it now and become a big rockstar one day, man. Change your life. You never know.”

“I’m not just going to take your guitar,” said Dave as he pulled out a $10 bill.

“Nah, man. I’m just supposed to give this to you,” the man replied while holding his guitar out.

“I insist,” Dave said. “If you don’t want it, take it for the dog. Get him some treats or something.”

“Alright, man. Look, I’ll take the $10 if you promise me you’ll play this guitar. But don’t promise me you’re gonna play it if you won’t. That’s gonna be our deal. I’ll take the money, and you go change your life,” the man said as his eyes focused intently on Dave’s with a weird mixture of vibrant greens and blues as if they were somehow lit from behind.

“Alright, man, I promise you, I’ll play it,” Dave replied.

“God bless you,” the man said. He then picked up his satchel, tugged at his dog’s leash, and walked away as mysteriously as he arrived never to be seen again.

The burden of a guitar the homeless man carried was now lifted, but replaced by the burden of a promise to play a guitar that, given its condition, was barely playable.

Dave Gates kept his promise. So much so that later that same year he played before a crowd - Since then he has entertained audiences at over 750 performances all over the US and in 2021 he quit his day job to pursue a full-time career as a professional solo musician.

That guitar in such rough condition? It turned out to be a rare vintage 1965 Yamaha Folk acoustic worth hundreds if not thousands.

One thing can be certain when it comes to Dave; he’s a unique individual with a even more unique story. As a DJ in the 2000’s, Dave developed knowledge on how to read a crowd and take them on a musical journey each night, usually ending at Sheetz. Then, as an aspiring Comedian, Dave developed his ability to command a stage and speak with vulnerability. At the ripe age of 33, he joined his passion for music, and his longing to be on the stage, to become one of the most sought after acoustic acts in the area. His music catalog is comprised of over 4000 songs that will take you through a musical journey from beginning to end, making stops with artists such as Sublime, Blackstreet, Tom Petty, The Fugees, Bob Marley, Fuel, Elvis, Tyler Childers, Cake, The Revivalists, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Styx, Johnny Cash, and even some of his own songs along the way. Dave strives to include something for every single person at each show, leaving them with an experience they will remember for years to come.