Dave

Wouter Otto Levenbach (born 4 May 1944), known as Dave, is a Dutch Francophone singer who had a string of number one hits in France in the 1970s. A native of Amsterdam, he resides in Paris.

Dave was born in Amsterdam. His father was Jewish and an English teacher by trade; his mother was a classical dancer. He has two brothers, Marteen and Lucas, and a sister, Elsbeth. He learned to play the guitar at age 14. He became a very spiritual person who prayed frequently and even planned to study theology; however, he eventually chose to study law.

Among other things, he was inspired by Jack Kerouac's On the Road , a revolutionary novel which encouraged young people to leave home and learn life "on the road", and to communicate with others. Passionate about the sea and rivers (a love which he owes to his grandfather), he left the Netherlands by boat with 1,000 guilders in his pocket (about two months' living expenses).