David Alley: From Showco’s Earliest Days to a Life Behind the Music

David Alley was an early Showco principal whose musical background and business work connect the company’s Dallas beginnings with its growth into touring production. Billboard’s September 8, 1973 feature named Alley, Jack Calmes, Jack Maxson, and Rusty Brutsche as the four principals running Showco.

Before the touring sound company began in 1970, David sang and played trumpet in Soul Society, the Dallas band that also included Calmes on guitar and Brutsche on bass. Those musical friendships became part of the foundation on which Showco grew.

In his May 3, 2018 presentation, Jim Bornhorst recalled that David served as vice president of finance and helped find financial backing. His contribution complemented Calmes’s artist relationships and the engineering experience of Brutsche and Maxson: building a touring company required people who could support its business as well as its sound.

Explore David’s archive: Alumni Directory · Still in the Industry · Alumni Musicians

David’s career would extend far beyond Showco.

A musician himself, David was lead vocalist for the Showco-affiliated band Thunder before his career took him to Los Angeles and The Carpenters. In 1974, Karen Carpenter helped David secure a position as tour manager for the group, beginning a professional and deeply personal chapter that lasted through the decade. David and Karen were also romantically involved, and among the remarkable pieces of history he has preserved is a handmade Showco needlepoint created for him by Karen — still framed today.

David later served as personal manager to The Carpenters and continued working with Richard Carpenter before returning to Dallas and rejoining the Showco family. His later career included executive leadership with Vari-Lite, where he served as Executive Vice President of International Operations.

Music has remained part of David’s life, as has another longtime passion: photography. His work as a musician and photographer adds yet another dimension to a career spent both behind the scenes and creatively behind the lens.

From Showco’s beginnings to The Carpenters, Vari-Lite and beyond, David Alley represents an extraordinary thread running through several chapters of live-entertainment history — and through The Family Behind the Music™.

David online

Website · Facebook · Instagram · LinkedIn · YouTube · Viberate · David Alley Photography · David Wayne Alley on ReverbNation