Dave Gunning is a Canadian folk singer-songwriter born in Pictou County, Nova Scotia. Gunning credits the first live concert he ever observed, a 1981 double bill of John Allan Cameron and Stan Rogers, to be a major driving force in shaping the direction his life would take as a musician.
That show changed my life. I would not be writing and playing folk music if not for seeing that concert and every other John Allan performance in Pictou County.
Over the span of his career, Gunning has released thirteen albums, received a Juno Award nomination and has been awarded two Canadian Folk Music Awards and recognized with eight East Coast Music Awards.
He is known for the incorporation of story telling into his live show. In particular, Gunning relates anecdotes of notable characters from Pictou County and performs impressions of musicians that he has worked with over the years.
The track "A Game Goin' On" from Gunning's album No More Pennies was submitted to the Great Canadian Song Quest (2013 edition: Hockey Night In Canada Song Quest). The song was named as a top 10 finalist of the contest. On January 1, 2014, during the NHL Winter Classic "A Game Goin' On" was announced as the winner.