Iowa History Daily: March 28 - Dave Keuning's Killers

Iowa History Daily: On March 28, 1976, the sweet-strumming lead guitarist of popular rock band The Killers, Dave Keuning, was born in Pella. Co-founder of the seven-time Grammy nominated band, Keuning rose from Marion County to the top of the charts.

Keuning grew up in Pella, where his guitar skills helped the Little Dutch Jazz Band to a first place finish on February 11, 1995 at the Jack Oatts Jazz Festival during his senior year. Keuning received a certificate for ‘outstanding performer’ for his playing in the contest. After finishing high school, Keuning migrated to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he eventually teamed up with Brandon Flowers to start one of the iconic bands of the early 2000s.

The band’s debut album, “Hot Fuss,” came out during the summer of 2004 and propelled the band to international stardom with hits including “Mr. Brightside,” “Somebody Told Me,” and “Smile Like You Mean It.” The album reached number seven on the Billboard 200 in the United States, but really shined abroad, reaching number one the UK pop charts. The single “Mr. Brightside” went on to become the longest-charting single in the history of the UK when it lingered on the pop charts for an astounding 300 consecutive weeks.

The Killers went on to become the first band in the UK to have seven consecutive albums reach number one on the UK Albums Chart after the successful release of “Hot Fuss.” The group's sophomore album, “Sam’s Town” went to number two on the US Billboard 200 chart. Keuning played lead-guitar on the first six albums for the Killers before taking a hiatus from August 2017 until the end of 2020. During that time he released a critically-acclaimed solo record, “Prismism,” before ultimately rejoining the band for the release of their 2021 album “Pressure Machine.” #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar