Unless you were entrenched in the central Texas music scene between the early 70s through the mid 2010's, there's a good chance you've never heard of David Zychek. Z as David was often referred to was a six string maestro. Every bit as good as Eddie Van Halen and Jimi Hendrix. But, he toiled on the fringe. He bounced around and would flirt with mainstream success or superstar level recognition. Things never seemed to line up just right to send David Zychek into the next realm. All who saw him play were believers. Not enough people saw him play. And if the right person saw him play, sometimes cosmic circumstances, sometimes self inflicted, would derail the guitar freight train cosmos.
A new documentary called Z: The Story of David Zychek is premiering next week in Waco at The Hippodrome Theater. It tells Z's story from cradle to near fame and beyond.
David Zychek was born David Zajicek in Biloxi, MS in the early 1950s and had blues in his soul from the start. He just didn't know it yet. A move to the Houston area coincided with the birth of rock n' roll music. As with most kids of his generation, he became enamored and obsessed with rock n' roll music. His God fearing parents tried to dissuade him and only relented to buying him an electric guitar if he promised to focus on church music. David took that agreement, knowing full well he would be learning all the Chuck Berry and Bo Didley licks he could figure out. He didn't just figure those early rock riffs out, he improved upon them. High school garage bands led to playing at dances, parties, patios and anywhere that would let The Novas as they were called set their gear up.
Just as David was becoming a local, teenage rock star his family uprooted and moved from H-Town to the tiny central Texas hamlet known as Buckholts. A road map dot in Milam County hours away from anything cool. Let alone the music scene Z had been a part of in the big city. Music took a back seat to small town football and agriculture. But, the fire inside David Zychek only burned brighter.
Pretty much right after he graduated from high school, Zychek hit the open road. Chasing gigs, musically similar minds and good times. He began playing all over Texas. Making a name for himself in Austin and Dallas and all points in between alongside a fellow guitar slinger named Stevie Ray Vaughan. The road took Z to Denver, Colorado where after some fits and starts he landed in a project called Head First. Head First were the real deal. As you watch the documentary, you see music legends such as Ted Nugent, Brett Tuggle (Fleetwood Mac) and Vic Johnson (Sammy Hagar) rave about Zychek's abilities. Tuggle toured with Steve Vai, Steve Lukather, and Lindsey Buckingham among others. He had seen every big name you can imagine. And he always claimed that David Zychek was the best of them all. Head First morphed into a band called Airborne. Airborne made a record in LA, had a major label deal, managed by Irving Azoff (Eagles, REO Speedwagon) and were primed for the big time. Yet, like so many tales before...it went nowhere. Champions at the label left. Radio didn't latch on. The company used them as a tax write off. The LA studio producers and musicians took note though and for the next few decades anytime they needed an ace part nailed vocally or with a guitar, David Zychek was their first call. Airborne would linger on for years in one way or another. An enigma, much like their lead guitar player. The kind of thing that only super connected insiders and guitar slingers knew about..
Before long, David Zychek was back in Texas playing his honey hole gigs. And packing the place out with his new iteration, a power trio called Groove Kings. The Groove Kings caused such a ruckus that ZZ Top's Lone Wolf management wanted to, in essence, make them the next ZZ Top. A trio from Texas that could get down like no other. They called David with the offer to open up the tour and take Groove Kings next level. David didn't receive the call, got the message and never returned the call for reasons that may never be fully understood. Opportunity knocked and he ignored it. Content to play live and find his success with the live audience of dancehalls and beer joints from Amarillo to Corpus Christi.
Groove Kings became such a massive Texas draw that they could sell out anywhere they went. This was the 1980s and they were the kings of the state. The baddest dudes around. Night Ranger noticed. They had a need for a utility player. An album and a tour followed. For once, David Zychek answered. He'd play the piano intro to "Sister Christian" and then wail on his electric guitar for the outro. At the conclusion of the tour, Z quietly walked away from the private jet/tour bus life and straight back to the van. He began looping through the Chelsea Street Pub chain in whatever form he felt like. Band, trio, two drums, no drums, acoustic. There were so many locations he made enough bread by only playing those places he didn't need to go anywhere else. He was happy. Making music. No drama. No labels. No pressure.
At the dawn of a new century, Zychek was afforded the opportunity to run a central Texas recording studio and jumped at it. He poured his heart, soul, talents and experience into it. He'd make the 3 chord banger songwriter sound as good as the classically trained virtuosos. His gentle nature in the producer's chair created brilliance. He coaxed the best out of everyone. Short on cash? Need an overdub? Don't worry, Zycheck will do it.
And that's how he lived his life. Content to stay around Texas. Do his own thing. If he felt like doing it, he would. He never chased anything. He could have been absolutely guitar hero huge. He had the talent. But, that wasn't his measure of success. He just did his own thing. The stories of his blazing trail are still told in the types of reverential tones usually reserved for the folks that are hanging on posters in the walls of record stores.
David Zychek is the best guitar player you've never heard of. He left his mortal coil in 2016. But the legend lives on. You can see all of it in this documentary. In the near future it will be available for streamable viewing. It has already won rave reviews at multiple film festivals. If you're a fan of music documentaries. If you're a fan of guitar players. If you're a fan of Texas Music. If you're a fan of good storytelling. This movie is for you.
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