Dave Catney began playing piano by ear at the age of five. In school, he studied clarinet, tuba, electric bass, and piano. After graduating from high school, he majored in music at the University of North Texas; he later studied piano privately in New York with Richie Beirach, Joanne Brackeen, and Hal Galper. Catney also wrote music and several of his originals made their way to such films as And the Band Played On, as well as television. He also ran a popular jazz nightclub in Houston, called Cezanne. Signing with Justice Records in Houston in 1990, he recorded three CDs before dying from AIDS in 1994. He also contributed an original track with vocalist Sandra Dudley to Last Night When We Were Young: The Ballad Album, an AIDS education benefit CD produced by pianist Fred Hersch. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide