From David to Crowder
“I grew up out where the ditches were. You could find a culvert and tie bacon on a string and catch crawdads. We had horses and cows. On Saturdays my brother and I would work with my dad on rental properties. I helped roof my house. I rode my bike to school and had a chain to lock it to the bike rack.”
“We lived on Sleepy Hollow and there was a patch of woods behind it that all of us kids thought we owned. When we first moved there, I met three guys up in a treehouse and they told me they’d teach me how to be a ninja. (I never became a ninja.)”
“My next-door neighbor was Brad Johnson and one of the best nights of my life was sleeping in a tent in his backyard and hearing Bryan Adams “Summer of ’69” with a fire burning that we made. It was awesome. We were living. There were so many friends that were in the neighborhood, and if we weren’t in the woods shooting BB guns or throwing dirt clods, we were in someone’s front yard playing football until whoever owned the football got mad and took their Nerf ball home, game over.”
Above is a familiar story with similarities to which most kids who grew up in this area during the 80s and 90s can relate—a childhood filled with the simple, charming things that make Texarkana’s Generation X long for the good ol’ days. But this particular story belongs to five-time Grammy nominated, 13-time Dove Award-winning artist, David Crowder. His life beyond these backwoods and crawdad holes has taken twists and turns he never expected, and his impact and career have touched countless fans worldwide.
Trucker hats and a beard that rivals those of ZZ Top members are his trademarks. However, his musical style is a little harder to pin down. From album to album, his music shifts and evolves, surprising listeners and drawing in people with a variety of preferences. Simple Wikipedia and Google searches reveal the genre-busting labels of his work as “Christian rock,” “worship,” “bluegrass,” “alternative,” “folktronica,” and “swamp-pop.” The thing that is consistent, though, is the message. “I feel like I’m redundant in my lyricism,” he said. “I keep singing, over and over—no one is too far gone, grace is expansive, and the gospel is not about making bad people good, it’s about making dead people alive.”
So much has been written about Crowder, and his career is well known. But what about David? Who was that guy? How did he become the artist he is today from the little boy and teenager who left Texarkana headed for Baylor University where his seemingly providential career began?
“Church was a huge part of social life,” he said. “We went to First Baptist Church (FBC) way back in the early days when it was downtown. The best Sundays were the ones we hit up Bryce’s Cafeteria after. My eyes were always bigger than my stomach.”
“My dad helped with the bus ministry at the church. So, we’d be up way too early to drive the bus first to Borden’s to pick up a crate of chocolate milk, and then swing by Shipley’s to get donuts before making the route to pick up folks who didn’t have a ride to church. That bus was WILD. I thought my dad was the coolest dude on the planet.”
It is early childhood memories like these that firmly establish David’s parents, Marian and Dan Crowder, as the greatest influences of his life. “They’re amazing,” David said. “They were very much involved and active in all my extracurricular [activities]. Dad was our soccer coach. Our team was The Challengers. Our rivals were The Razorbacks. I think we won more than they did. In sixth grade, I got interested in running. The first road race I ran, Run for Hearts, started at Spring Lake Park and went to Northridge Country Club and back. On Saturdays, Mom would drive me to road races all over the Ark-La-Tex, the Chariots of Fire cassette on blast, obviously.”
David met his wife Toni when he was a senior at Pleasant Grove High School. It may be rare to find true love at such a young age, but sometimes it really is love at first sight. “I was sitting in Mrs. Davis’ food and nutrition class (that was a legit class), and the door to the classroom was open. This girl walked by wearing a green sweater and a blue-jean mini skirt and that was it.” David recalls. “I asked the guy sitting next to me, ‘Who is that?’ He told me, ‘Toni Brine.’ Turns out, one of my best friends, Bryan Poe, was dating one of her best friends, Robin Cope. There was a Valentine’s banquet at the church, and I worked up the nerve to ask her to go. I borrowed a friend’s car because I didn’t have one. It was a Toyota Celica, and I felt so cool picking her up in it. I guess it worked because we had a second date. That was a hayride to a campfire, and we kissed. It was awesome.”
David unknowingly began his music career way back in the early days with the piano lessons his mother insisted he take. “I grew up playing piano, mom taking me to lessons. I hated it.” But he admits, “Mom always knows best.” It wasn’t until college David began learning to play the guitar. “Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, Widespread Panic—these were the college type bands popping. It was a great time to be learning how to play guitar. I still consider my primary instrument piano (thanks mom), but I now poke at anything with strings. If you can string it up, I’ll give it a go.”
With David’s developing musical prowess, what better place to debut his skills than to the youth group of FBC? They became the perfect first audience for this someday star who would eventually play for thousands. “I have always loved music, but it was our youth director at FBC, Dan Carson, who gave me an outlet for it. I was horrible but he would let me fail in front of my peers on the weekly,” David said.
“David was a joy to have in our youth group at FBC,” said Carson. “He was in the youth band, on keyboard. He was kind to everybody and respected as a Christian. We loved his family. They were huge supporters of our youth ministry. When he graduated from high school, he traveled with me for a couple of summers doing camps. He really began to grow as a musician. He went off to Baylor, and God really blessed his talents. We have been so proud of the success he has had. I drop his name everywhere I go.” Carson bragged. “I am amazed every time he comes out with a new record or every time we get to hear him live. He is our favorite artist for sure. So proud of him and Toni. She deserves a lot of credit for his success.”
Though obvious now to his fans, that success came as a total surprise to David. There is a scripture in Proverbs 16:9 that says, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” David’s life seems to be a picture-perfect example of this truth playing out. What an incredible thing it is when a person stumbles upon a path that has been divinely cleared.
“I never considered [music] as a real career option,” he said, “nor would anyone else who heard me back then. What I wanted to do was work for my dad. He had Dan Crowder Insurance Agency right on Richmond Road. As previously stated, I thought he was the coolest. I was giving car quotes at age 11.”
“My junior year of college, at Baylor University, a friend of mine started a church and asked me to help with the music.” Answering that call marked David’s first steps toward becoming Crowder. “I got into this because I wanted to be useful. It’s that simple. I do not think of myself as an artist or musician, I think of myself as useful and helpful. You wouldn’t ask me to bring the casserole dish on Wednesday nights, but I can help with the music on a Sunday morning.” And as simple as it sounds, that’s exactly what happened. “At some point I called home and said, ‘Dad, looks like it’ll be a while.’ He’s since sold the business, so I have nothing to fall back on.”
Today, Crowder’s accomplishments include a long list of successful albums, impressive awards, world tours, sold-out first-class venues, and a happy marriage to his high school sweetheart, Toni. That boy who left Texarkana as David became Crowder by the hand of God, and the depths and scope of his ministry may still be untapped. But his advice remains simple—“Give yourself fully to where you are right now. You bloom where you’re planted, so sink roots in, take from the soil, give it right back, and hopefully flourish. Wherever you are, whoever is in front of you, love well and appreciate it. It’s trite to say, but every breath is a gift and I think gratitude is not to be underestimated.”
What is your favorite song that you have written and/or recorded?
“Stars”—that’s the name of the song. I wrote it on the front porch swing of our house in Waco, Texas. It’s one of those songs that just falls out altogether. It was a moment, and it still means a lot to me.
Do you have a dream venue where you would like to play?
The Sphere. I can’t afford it.
Besides your music, what are the top three most listened to songs on your daily playlist?
I just looked… “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish—
or anything by Post Malone or Brandon Lake, apparently.
If you had to choose a theme song for your life, what would it be?
“Eye of the Tiger” or “Happy Birthday”—that’s the only song that comes with cake.
Are there any other instruments besides the ones you already play that you would still like to learn?
Looking back, I remember that in elementary school, you could take an elective class that was band. They asked, “What instrument do you want to play?” I said trombone because I didn’t understand how it worked. I thought it was a sword-swallowing trick—it looked like magic. Eventually, I got first chair. I was terrible. If there is an instrument I would still like to learn, it would be the trombone because it didn’t stick.
If you were not a singer/songwriter, what else can you imagine yourself doing?
Insurance agent
Do you have a favorite scripture or other motto you live by?
Luke 24:42
Click the album cover to listen.
Click the album cover to listen.
