Dante David (July 16, 1955 – May 26, 2008) was a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

radio disc jockey. Better known by his stage name Howlin' Dave, he is credited with introducing Filipino radio listeners to Pinoy (Filipino) rock music in the early 1970s, and to new wave and punk rock in the 1980s. Howlin' Dave grew up in

Pasay Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, i ...

and dropped out of high school. While enrolled in a Fine Arts course at the

Philippine Women's University The Philippine Women's University (PWU) is a tertiary education school which has its main campus in Manila, Philippines. An institution exclusive for girls from its inception until the 1970s, the PWU admits both women and men as its students. ...

, he was hired as a radio announcer on DZRJ-AM in 1974. He adopted the name "Howlin' Dave" after the American blues singer Howlin' Wolf. He soon became the host of ''Pinoy Rock and Rhythm'', a weekend thirty-minute radio program that featured the then-nascent Pinoy rock music. The program was credited with popularizing such Filipino rock acts as the

Juan Dela Cruz Band The Juan de la Cruz Band was a Filipino rock group formed in 1968, that pioneered what became known as Pinoy rock. Founding guitarist Wally Gonzalez credited his fellow founding member, drummer Edmund Fortuno (a.k.a. "Bosyo"), with having intro ...

Asin Asin Thottumkal (born 26 October 1985), known mononymously as Asin, is a former Indian actress who appeared predominantly in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu films. She is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer. She has received three Filmfare Awards. She beg ...

and the singer

Sampaguita ''Jasminum sambac'' (Arabian jasmine or Sambac jasmine) is a species of jasmine native to tropical Asia, from the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia. It is cultivated in many places, especially West Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is ...

. Howlin' Dave himself became known for his trademark mangled grammar and syntax, his atypical on-air use of the

Tagalog language Tagalog (, ; ; '' Baybayin'': ) is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by the ethnic Tagalog people, who make up a quarter of the population of the Philippines, and as a second language by the majority. Its standardized form, ...

, and for his passionate and excitable delivery in his big booming voice. The drummer

Pepe Smith Joseph William Feliciano Smith (December 25, 1947 – January 28, 2019) was a Filipino-American singer-songwriter, drummer and guitarist. Known by his stage names Joey Smith and Pepe Smith, he gained prominence as drummer / lead vocalist of Spe ...

called him "the best rock DJ the Philippines ever had.” Howlin' Dave was also credited with introducing Filipino radio listeners to punk rock and new wave music beginning in the late 1970s, through his program ''New Wave Nights''. His choice to promote punk music was controversial among his fellow deejays and with his station, but his program developed a following, with spikey-haired teens soon showing up at the radio station, drinking gin and breaking bottles. Between 1980 and 1985, Howlin' Dave hosted the annual 'Brave New World' punk concert, which he closed with his take on Sid Vicious's version of " My Way". In the late 1980s, Howlin' Dave was diagnosed with a

brain tumor A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and seconda ...

, as well as several other health problems that left him house-bound for several years. In his later years, he hosted radio programs with DZRJ, ROCK 990, and NU 107. In 2001, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the NU Rock Awards. He died in May 2008, two days after collapsing at home following a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howlin Dave 1955 births 2008 deaths Filipino radio personalities People from Pasay Philippine Women's University alumni