Dave Workman helped lay the foundation for the modern Columbus blues scene. After the Dantes disbanded in the late 1960s, he formed the Dave Workman Blues Band, an influential group that featured Willie Pooch as vocalist and frontman and included a young Arnett Howard in its horn section. The band became a training ground and inspiration for musicians who would shape Central Ohio blues for decades.

Workman’s early blues jams created one of the city’s first dependable gathering places for players and fans. His performances brought him alongside artists including Albert King, Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, and B.B. King, while his own band helped introduce Columbus audiences to musicians who became local legends. After moving to the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1980s, he continued performing with respected regional artists including Wendy DeWitt, Cathy Lemons, and John “Broadway” Tucker. Workman’s legacy reaches far beyond his own recordings and performances: he helped create the musical community from which the Columbus Blues Alliance eventually grew.