Dave King (Irish singer)

Dave King
Dave King and his wife, Bridget Regan, performing with Flogging Molly in 2010
Background information
Born	(1961-12-11) 11 December 1961 (age 55)
Origin	Dublin, Ireland
Genres	Punk, Celtic punk, Oi!, Hard rock, Heavy metal
Occupation(s)	Singer, guitarist, writer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bodhrán, banjo, spoons

Dave King (born 11 December 1961) is an Irish vocalist, primary writer and lyricist for the band Flogging Molly. He was previously well known as the lead singer for the 1980s hard rock band Fastway.

King grew up in a small two-room flat in a Beggars Bush, Dublin tenement that had once been a British military barracks. When he was around the age of six or seven his parents bought him a guitar. King remembers being called inside by his mother to watch David Bowie perform "Starman" on television, which he cites as one of many influences along with Luke Kelly, Joe Strummer, Johnny Cash, and Freddie Mercury to name a few. King's father died when he was 10 years old. He left Dublin in his twenties, briefly residing in London and then on to Los Angeles where he first joined Fastway and later formed Flogging Molly with Ted Hutt, Jeff Peters, and Bridget Regan.

After emigrating to the United States, he was without a "green card" for eight years. King was not able to visit his home or family in Ireland during this time for fear that immigration laws would prevent his return to the United States. This separation from his homeland and his mother is thought to be a contributing factor in many of Flogging Molly's early song lyrics, with many of the songs alluding to King's time in "exile".

Dave King started out as the vocalist for Fastway, a 1980s hard rock band, featuring guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke of the metal band Motörhead, Pete Way (bassist of UFO), and Jerry Shirley (drummer of Humble Pie), although Way left before the release of the first album, and he did not appear on the album cover. They recorded their first four records with King on vocals, as well as a live record.