David Stimson began backing up country dance music on the guitar in 1965 at the age of eleven. During several summers the 1960s he attended Pinewoods cape with his family while his stepfather, Bob Guillard, taught Morris Dancing and English Country Dance. David’s was first exposed to Contra Dance during the evening dances at Pinewoods; however, the disease remained latent until he learned English Concertina and joined the Woods Hole Folk Orchestra in1979. David moved to Maine in 1981 and began playing piano and concertina at some of the local contra dances, including Bowdoinham, Bath, and Whitefield. In 1992, he and his wife Tamora joined John Pranio and Toki Oshima to form the band CALLIOPE, which became the house band at North Whitefield with the legendary Ted Sanella calling the dances. At the present time, David plays with the bands FLOWING TIDE, STEAMPACKET, AND CURLEW. He plays a number of instruments, including piano, guitar, Irish flute, whistle, concertina, tenor banjo and mandolin.