Biography

After growing up and playing in the burgeoning country music scene of Branson, Missouri, Dale went to Texas to more thoroughly pursue his musical interests, attending college at University of North Texas and eventually moving to Dallas to play with a variety of acts ranging from singer/songwriters to contemporary gospel to reggae.          

In the fall of 1993 Dale began performing and recording with Sixpence None The Richer, a group from Austin, Texas and in December of 1996 moved to Nashville with the band. Sixpence was named "#1 Breakthrough Artist" for 1999 in the CHR/ POP, Hot AC and AC radio formats by Radio & Records (R&R) magazine. Their self-titled album was RIAA certified Platinum and was twice nominated for a GRAMMY in 1998 and again in 1999. Their song "Kiss Me" was the #1 most played song in over 11 countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, and Israel, among others and topped VH 1’s “Video Countdown.” The song was also nominated for a GRAMMY, appeared on sitcoms and soaps and most notably was played for over 200 million viewers at Prince Edward’s 1999 wedding. In addition, "Kiss Me" was the #1 movie soundtrack single for 1999, according to Billboard magazine.

Dale's drumming can also be heard on Sixpence's follow-up single, "There She Goes," which became the #28 most played song of 2000 on the combined Billboard Modern AC and Adult Top 40 chart and the #39 most played song of 2000 on Billboard's AC chart. In 2002 his playing with Sixpence was heard on the WB network shows Birds of Prey and the season finale of Felicity.

In 2003 Sixpence released Divine Discontent, and Dale's playing is featured prominently on that recording as well, including the Top 20 hit, “Breathe Your Name.” Another song from Divine Discontent - "I've Been Waiting" (with Dale on drums)- was featured in the Gwyneth Paltrow/ Miramax comedy "A View from the Top" as well as on the soundtrack released by Curb Records. Dale's drumming can also be heard in the Paramount movie and on the Virgin soundtrack "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," starrring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson.  Dale's playing appears on Sixpence's final releases ("The Early Years," and "The Best of..."), on television commercials (Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo), promotional materials for Proctor and Gamble (Fresh Clean Beats) and the popular WB series, 7th Heaven.

In the past ten years, Dale has been privileged to play, record and appear with a diverse range of artists and songwriters, including Stewart Copeland (She’s All That movie soundtrack), Natalie Imbruglia (Demos), Jars of Clay (Demo), Michael W. Smith (Exodus compilation), Emmylou Harris (Roaring Lambs compilation), and The Rolling Creek Dippers (comprised of Buddy and Julie Miller, Mark Olsen, Victoria Williams, and Jim Lauderdale) for the compilation, Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons. He has recorded for labels such as Mammoth, Virgin, Almo Sounds, Elektra, Epic, Sony, RCA and played on jingles and commercial projects for Southwest Airlines, Pepsi, and Scholastic Books. He's also performed on numerous television and radio shows in the United States, Europe and Japan, including Late Show with David Letterman (CBS), The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC), Late Night with Conan O' Brien (NBC), and Top of the Pops (BBC).

Dale has appeared on recordings by emerging and established regional singer/ songwriters such as Judd and Maggie (Maryland), Claire Holley (Southern California), Over the Rhine, Dave Potts (Southern Alabama), Steven Jackson (Middle Tennesee), Anna Hutto (Georgia), Karl Ruch, Sam Hensley, Spencer-Acuff (North Carolina), Drew Kennedy (South Texas), Kim Taylor (Ohio/ Northern Kentucky), The Basics (Northern California and North Carolina) and ByWord (Idaho).

Most recently, Dale has toured and recorded with modern worship band Mali, performed at conferences with worship leader Nathan Fancher, appeared on critically acclaimed independent recordings by The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers and Daniel Hart’s (The Polyphonic Spree, Go Machine) project, The Physics of Meaning.  He teaches private drum lessons and plays drums at Chapel Hill Bible Church and Hope Creek Church on the occasional weekend. 

You can find Dale on the web at: http://www.dalebakerdrummer.com.