Bruce Hornsby
Bruce Randall Hornsby (born November 23, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. His music draws from folk rock, jazz, bluegrass, folk, Southern rock, country rock, jam band, rock, heartland rock, and blues rock musical traditions.[1][2]
Bruce Hornsby
Bruce Randall Hornsby
November 23, 1954
Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S.
Singer, musician
- Vocals
- piano
1974–present
Hornsby has won three Grammy Awards: a 1987 Grammy Award for Best New Artist with Bruce Hornsby and the Range, a 1990 Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Recording, and a 1994 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.
Hornsby has worked with his touring band Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers, his bluegrass project with Ricky Skaggs, and as a session and guest musician. He was a touring member of the Grateful Dead from September 1990 through March 1992, playing over 100 shows with the band.
His 23rd album, 'Flicted, was released in May 2022.
Early life and education[edit]
Bruce Randall Hornsby was born in Williamsburg, Virginia, to Robert Stanley Hornsby (1920–1998), an attorney, real-estate developer and former musician, and Lois (née Saunier), a piano player and church community liaison who had a local middle school named after her.[3] He has two brothers, Robert Saunier "Bobby" Hornsby, a realtor with Hornsby Realty and locally known musician, and John Hornsby, an engineer with whom he has collaborated in songwriting.[4] They are cousins of actor David Hornsby.[5] While raised in the church of Christian Science, Hornsby went to doctors and dentists as needed. He had a politically liberal upbringing.[3]
Hornsby graduated from James Blair High School in Williamsburg in 1973, where he played on the basketball team and was chosen by his senior class as most likely to succeed.[6]
He studied music at the University of Richmond for a year, at the Berklee College of Music for two semesters, and then at the University of Miami, where he graduated in 1977.[7][8]
Bruce Hornsby and the Range
Los Angeles, California/Williamsburg, Virginia, United States
1984–1991
Bruce Hornsby
David Mansfield
George Marinelli
Joe Puerta
John Molo
Additional collaborations[edit]
On July 10, 1990, Hornsby made a guest appearance with the Grateful Dead onstage at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, NC, playing accordion during portions of the first and second sets. Grateful Dead keyboardist Brent Mydland died just over two weeks later, and Hornsby was summoned as a temporary replacement. The Grateful Dead released this concert on YouTube in its entirety on July 10, 2020, the 30th anniversary of the performance.[65]
On October 18, 1991, Hornsby joined Pink Floyd, co-founder Roger Waters on stage at Auditorio de la Cartuja in Seville, Spain. Playing keyboards and singing the choruses of Comfortably Numb.[66]
In 2014, Hornsby toured selected dates with Pat Metheny Unity Group.
In 2016, Hornsby performed on a track, "Black Muddy River", along with indie folk band (and Justin Vernon's former band) DeYarmond Edison on Day of the Dead, a Grateful Dead cover album, benefiting the Red Hot Organization, an international charity dedicated to raising funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS. Hornsby performed the song alongside Vernon that same year in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Hornsby performed alongside Vernon at Coachella in 2017, performing Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me;" the performance also featured Jenny Lewis.[67]
Hornsby has composed and performed for many projects with filmmaker Spike Lee, including end-title songs for two films, Clockers (1995) with Chaka Khan and Bamboozled (2001). He contributed music for If God Is Willing and da Creek Don't Rise (2010), Old Boy (2013) and Chi-Raq (2015), and full film scores for Lee's Kobe Bryant documentary for ESPN: Kobe Doin' Work (2009), Red Hook Summer (2012), Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2015), and Lee's film for the NBA 2K16 video game (2015). He scored Lee's Netflix production She's Gotta Have It (2017, 2019). Hornsby wrote and performed new music for Lee's film BlacKkKlansman (2018). in 1993, Lee directed the video for Hornsby's song "Talk Of The Town".
On July 3, 2023, Bruce appeared with The Doobie Brothers in Portsmouth, Virginia during their extended 50th anniversary tour, where he performed on keyboards and soloed on several songs.
On December 9, 2023, Bruce appeared with Goose in Hampton, Virginia during their Goosemas run, where he performed "The Way It Is" on keyboards.
Equipment[edit]
Hornsby uses a Steinway & Sons concert grand piano. With the Range and up until 1995, he used a Baldwin concert grand piano. He currently uses a Korg M1 synthesizer. With the Range, Hornsby used an Oberheim OB-X synthesizer.
Hornsby selected ten Model B Steinway Grands to be featured in its Limited Edition Signature Piano Series, each one personalized with his signature. Hornsby owns three 9 ft (2.7 m) Model D Steinway Grands.
For his 2016 album Rehab Reunion, he played Appalachian dulcimer made by BlueLion.[68]
Personal life[edit]
Hornsby and his wife Kathy have twin sons, born 1992: Russell, who ran for the Oregon Ducks track and field team at the University of Oregon, and Keith, who played Division I basketball for the University of North Carolina Asheville Bulldogs from 2011 to 2013, transferred to Louisiana State University and played for LSU from 2014 to 2016.[69] They were named after musicians Leon Russell and Keith Jarrett, respectively.[70][71]
Hornsby is a regular basketball player and an avid fan of the sport.[23] As such, he can frequently be seen at college basketball games throughout Virginia. Hornsby stated that he beat Allen Iverson in one-on-one basketball three games in a row after helping him get out of jail.[72] He is also a friend of baseball Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa and attends games in St. Louis. Their friendship led to La Russa introducing Hornsby to jazz bassist Christian McBride, which then led to the formation of The Bruce Hornsby Trio (along with drummer Jack DeJohnette) and their first album, Camp Meeting.