David "Microwave Dave" Gallaher

04/25/1946 - 02/06/2026

Renowned and truly revered blues-man, Microwave Dave–whose guitar artistry delighted myriad fans for 65 years, and wowed aficionados such as Greg Allman, the faculty at Berklee School of Music, and novelist and music critic, Stephen King–died February 6, at his home in Huntsville, Alabama. He was 79.
Born April 25, 1946, in Chicago, Dave moved as a toddler to Texas. When he was in tenth grade, his family relocated to Atlanta and Dave got to join his first band. The "Cavaliers" developed a Beatles tribute act stupendous enough to have them invited to perform with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. From that moment onwards, music was always in Dave's life. In 1965, his band "Majestics" performed regularly at the Royal Peacock Lounge in Atlanta, a club that hosted the likes of Aretha Franklin, James Brown and Little Richard.
While serving in the Air Force, at the Tan Son Nhut Air Base in Saigon, Dave performed at officer clubs and nightclubs as a member of "Rotations." While completing his military service at Langley Air Force Base, he played with the band "Empacts". Next, Dave headed north to attend the Berklee School of Music. He later joined "Cameron Company",a band he followed to Miami, Florida. "Cameron" appeared with groups such as "Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show", and "Blood, Sweat and Tears." In 1974, "Cameron" came to Huntsville, Alabama, performing at the Monte Sano Amphitheater and at The Plush Horse. Dave discovered he loved the city. In 1982 he made it his home. For the next few years, he was a member of "Delta" and then "The Thrasher Brothers."
"Microwave Dave and The Nukes" was formed in 1989. Dave played guitar, coronet and harmonica. Fellow founding member Rick Godfrey remains the bass guitarist. The drummer of the past many years is musical phenom, James Irvin. "Microwave Dave and the Nukes" delighted audiences in local cafes and bars, restaurants, concert halls, hotel lobbies, and blues dives. Beginning in 1993, the band was a featured act at the W.C. Handy Festival. It appeared year after year at a car show, a fishing tournament, and a motorcycle rally. It performed annually eight times for Huntsville's Big Spring Jam. Dave and the Nukes were a yearly presence at one of the country's largest, open air, arts festivals - Panoply.
Dave and his band accepted any and all work. On one weekend, "Microwave Dave and the Nukes" opened for Buddy Guy, playing for an audience of 60,000. The next night they set up in a living room and played for 20 people at a family wedding. Dave told friends that he never measured success in terms of profits, record sales or audience headcount. "What matters to me is that we get repeat bookings, year after year. That tells me we are playing well." It was this indifference to fame and this commitment to excellence that made Dave a kind of patron saint to music lovers throughout the region.
For 37 years, Dave hosted the program, "Talkin' the Blues" on Huntsville's public radio stations, WLRH and WJAB. Week by week, he made a gift of his time and expertise by going out to the radio station to record the show.
In 2015, Tommy Battle, mayor of Huntsville, Alabama proclaimed June 28th to be in perpetuity, Microwave Dave Day, honoring not only his breathtaking virtuosity on the frets, but also his profoundly generous nature. The nonprofit, Microwave Dave Music Education Foundation, works to have live music incorporated into the schools of North Alabama. This mission had special meaning for Dave. When he was an elementary school student, a Dixieland band trooped into the auditorium and lit up his life.
In addition to performing with the Nukes, Dave regularly played solo gigs at such places as: The Kaffeeklatch (1992-2004), The Jazz Factory (1997-2009), the Flying Monkey/Lowe Mill Cigar Box Guitar Festival (2004-2020), Bandito's South Side Cantina (2009-2016), The Lumberyard (2016-2020). From the summer of 2020 until the week before he died, Dave played at the Nook.
For ten years, Dave performed with classical guitarist Phil Weaver. "Classical Blues Cabaret" was the first act ever to perform at Three Caves in Huntsville, launching the concert series that raises funds for the Huntsville Land Trust.
But "Microwave Dave and the Nukes" was Dave's ongoing passion. In 1995, Dave's home answering machine informed him that one of his band's songs had become famous in France. Their rendition of Bo Diddley's "I'm a Roadrunner, Baby" was being used as the anthem for the premier soccer team, Paris St. Germain. Dave and his band made four European concert tours that year, playing at clubs, cafes and Euro Disney.
And just how did a French blues enthusiast learn of the band's captivating interpretation of Bo Diddley's and pass it along to a soccer team? Dave and the band had an extensive discography. They published cassette tapes and CDs of their work. Some were produced by Johnny Sandlin, some by Dave's brother, Tom Gallaher.
Dave was preceded in death by his parents, Tom and Barbara Gallaher, and by his sister, Gail. Dave leaves behind his daughter and three grandsons, his brother, Tom, and his beloved niece Kyle. He also leaves behind his spiritual family–his brothers and sisters at The Episcopal Church of the Nativity in Huntsville. Nativity provided sustenance for Dave's soul, and a Sunday/Wednesday steadiness to his odd ball work week. He was long in the habit of stopping by that sacred space alone, after a late-night gig.
There will be a funeral service for Dave at 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 28, 2026, at The Episcopal Church of the Nativity. Sometime in the near future, there will be a Microwave Dave "Graduation Day" at which "Dave devotees: throughout the region will be able to honor his life and legacy.
The Dixieland band that marched into his elementary school introduced Dave to the astonishing idea that some people grew up to be professional musicians. A few years later, Dave's prodigious talent earned him a spotlight on a variety of stages. But his decision to devote his entire life to being a full time, working musician occurred in Viet Nam. "Our jeep chanced into the middle of a firefight. I dove for cover. As the bullets flew, I made a vow: if I survive this war, I am going to do what I love, and what I love is making music. And music is not going to be a hobby or a side hustle. It's going to be entirely who I am."
Some foxhole resolutions fade as soon as the gunfire does, but Dave remained true to his vow for the balance of his life. Doing so meant living frugally, but simplicity came naturally to someone whose own patron saint was Francis of Assisi. Microwave Dave, in his signature overalls and newsboy cap, whether in front of an audience of twenty, or twenty thousand, always partook of the mystery of the blues: how is it that a lament gladdens the heart? Why do sorrows sweeten with the telling?