Musical escape: Priceville man composing and arranging music for Grammy winners, movies and more

By Catherine Godbey  

For the Enquirer  

Framed photographs of Grammy Award winners and platinum record holders fill the bathroom in David Vest’s Priceville studio. The photographs represent a small portion of the artists and musicians the multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer has worked with the past three decades. 

“I feel so blessed to do this for a living. I don’t take a single second of it for granted. There are times I sit and look at who I’m playing behind or sitting beside in the studio and think, ‘I don’t even know how I got here.’ But I know God orchestrated it,” the 54-year-old Vest said. 

During his career, Vest has worked with Grammy Award winners Bob Carlisle, Randy Thomas and Tom Hemby, actress Lindsey Lohan and Tony Award winner Daisey Eagan, and toured with Natalie Grant, Danny Gokey, Steven Curtis Chapman, Mercy Me, Charlie Daniels, The Gaither Vocal Band and more. 

Recently, Vest composed music for the pilot of a sitcom filmed in Texas and is creating the score for a film with Leigh-Allyn Baker, the mom from Disney’s “Good Luck Charlie.” He also produced “Pray for Jerusalem,” a song by Charles Billingsley and Bob Carlisle, which was released Oct. 20. 

“I am so fortunate. I am amazed when I sit back and think about all the work I have done. I would have never dreamed my life would become this,” Vest said. 

The youngest of seven children, Vest, who grew up in Hartselle and graduated from Brewer High, found an escape in music. 

“We were dirt poor. I had a really tough and really hard life. But all of us did the best we could,” Vest said. “I feel so lucky I found music.” 

Vest’s musical journey began at the age of 3 when his brother, a drummer, got him a snare drum. 

“I drove everybody in the house crazy because I played it all the time,” Vest said. “Eventually, I got a drum kit. From there, I started playing in bands and became a hired gun because I picked up on things quick.” 

Along with the drums, Vest, who plays by ear and reads music, learned how to play the bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, organ, mandolin, stand-up bass, harp, banjo, dulcimer, lyre and violin. 

After graduating from high school, Vest became a professional musician and started performing on sessions in Nashville. His transition from a professional musician to production happened unexpectedly. 

“I set out to be a musician. But when you get hired to play on sessions, part of the process of tracking is putting your input in. I began arranging for a few different people and writing charts on sessions,” Vest said. “Now my passion is producing artists and developing who they are as musicians, singers and songwriters. I just want to help them along on their journey.” 

To learn about producing, Vest found a mentor in Nashville producer and composer Michael Demus. 

“One of the first things he told me was, ‘Forget everything you think you know and I’m going to show you how the old boys do it.’ If you didn’t know his heart, that might sound arrogant. But it wasn’t. He was trying to help me learn,” Vest said. “For the longest time, I had a picture of him on my desktop. When I thought I was done with a mix, I would click on his picture and I could hear him say, ‘Are you sure you’re done?’” 

Along with Demus, Vest found inspiration from Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. 

“That guy was a genius. So was Prince and Freddie Mercury. All those guys had a huge impact on me,” Vest said. “Look at what Brian Wilson did on a four-track machine with no technology. What he did will never be able to be replicated.” 

In 1996, Vest founded the production company E320 on Modaus Road. Two decades ago, he moved his studio to his home on the edge of Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. 

“Originally, I thought you had to go somewhere and relocate in order to succeed in this business. The majority of time it’s true. When people want to make it in country music, most of the time, they’re going to make the move to Nashville. For what I want to do with production, though, I don’t have to go anywhere,” Vest said. 

Vest named the studio after Ephesians 3:20, which says, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” 

“It’s my life verse. I know it is because of God that I have been able to work with the people I have worked with,” Vest said. “God has opened more doors for me than I could have ever imagined.” 

Vest spends time in the studio, which sits next to his home, every single day. The building features 18-inch walls separating the tracking room from the control room, two vocal booths, a full kitchen, a murphy bed with music notes as handles and a sound mixer with 64 inputs. 

“Technology has made everything so much easier. Used to be we had those big tape machines and I’d spend a lot of time with a razor blade fixing to make an edit on a tape and going, ‘Are you sure because I’m about to cut this.’ What used to take me half a day now takes me seconds,” Vest said. 

Along with producing for nationally-known musicians, Vest works with local artists. One of his current goals is to “bring back the Alabama sound.” 

“I believe there is something about that river, something about this red dirt and something about the people in this state. The talent pool here is unbelievable,” Vest said. “A few years ago, I embarked on this journey of bringing back the Alabama sound and have a core group of artists I’m working with to accomplish that.” 

Those artists include soul husband-and-wife duo Justin and Tab, Christian artist Emory Berry, folk singer Tim Chandler, Southern rock musician Jesse Priest and more. 

“Really, everything started with Jesse. One night I was watching Retro Couch on YouTube and was listening to him sing. The production wasn’t great, it was pretty raw, but the musicianship was amazing. I had no idea who he was at the time,” Vest said. “About a week later, I learned he was from Cullman. It immediately became clear to me that Jesse Priest would play a big role in bringing back the Alabama sound.” 

Some of Vest’s other projects include creating music for an Armor All commercial, recording the Alabama A&M gospel choir, producing a new record for Charley Cain, the father of the Christian trio CAIN, scoring the film “Dark Matters” for Morgan County native Brandon McLemore and producing music for the Decatur-based studio Brainy Pixel’s animated series “Cubekins.” 

“We’ve worked with David on several projects and we’ve always loved working with him. David is super talented, so easy to work with and an amazing creative collaborator,” said Brannon Hollingsworth, creative director for Brainy Pixel. 

Vest treasures every single day he spends in the studio. 

“People aske me, ‘What’s the biggest thing you ever worked on?’ The answer is always the same. It’s what I’m working on at the moment. I feel very blessed to work with each and every musician that steps into this studio. Music is a universal language that crosses barriers and crosses cultures. I believe the songs in people’s hearts need to be heard. I just feel fortunate to help get those songs heard.” 

By Catherine Godbey  

For the Enquirer  

Framed photographs of Grammy Award winners and platinum record holders fill the bathroom in David Vest’s Priceville studio. The photographs represent a small portion of the artists and musicians the multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer has worked with the past three decades. 

“I feel so blessed to do this for a living. I don’t take a single second of it for granted. There are times I sit and look at who I’m playing behind or sitting beside in the studio and think, ‘I don’t even know how I got here.’ But I know God orchestrated it,” the 54-year-old Vest said. 

During his career, Vest has worked with Grammy Award winners Bob Carlisle, Randy Thomas and Tom Hemby, actress Lindsey Lohan and Tony Award winner Daisey Eagan, and toured with Natalie Grant, Danny Gokey, Steven Curtis Chapman, Mercy Me, Charlie Daniels, The Gaither Vocal Band and more. 

Recently, Vest composed music for the pilot of a sitcom filmed in Texas and is creating the score for a film with Leigh-Allyn Baker, the mom from Disney’s “Good Luck Charlie.” He also produced “Pray for Jerusalem,” a song by Charles Billingsley and Bob Carlisle, which was released Oct. 20. 

“I am so fortunate. I am amazed when I sit back and think about all the work I have done. I would have never dreamed my life would become this,” Vest said. 

The youngest of seven children, Vest, who grew up in Hartselle and graduated from Brewer High, found an escape in music. 

“We were dirt poor. I had a really tough and really hard life. But all of us did the best we could,” Vest said. “I feel so lucky I found music.” 

Vest’s musical journey began at the age of 3 when his brother, a drummer, got him a snare drum. 

“I drove everybody in the house crazy because I played it all the time,” Vest said. “Eventually, I got a drum kit. From there, I started playing in bands and became a hired gun because I picked up on things quick.” 

Along with the drums, Vest, who plays by ear and reads music, learned how to play the bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, organ, mandolin, stand-up bass, harp, banjo, dulcimer, lyre and violin. 

After graduating from high school, Vest became a professional musician and started performing on sessions in Nashville. His transition from a professional musician to production happened unexpectedly. 

“I set out to be a musician. But when you get hired to play on sessions, part of the process of tracking is putting your input in. I began arranging for a few different people and writing charts on sessions,” Vest said. “Now my passion is producing artists and developing who they are as musicians, singers and songwriters. I just want to help them along on their journey.” 

To learn about producing, Vest found a mentor in Nashville producer and composer Michael Demus. 

“One of the first things he told me was, ‘Forget everything you think you know and I’m going to show you how the old boys do it.’ If you didn’t know his heart, that might sound arrogant. But it wasn’t. He was trying to help me learn,” Vest said. “For the longest time, I had a picture of him on my desktop. When I thought I was done with a mix, I would click on his picture and I could hear him say, ‘Are you sure you’re done?’” 

Along with Demus, Vest found inspiration from Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. 

“That guy was a genius. So was Prince and Freddie Mercury. All those guys had a huge impact on me,” Vest said. “Look at what Brian Wilson did on a four-track machine with no technology. What he did will never be able to be replicated.” 

In 1996, Vest founded the production company E320 on Modaus Road. Two decades ago, he moved his studio to his home on the edge of Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. 

“Originally, I thought you had to go somewhere and relocate in order to succeed in this business. The majority of time it’s true. When people want to make it in country music, most of the time, they’re going to make the move to Nashville. For what I want to do with production, though, I don’t have to go anywhere,” Vest said. 

Vest named the studio after Ephesians 3:20, which says, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” 

“It’s my life verse. I know it is because of God that I have been able to work with the people I have worked with,” Vest said. “God has opened more doors for me than I could have ever imagined.” 

Vest spends time in the studio, which sits next to his home, every single day. The building features 18-inch walls separating the tracking room from the control room, two vocal booths, a full kitchen, a murphy bed with music notes as handles and a sound mixer with 64 inputs. 

“Technology has made everything so much easier. Used to be we had those big tape machines and I’d spend a lot of time with a razor blade fixing to make an edit on a tape and going, ‘Are you sure because I’m about to cut this.’ What used to take me half a day now takes me seconds,” Vest said. 

Along with producing for nationally-known musicians, Vest works with local artists. One of his current goals is to “bring back the Alabama sound.” 

“I believe there is something about that river, something about this red dirt and something about the people in this state. The talent pool here is unbelievable,” Vest said. “A few years ago, I embarked on this journey of bringing back the Alabama sound and have a core group of artists I’m working with to accomplish that.” 

Those artists include soul husband-and-wife duo Justin and Tab, Christian artist Emory Berry, folk singer Tim Chandler, Southern rock musician Jesse Priest and more. 

“Really, everything started with Jesse. One night I was watching Retro Couch on YouTube and was listening to him sing. The production wasn’t great, it was pretty raw, but the musicianship was amazing. I had no idea who he was at the time,” Vest said. “About a week later, I learned he was from Cullman. It immediately became clear to me that Jesse Priest would play a big role in bringing back the Alabama sound.” 

Some of Vest’s other projects include creating music for an Armor All commercial, recording the Alabama A&M gospel choir, producing a new record for Charley Cain, the father of the Christian trio CAIN, scoring the film “Dark Matters” for Morgan County native Brandon McLemore and producing music for the Decatur-based studio Brainy Pixel’s animated series “Cubekins.” 

“We’ve worked with David on several projects and we’ve always loved working with him. David is super talented, so easy to work with and an amazing creative collaborator,” said Brannon Hollingsworth, creative director for Brainy Pixel. 

Vest treasures every single day he spends in the studio. 

“People aske me, ‘What’s the biggest thing you ever worked on?’ The answer is always the same. It’s what I’m working on at the moment. I feel very blessed to work with each and every musician that steps into this studio. Music is a universal language that crosses barriers and crosses cultures. I believe the songs in people’s hearts need to be heard. I just feel fortunate to help get those songs heard.”