David Evans began playing professionally around the Southeast in his early teens. A scholarship to Loyola University brought him to New Orleans in 1984, where he played with local legends like Pete Fountain, Johnny Vidacovich and Luther Kent, and national acts like Johnny Mathis, Gladys Knight, The Four Tops, The Temptations and many others.

From 1986 to 1994, David was musical director on board the National Historic Landmark steamboat Delta Queen, performing as well as preparing special programs on different periods of American music for groups from The Smithsonian, Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, and backing special guests like B. B. King and Mose Allison.

A resident of Portland, Oregon since 1994, he has performed or recorded with Bill Bachmann, Dan Balmer, Dan Barrett, Mel Brown, Steve Christofferson, Dave Frishberg, Jim Goodwin, Tom Grant, Allen Hinds, Rebecca Kilgore, Nancy King, Joe La Barbera, Storm Large, Glen Moore, Randy Porter, Todd Strait, Jay Thomas, The Chuck Israels Orchestra, Portland Chamber Orchestra, Bridgetown Sextet, Midnight Serenaders and many others.