David Upton

David Upton currently serves as the worship pastor for Overdrive, the Rock n Roll Worship Venue at Rick Warren's Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA. When not leading at his home church, David is available to travel around the country worshipping with churches and conferences of all sizes and denomination.

David has his own band or he can serve along side an existing band for:

* Concerts

* Worship Leader

* Worship/Session Vocalist & Musician

* Worship Team Consulting

David is an amazing vocalist, songwriter, and musician with a dedicated heart for drawing his audiences into a lifestyle of authentic and heartfelt worship.

David has a pastor’s heart and he enjoys the leadership aspects of his role just as much as the creative.

His Story.....
David was raised in a Christian home, but not without experiencing a childhood that would challenge any young man’s faith. The tragic loss of his father at a very young age left David wandering through life, guitar slung behind his back, questioning the idea of God as a “father”. These questions, combined with the worldly and rebellious ways of his teenage years led David to learn life’s lessons through trial and error, rock-n-roll and everything that comes along with both.
David made a decision to put his dreams of becoming a musician on the back burner and joined the United States Marine Corps. It was in the Marines that David found the love of his life. Not realizing what a strong partnership he was building at the time, he got married and began a professional career that yielded rapid success in the technology business and ultimately settled him and Sabrina in Orange County, California.
Although successful in many ways, David still found himself empty and in search of something more. He had tasted the sweet success of corporate achievement and financial accomplishment, but after years of successful triumph he eventually realized how quickly life can change. In what seemed like a vicious storm, David’s financial climate changed for the worse along with many of his relationships.
It was at this time that David and his wife wandered one Sunday into Saddleback Church and heard one of Pastor Rick Warren’s messages. David and his wife committed their lives to serving Christ and over the course of time began to see God working in their lives. It was then that David’s passion for music became a reality in his life, but not as the guitar playing kid he once was, but as the man he is becoming singing for his “Father”. After a few years, David was offered the privilege of becoming a Worship Leader for Saddleback’s Overdrive Venue. He was able to combine his love for rock-n-roll music with his desire to serve Christ and to help as many people as he could to realize the same simple truths that took him so long to learn.
***Two years later, from what was an overflow venue at Saddleback Church to a now growing venue which has tripled in attendance every Sunday, David continues to lead worship in Overdrive every Sunday at 9:00am and 11:15am, leads for multiple Saddleback Conferences, the Men's Wilderness Retreat and Men's Bible Study, Women's Bible Study and Marriage Retreats, Lighthouse Ministries serving in local prisons, Celebrate Recovery at multiple churches, and various other churches across the US and is looking to share his music and make a positive change in the lives around him. David played Spirit West Coast '08 and was a 2008 Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year nominee for the LA Music Awards. Gospel Music Channel has supported David's efforts in allowing his "Unshackled" video in their on air rotation and making him a part of their extended family at GMC. David released his first CD/EP "Unshackled" on March 29th, 2008 and in the first 7 days, he sold record CD sales and opened up for the 2-time grammy nominee Sarah Kelly and rocked it live with a full house in attendance on a Sunday night at Saddleback Church.***
In summary, in David’s life he has endured a series of almost unbelievable stories of heartbreak, despair, redemption and glory… but God has given David a voice and a genuine heart that allows him to share so much of his heart when he sings. His smokey voice and passionate delivery of alt/rock/country influenced music has touched the lives of many from Orange County to Nashville. From a young man’s musical influence of Stryper, Guns and Roses, Metallica, Ozzy, and the Black Crowes, David now shares his musical interest and inspiration with such artists as Daughtry, Creed, Jeremy Camp, Third Day, and Lincoln Brewster.