And as he gets ready for his big day, here are 9 photos from the Echo archives to trigger some memories.
He surprised shoppers in the Bridges with a live performance in 1990 and was pictured in the same year during a filming session at Marsden Grotto.
He was also pictured as he took a musical masterclass at Sunderland University in 1994, at Seaburn in 2005 and outside the Empire in 2017.
So here’s an early happy birthday Dave! Let’s re-live the memories.
He surprised shoppers in the Bridges with a live performance in 1990 and was pictured in the same year during a filming session at Marsden Grotto.
3 / 3