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Davey Bee's treasure trove of music history headed to state museum
Posted 1/22/25 (Wed)
Staff at the ND State Historical Society are archiving and cataloging the memorabilia and music memories of Davey Bee.
Contributed / ND State Historical Society
FARGO — For decades, he and his band packed their cars and vans full of guitars and amplifiers as they headed out, playing in dance halls and school gyms all over the Midwest.
Dave Berdahl is better known as Davey Bee, and now the North Dakota Historical Society is about to archive the massive collection of his music and band history.
John Berdahl never dreamed he would spend such quality time like this, paging through a scrapbook of his father's musical life.
"I have the same hair, Dad," John Berdahl said to his father, the famous Davey Bee.
Dave Berdahl has long been Davey Bee to those who grew up in North Dakota, and heard the band leader and singer perform on radio, television and in live gigs all across the region.
"I got to meet some of the nicest people," Davey Bee said.
Davey Bee and the Sonics opened for some of the biggest music stars in America. His biggest hit, "Linda Lee." It made Dave Bee a household name.
"Dad was traveling every weekend, inspiring musicians during the week (with his music store) and guiding them and also playing every weekend and then all this stuff was sitting in boxes. I found 60 years of his career in boxes," John said of his father's career. "So much history, so much legacy in there."
Now, Davey Bee's collection of hits and pictures and oral history of music and Davey's life will be part of North Dakota's historical archive.
They also are part of a podcast done by Dave and John.
"When I first heard the term 'podcast,' I thought, what is a podcast? It is a radio show," Davey Bee said, laughing. Davey Bee was a longtime radio DJ and host. He also did TV in Minot and Bismarck.
And the state Historical Society is archiving Davey Bee's career as part of a way to document the big role bands like these played in the 50s, 60s and 70s in the region.
"There has been a lot of talk about Bob Dylan, and that is great but I am for the people who stayed. Dylan was here for '15-minutes.' My Dad was here a lifetime and raised a family, that to me is a rock star," John said.