Biography
David was born in the flatland of Southern Arkansas at the close of the 1940's.
As a child, he began building things, as well as studying music. After graduating
from high school, he studied oral communication at University of Arkansas, Monticello.
Sometime after college, David discovered why he had been going around in circles
for years. He was really not a flatlander but a hillbilly with one leg shorter
than the other, so he moved to the Ozarks.
When David became interested in building things out of wood, he simply tore down an old building for the wood, turned his skill saw into a table saw and began to teach himself by making little boards out of big boards. His experience building with a variety of materials since childhood served him well. Before long, he became a charter member of the Eureka Springs Artisans' Guild.
While pursuing a career as a salesman and sales trainer, David worked for Air Machine Corp, Britannica and Spencer Press. Throughout his sales career, he operated a cabinet shop which produced over 1,400 "one off" signed and numbered pieces of furniture, cabinets, boxes and displays. During a four year return to the flatland, he studied drafting and design at Phillips County Community College.
David has worked with troubled youth for a number of years. Along with his wife, Kathy, they were house parents for the Arkansas Sheriff's Association Boys and Girls Ranch for three and one half years.
In 1994, David discovered a way to bring together his woodworking skills and his musical knowledge into a new career. He apprenticed under Zeke Elpsworth in Mountain View, Arkansas to learn to build mountain dulcimers and psaltries. Since then he has built over 1100 high quality mountain dulcimers and close to 300 bowed psaltries and dulcibows. David no longer builds psaltries and dulcibows. He strives to build high performance dulcimers with accurate intonation and great playability for beginners to professionals.
David and his wife, Kathy, a professional educator, homeschool their sensational son, Webster. This allows all of them more time for direct involvement in MMD.
David's hobbies are making friends, playing music, and collecting words of wisdom, old sayings and colloquialisms. The McKinney family supports the work of Family Violence Prevention, Heifer Project International, Methodist Federation for Social Action, Southern Poverty Law Center, and Humane Society with their hands, hearts, prayers and pocketbooks!