As a musician, songwriter, producer and music publisher, Ashtabula native David Allds is involved in many aspects of the music industry. The founder and owner of Flatlanders Music Publishing Group, based in Nashville, Tenn., was recently honored by Cambridge Who’s Who for his dedication and excellence in the arts and music publishing field.

Allds has enjoyed a 36-year career in music. As a musician he has performed at the White House for President Richard Nixon and has performed with a long list of famous rock artists, from Grand Funk Railroad, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, to country music legends Les Paul and George Jones, to name a few.

Allds said he has been playing the drums so long, it’s like eating or breathing for him. It just comes naturally. He said he’s been playing professionally since about age 5 when his dad, Norman Allds, was calling square dances at Jewels Dance Hall in Austinburg.

“I’d sit in with the band out there,” Allds said. “I grew up out there, every Saturday night.”

But his musical roots go even deeper. Allds’ grandfather, Harry Russell, had a dance band called the Ohio Ramblers back in the 1940s. His grandfather played left-handed fiddle. Allds’ mother, Hazel, played the piano and his dad played guitar and called the square dances.

“Actually I stole my first drum set. My grandfather had it upstairs in his attic,” Allds said. “While my grandparents were in the lamp store (they owned the Little Lamp Shop) I carried it down the steps and out the door and put it in my little red wagon and took it up to my house.”

His grandfather didn’t even realize the drum set was missing until Allds’ mother asked why he gave the drums to David - playing drums is something you can’t do quietly.

“While everybody else was outside playing baseball, I was upstairs with my stereo cranked up, practicing the drums,” said Allds.

Even in elementary school Allds would get some kids together to play music.

“We had a band like the Tijuana Brass, I don’t remember what we called ourselves,” Allds said. “We had The Soul Expression in junior high. We were a seven-piece band. Johnny Loggins played lead guitar, Gary Benjamin was on keyboard. Jim Fuller played trumpet. Brad Stevenson played saxophone. Dennis Ford was our lead singer.”

His favorite music to play is rock ‘n’ roll. “It’s basically what the country beat is right now. Country’s probably back where rock and roll was,” Allds said.

Among his writing awards Allds received two Editor’s Choice Awards, 2005 and 2006. After his hit song “Lookin’ for Tomorrow,” recorded by Mel Tillis, his songs have been requested by many other country stars.

As a publisher, Allds deals with a lot of paper work and administration. He said his clients are into all kinds of music. He helps musicians, gives them direction, introduces them to producers and people in the industry, record label owners.

“I have a lot of friends. In this industry you have to know somebody in order to pitch a song,” Allds said. “It’s all about relationships and knowing how to get in to the people.”

In addition to Flatlanders, Allds is also owner of Beyond the Boarders Music and is co-founder and chief executive officer of Warp 10 Productions Inc., which he recently formed with Music Row executive James Rea to create projects for television, the motion picture industry and web casts.

One of Allds’ writers with Beyond the Boarders recently went gold in Norway with a song entitled “Whittle Away at Your Problems” by Steff Nevers on Universal Sony Records. Boarders also has a new hot release called “When You’ve Got Love in Your Life,” coming out in spring 2010.

Allds is a regular participant at the Nashville Songwriters Festival, held this year at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch. Lynn was actually the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award which Allds presented.

Allds says he gets a lot of his inspiration for writing from movies. But he does believe that God is guiding him. He has a degree in theology and served as an associate pastor for several years.

“My prayer has always been for me to be able to help and teach and be a tool in God’s hands so that he may use me to be whatever he wants me to be,” Allds says. “I’m very flexible when it comes to that and I believe that he is guiding my footsteps.”

Flexibility is a must in the music industry because music is always changing, Allds says. “You have to be ahead of the change. By that I mean, if you’re writing what’s being played on the radio, the web or CDs, you’re behind the game. Someone’s already done that. You have to create the change. Know what’s next before it happens. You have to be ready, everything all together packaged with the right attitude, appearance, humility, financial, personality, networking and most of all you must be flexible. The music entertainment business is a family, it’s all about relationships, negotiations and being ready.”