The strive for excellence is one that should be instilled in us as creations of the Lord - the ultimate source of all things good and perfect - and the Dave Williford Band couldn't imagine creating music about God without it having that certain amount of creativity, excellence, and originality.
Dave Williford has had a fond appreciation for all things music since a young age.
"I grew up playing and singing as a pastor's kid at an old country church in rural Missouri," mentioned Dave. "However, my family couldn't afford to get me piano lessons, so I started teaching myself how to play at the age of 10."
He continued, "Even as a teenager, I noticed that often secular music had a quality to it that much of Gospel music was missing. I have always had a dream of putting out quality Christian music that could stand up with any other genre."
That dream launched Dave into a creative frenzy - writing songs that were personal to him and strived to reach that level of excellence that he saw in other forms of music.
"In 1996, I began to write songs and traveled with a group called the Southern Brothers who started recording much of my original material," recalled Dave. Since then, Williford has seen several of his own songs get picked up by other artists - including Three Bridges who earned Williford his first charting song - "Come Out of the Wilderness."
For the next 10 years, Dave would hone his skills as a writer and composer before God planted the idea of starting his own band within Dave.
"I began traveling as a full-time evangelist - preaching revivals and singing my own original songs in 2004," Dave said. "However, I was always a fan of the live band and wanted to put together a talented group of players."
"In 2006, a very skilled bass player, Steve Allbritton, and his son Jeremy playing the drums, joined my wife Rebecca and I to form the Dave Williford Band," said Dave. "This was a huge step for us, but we knew that this was where God wanted us at."
Dave and Rebecca have been heavily involved in the Christian Education department of their local church, and they wanted to instill the same drive for excellence they have in young people in their area.
"We volunteer each year to teach music to the students, including singing, piano, guitar, and ear training," mentioned Dave. "In the future, we would like to be able to see some of these students have the opportunity to travel in the summer and perform with the Dave Williford Band."
Because of the group's willingness to be mentors to young musicians, they've seen God open doors for their own ministry - including the release of their debut recording - A King's Ransom.
"I believe God gave us the talent to do what we do and this ability is not for our own enjoyment, but for others. Whether it is to edify the body of Christ or to be a tool to open the hearts of the lost our mission is clear," responded Dave.
Dave continued, "We feel it is imperative that we constantly improve our skill at our instrument or vocals, that we only record solid songs, and that we perform at the level the Kingdom of God requires and the audience deserves. If we don't put back the same level of excellence in Him that he put into us than we aren't doing Him or His message justice."
The future is bright for this captivating band - and with that kind of attitude towards their art - it's no wonder that they are on the verge of taking the music scene by storm.
