Dave Catney

From the age of five, Dave Catney taught himself to play piano entirely by ear. Throughout his school years, his instrumental training covered clarinet, tuba, electric bass, and piano. Once he completed high school, he enrolled as a music major at the University of North Texas and later took private piano lessons in New York with Richie Beirach, Joanne Brackeen, and Hal Galper. Catney composed original works that appeared in the film And the Band Played On as well as on television. He also owned and operated Cezanne, a popular jazz nightclub in Houston. After signing with Justice Records in Houston in 1990, he completed three albums before his death from AIDS in 1994. In addition, he supplied an original track featuring vocalist Sandra Dudley to Last Night When We Were Young: The Ballad Album, an AIDS education benefit project produced by pianist Fred Hersch.