"ONCE AN ANIMAL, NOW A SERVANT OF GOD"
(Ed. note: David Cimino has played drums with such groups as The Beach Boys and The Guess Who. He agreed to share his incredible testimony through drugs, fame and fortune in this exclusive for the Perihelion! Recently, he has turned down opportunities like playing drums on Pat Benatar's tour as his desire is to play for the Lord. I consider it a privilege to have done some concerts with Dave and get to know his heart for God!)
"My name is David Cimino and my greatest desire in life is to serve and praise the Lord, Jesus Christ. I come from a wonderful home, filled with love, good morals and values that enabled me to be blessed with a worry-free childhood. My passion for music began as a young lad and only grew stronger through the years. I can recall my desire to play drums was overwhelming. I put together a garage band.
I had become part of the Hollywood fame, partying at celebrity’s homes, on television . . . and touring worldwide.
As I approached the end of my teens I found myself signing a record contract and working with record companies such as Vanguard Records,
RCA, MCA and Capitol. With time, the gigs progressively got better. I was introduced to the fast lane, neon lights, gluts, glamour and all Hollywood had to offer.Before I knew it, I had become part of the Hollywood fame, partying at celebrity’s homes, on television, playing main acts in famous clubs, major concert stages, Las Vegas and touring worldwide. To me, this was the life. It was happy, fun, loud, colorful, obnoxious and one wild ride. I had it all in the material world and the fame was rock rageous. The contracts, gigs and unlimited opportunities with major artists were unlimited with greats like
Three Dog Night, The Guess Who, Beach Boys, Doobie Brothers, Grassroots, Steppenwolf, Eric Burdon and the Animals, George Strait and Merle Haggard to name a few.As my success grew, so did my involvement with
wild parties, booze, drugs, and limousines. These were merely a part of life to me, as my dreams became a reality. The more I had, the more I craved.So what’s the problem here? Why the void? Simply bad choices, dark experiences and shattered lives. Yes, my choices robbed me of life itself and I have only me to blame. God gifted me with talent and made dreams come true and I shined him on – a selfish choice. God took me back with forgiveness – he’s an awesome God – I just had to seek him. As the 80’s greeted me, I found my turning point. I found a ministry with other Christians, praising the Lord with my God given gift and to this very day, Jesus and I haven’t looked back. I am born again through Jesus Christ my Savior.
The joy of being able to smile and feel happy and full without the poisons has proved to me
God’s high is the only ultimate high. I am happily married, solid in his word, attend a wonderful church and drumming for Jesus, the Greatest Gig I’ve ever had.The greatest, but toughest lesson I’ve learned is that it’s okay to follow your dreams if you let God take you there because with God all things are possible. We are nothing without God; He is life’s forever.
My wife, Madelyn, and I want to thank Larry and Kristen for all the counseling, love, trust and support which led us to marriage and our walk with God as it is today. Give God the praise.