David has been playing the drums for over 25 years. Born and raised on Hilton Head Island, SC, David’s parents exposed him to the music of Genesis, Steely Dan, and The Beatles. These musical influences, along with his high school music ensembles and private lessons with Jeff Franklin, provided David with a firm foundation for his music career.
During his junior year at Clemson University, David won the drum chair position in the Disneyland All- American College Band. He spent the summer of 2007 performing for thousands of guests in the Anaheim, CA theme park. Over the course of the summer program, David studied with Gregg Field and Peter Erskine and shared the stage with Wayne Bergeron, Gordon Goodwin, Alex Iles, Sal Lozano, Matt Niess, Jiggs Whigam, and the Airmen of Note. David’s performance career blossomed upon moving to Chicago, IL in 2008. While in Chicago, he shared the stage with many notable performers during his 9 years spent in the Midwest: Phil Woods, Renaldo Domino, Mark Colby, Tom Garling, Scott Hesse, Danny Barber, Chris Madsen, Ron Perrillo, Victor Garcia, Patrick Mulcahy, Dennis Carroll, Matt Ulery, and Marquis Hill. As a freelance drummer, David played with the Chicago Jazz Orchestra, Glenn Miller Orchestra, JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound, Lowdown Brass Band, Margaret Carlson, Frank Catalano, and Mucca Pazza, among others. He was a regular member of original projects including: Arcana, Faraway Plants, J-Livi and The Party, Corbin Andrick Quintet, Big Shoulders Brass Band, Nootka Sound, and lead his own band, Move, which specialized in live band karaoke. David’s musical experiences shaped him into a highly diverse, in-demand drummer in the Chicago music scene.
David also has an extensive history of musical theatre performances. He has performed drumset and percussion for over 25 different musicals since his time in high school. Theatre groups include: Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, Noble Fool Theatricals, Loyola University, Clemson University, Endpoint Theater, Highland Park Players, and accompanied the national tour of Mary Poppins benefit show “Sweet Dreams”.
Some of David’s most notable performances include performing at the Chicago Jazz Festival, MetLife Stadium, Harris Theater, Green Mill, Andy’s Jazz Club, Pritzker Pavilion, as well as events for companies such as Google, GoDaddy.com, Lagunitas Brewing Company, and IPW Chicago where he opened for Jennifer Hudson. In 2016, Agee was awarded the Jazz Fellowship from the Luminarts Cultural Foundation, with a panel of judges that included Willie Pickens, Bob Ojeda, and Tom Hope.
In early 2017, David auditioned and won the drumset chair for the United States Navy Band Sea Chanters, the Navy’s official chorus. After 8 weeks of boot camp, David and his wife, Rachael, relocated to Washington D.C. in late August. David performs with the Sea Chanters on a regular basis while enjoying an active freelancing career in the DC Metro area. He co-leads an original project, District Brass Band, and plays private events with the Bachelor Boys, among other ensembles.
Agee received a Bachelor of Arts in production studies in performing arts from Clemson University, and a Master of Music in jazz studies from DePaul University in Chicago. His primary teachers include Paul Buyer, Bob Rummage, Joel Spencer, and Bob Palmieri
