Local entertainer a true inspiration

David Elias ~ 1937 - 2007

Local entertainer David Elias played throughout the Northwest suburbs, but no matter where he went, fans always seemed to request a familiar song: "Piano Man," by Billy Joel.

His loyal fans loved the melody, but even more, they loved the chorus: "Sing us a song, you're the piano man. Sing us a song tonight. Well, we're all in the mood for a melody, and you've got us all feelin' all right."

The song and lyrics summed up Mr. Elias' 25-year career as a solo singer in Northwest suburban restaurants.

It wound up being played Sunday night at an impromptu tribute held in his honor at the Village Tavern in Long Grove, by fellow musicians.

Mr. Elias passed away Oct. 15 from cancer. The longtime Palatine resident was 65.

"He love to play the piano," says his wife, Mary. "Music was his life."

Although sightless from birth, the disability never posed a barrier in his music. As a small child he could play songs after hearing them on tape. And not just on the piano. Mr. Elias could play clarinet, trumpet and saxophone as well.

Teachers tried to help him read Braille sheet music, but he relied on his ear instead. Through his highly developed sense of hearing and memory, he could play the melody after listening to it once or twice, family members say.

"He realized at a very young age that he had perfect pitch," his wife adds.

Mr. Elias grew up in Hayfield, Minn., near Rochester. His mother recognized his special talent, and she encouraged him to play the piano. At the age of 12, he landed his first professional job, playing clarinet in a polka band.

As a young adult, Mr. Elias played keyboard for a four-piece band called "A Touch of Brass," that played lounge shows and performed at weddings. For the last 26 years he branched out on his own, bringing his multiple instruments to area venues.

Mr. Elias launched his solo career at the former Lancers in Schaumburg, where he performed everything from jazz standards and Frank Sinatra hits, to more contemporary favorites. He later was a regular at the Rosewood restaurant in Rosemont, the former Gusto Italiano in Palatine, Marcia's in Arlington Heights, and through last month at Vince's in Palatine and the Village Tavern.

"People loved that he was so versatile," says Chip Ullrich, Village Tavern owner. "He'd play piano with one hand, trumpet with the other, and the bass with his feet. He was his own one-man band."

Mr. Elias met his wife while performing in Mundelein. Mrs. Elias taught for 33 years at Diamond Lake School, and after the couple married Mr. Elias often came to her classroom, to talk to her students about life with a vision impairment.

"He would show them the things he used to compensate for his vision," Mary Elias says, "like his talking clock, his Braille playing cards and his labeler which he used to label all of his tapes and CDs."

Friends and colleagues on hand Sunday, described Mr. Elias as "gentle, amazing and an inspiration."

"He always said he played the hand he was dealt," Ullrich added. "He was a true inspiration."