David Hungate
{{Short description|American bassist (born 1948)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{BLP sources|date=May 2010}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = David Hungate
| image = David Hungate 2007 (cropped).jpg
| caption = Hungate in 2007
| birth_name =
| alias =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1948|08|05}}
| birth_place = Troy, Missouri, U.S.
| origin =
| death_date =
| genre = {{flatlist|
- Pop rock[https://www.allmusic.com/artist/david-hungate-mn0000182777 Pop rock] All music Retrieved 8 April 2025
- jazz fusion
- smooth jazz
- hard rock
- blue-eyed soul}}
| occupations = {{hlist|Musician| songwriter| producer}}
| occupation =
| associated_acts =
| years_active = 1976–2015
| past_member_of = Toto
| website =
}}
David Hungate (born August 5, 1948) is an American retired bass guitarist noted as a member of the Los Angeles pop-rock band Toto from 1976 to 1982 and again from 2014 to 2015, and the son of judge William L. Hungate.{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p88631|pure_url=yes}}|title=Biography: David Hungate|last=Henderson|first=Alex|publisher=AMG|access-date=May 6, 2010}} Along with most of his Toto bandmates, Hungate did sessions on a number of hit albums of the 1970s, including Boz Scaggs's Silk Degrees album and Alice Cooper's From the Inside album.
Career
Hungate moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s to work as a session musician. It was through his session work where he met his future Toto bandmates including David Paich and Jeff Porcaro. They approached him about starting a band, and while Hungate was initially uninterested in working in a band full-time, he joined as the bassist, while, like the other members in the band, continuing to work as a session musician. He was said to be the one who came up with the name "Toto."
Hungate played on Toto's first four records, including the Grammy award-winning album Toto IV. He left the band shortly after its release for a career as a session musician in Nashville. He relocated to the city in 1981, as session work began to decline in L.A. and he and his wife didn't want to raise their family near Hollywood. He stated the distance from his bandmates in L.A., the age gap between him and the other members of Toto (he was around 6-9 years older), plus the long touring schedules away from his family, were the reasons for his departure. Hungate, who plays many instruments including guitar, trombone, trumpet, drums, and piano, has arranged, produced and recorded with several country artists such as Chet Atkins. He was also a primary member of AOR supergroup Mecca fronted by Joe Vana and Fergie Frederiksen, the latter also of Toto fame. In 1990 he released a solo album entitled Souvenir. Jeff Porcaro played drums on some of the tracks on the album. In 1995, Hungate also played bass on all the songs on Shania Twain's second album The Woman in Me.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sh-levpCt-IC&dq=david+hungate+shania+twain&pg=PA216|title=Shania Twain: The Biography|first=Robin|last=Eggar|date=June 15, 2010|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=9781451604542 |access-date=August 31, 2023|via=Google Books}}
{{as of|2014}}, he rejoined Toto in a touring capacity due to the departure of the touring bass player, Nathan East, who, like Leland Sklar during the band's previous tour in 2006/2007, filled in for bassist Mike Porcaro after he retired from touring due to an illness. At first, it was announced that he would retire after the 2014 tour, but he kept touring with Toto until 2015, when he retired from extensive tours.{{cite web|url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/steve-lukather-interview-2014/ |title=Steve Lukather Talks New Toto Album: 'I Think This Is Gonna Surprise People' |publisher=Ultimate Classic Rock|date=May 13, 2014 |access-date=2015-11-01}}{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/SteveLukather/posts/10153245748752862 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/14898882861/10153245748752862 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited|title=Toto announce European/Japan dates for 2016|website=Facebook |date=September 29, 2015|access-date=September 29, 2015}}{{cbignore}} He also played four tracks on the band's album Toto XIV.{{Cite web |date=March 3, 2015 |title=David Hungate: I'm so glad to be playing Toto music again! |url=http://www.stevelukather.com/news-articles/2015/03/david-hungate-im-so-glad-to-be-playing-toto-music-again!.aspx |access-date=2 December 2024 |website=Stevelukather.com|language=en}}
Other
{{BLP sources section|date=August 2022}}
Hungate attended Troy Buchanan High School in Troy, Missouri. Because he attended there, the band "Toto" gave the high school a signed record and now during parades the band plays the song "Hold the Line".
He attended the College of Music at North Texas State University. He played bass in their jazz ensemble, the One O'Clock Lab Band, including a performance at the 1970 Montreux Jazz Festival.Dr. Licks, Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The Life and Music of Legendary Bassist James Jamerson, pg. 157, Hal Leonard Corporation (1989)
He is the son of U.S. Congressman (and later Federal District Judge) William L. Hungate.
Discography
- Souvenir (1990) [reissued in 1994]
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://potc.giorgiosound.com/index.php?page=david%20hungate David Hungate featured page on the Party Of The Century international music project] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303011327/http://potc.giorgiosound.com/index.php?page=david%20hungate |date=March 3, 2012 }}
- [http://www.stevelukather.com/news-articles/2015/03/david-hungate-im-so-glad-to-be-playing-toto-music-again!.aspx David Hungate: I'm so glad to be playing Toto music again!]
{{Toto}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hungate, David}}
Category:American country bass guitarists
Category:American male bass guitarists
Category:American rock bass guitarists
Category:American session musicians
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)
Category:University of North Texas College of Music alumni
Category:American male guitarists
Category:20th-century American bass guitarists
Category:20th-century American male musicians