Dave Deason was born in South Dakota, but lived primarily in South Carolina and Florida. He received both the BM and MM degrees from Florida State University. After graduation, he held several Professorship positions at universities in South Carolina and New Jersey. In 1992, He received the Doctorate from The Ohio State University, specializing in Medieval Theory, followed by an offer to chair a university music department in Portland, Oregon. He remained in Oregon for 25 years, after which he, his wife Mary, and their 5 Scottish Terriers moved to Kentucky, where they presently reside.
A recipient of numerous composition and teaching awards, Dave has written works in all genres of music, including Classical chamber pieces, concert band scores, piano music, Jazz pieces, and film scores. In 2000, he was selected as the Oregon Music Teachers Association Composer of the Year, in addition to receiving several commissions around the country. Deason’s music received many performances around the US, Israel, and Europe. Ensembles recording his music include the Eastman Saxophone Project, the Verismo Trio, and the Breaking Winds Bassoon Quartet. He has two piano recordings, including Oregon Impressions for Piano Solo (2003) recorded by Rhonda Rizzo. As pianist, he recorded From Another Time and Other Original Ballads for Piano and String Orchestra (2010). A composer for Roads End Films in Newberg, Oregon, he recently scored the action-adventure film From Kilimanjaro with Love, which was nominated for Best Score at the Indie-fest 2008 film festival held in Los Angeles. His Wind Tunnels for Trombone Quartet was recorded in 2018 by the Szeged Trombone Ensemble. The piece is dedicated to them.

Mr.Deason publishes his compositions with Saker Music since 2019.