Dawud Wharnsby

Dawud Wharnsby (born David Howard Wharnsby; June 27, 1972) is a Canadian Universalist Muslim singer-songwriter, poet, performer, educator and television personality.

A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known for his work in the musical/poetic genre of English Language nasheed and spoken word.

Born in Kitchener, Ontario in 1972, David Wharnsby became active in local theatrical productions during his early teens, first performing on a world-class theater stage at the age of 18 in a production of "Jesus Christ Superstar" (Annas).

Other stage work of his late teens included roles in "You're A Good Man Charlie Brown" (Schroeder) and "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead".

At the age of 19, Wharnsby began performing throughout Southern Ontario as a solo musical artist and as a member of various musical groups.

His first professional work as a musician was with folk quartet Crakenthorpe's Teapot, hired to perform on street corners of their hometown.

During the early 1990s, Wharnsby worked as a professional actor and puppeteer for two different educational theater troupes, touring public schools and folk festivals throughout Ontario.

At the age of 20, he played lead in a short educational film "To Catch A Thief", distributed nationally in Canada to schools as part of the John Howard Society's anti-shoplifting program.

In the mid-1990s, Dawud began to work in the genre of English language nasheed (spiritual hymns of a folk/world-beat style, drawn from Qur'anic tradition).

Wharnsby travelled extensively throughout Ontario, England and Scotland during 1993 and 1994 as a solo busker – singing informally on street corners and in parks to market and share his music.

In 1993, he started his own independent recording entity, Three Keyed Maple Seeds, which in 1996 was renamed Enter into Peace and registered with SOCAN as a music publishing entity.

In 1993, Dawud (David) Wharnsby and fellow Crackenthorpe's Teapot vocalist Heather Chappell began touring and performing as a duo, releasing an independent album (Off To Reap The Corn) containing renditions of traditional Canadian and Irish folk music.

The recording also featured Wharnsby's original lyrical adaptation of the traditional song "The Black Velvet Band".

His comical version "The Black Velvet Band as Never Before" is still sung in folk music circles.

He has released over 10 popular albums of spiritual nasheed since 1993, including A Whisper of Peace, Colours of Islam, Road to Madinah and Sunshine Dust and the Messenger, all released through US based media company Sound Vision.Com.

In 1993, David Howard Wharnsby embraced the teachings of the Qur'an changing his name to "Dawud" (Arabic: داوود) – the Arabic form of "David" – and added the name "Ali" (Arabic: علي) to his surname.

Wharnsby has identified himself as a Muslim since 1993 and also adheres to the principles of Unitarian Universalism.

Dawud has released several internationally distributed albums since 1995, including Blue Walls and the Big Sky, Vacuous Waxing (with Canadian writer Bill Kocher), A Different Drum (with The Fletcher Valve Drummers) and Out Seeing The Fields.

The name "Ali" was dropped from professional use in 2003, but remains a part of his legal name.

Married in 2003, Dawud Wharnsby, his wife and their two children reside seasonally in the state of Colorado, United States, Abbottabad, Pakistan and in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

Though family ties do exist, Dawud Wharnsby is not to be confused with film editor David Wharnsby, also a native of the Kitchener-Waterloo area.

September 3, 2007 Dawud released "Out Seeing the Fields" composed of 12 tracks, co-produced with LA based pianist Idris Phillips.

Dawud Wharnsby was named in a November 21, 2008 article by The Sun, as being a primary influence in an alleged conversion to the religion of Islam by pop star Michael Jackson.

The article stated that Wharnsby and fellow musician Idris Phillips were "pals" of Michael Jackson and had talked to him "about their beliefs, and how they thought they had become better people after they converted.".

The article was subsequently run by major print and television media worldwide.

Following the death of Michael Jackson on June 25, 2009, the original Sun article resurfaced, intensifying rumours surrounding Jackson's religious affiliation and his alleged "conversion" to the religion of Islam through the counsel of Dawud Wharnsby and Idris Phillips.

A June 26, 2009 public statement by Wharnsby, initially presented on his official website stated:

"For the record: Though our professional circles did cross-over slightly... I never had the honour or pleasure of meeting Michael Jackson personally, nor did we ever correspond on matters of our professions, personal lives or faiths."

On the topic of conversion, Wharnsby also stated:

"My approach to faith does not include concepts of "conversion/reversion" or "propagation", so the very idea that I would have even tried to "convert" Mr. Jackson (or anyone else for that matter) to my spiritual perspective, is silly."

In November 2009 Dawud Wharnsby's name was included in the category of "Entertainment and The Arts" on a list of the 500 Most Influential Muslims, compiled by The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre (Jordan), and published with support of Georgetown University's Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding.

Dawud Wharnsby was declared an Ambassador of Scouting by the Scout Association in the UK as of June 2010.

Wharnsby was also included on the follow-up lists of 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013/2014, and 2014/2015.

The 11th track of the album named "Rachel" is a tribute to Rachel Corrie who was killed by an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Caterpillar D9R armoured bulldozer, during an ISM protest against the destruction of Palestinian homes by the IDF in the Gaza Strip.

During his career Dawud has collaborated with Stephen Fearing, Irshad Khan, Danny Thompson, Yusuf Islam (aka Cat Stevens), Zain Bhikha, Idris Phillips, Hadiqa Kiani and Atif Aslam.

As a television personality, Dawud has hosted programs produced in conjunction with Canada's Vision TV, the National Film Board of Canada, Al Huda TV (Saudi Arabia) and BBC Scotland.

In honour of author, screenwriter and lecturer Rod Serling, Wharnsby (inspired as a child by Serlings' work) is also a supporter of the Rod Serling Memorial Foundation and contributor to The Foundation's scholarship fund.