Bonnawho's Who - David Bromberg and Angel Band

Official Bio:

Born in Philadelphia on September 19, 1945. Bromberg grew up in Tarrytown, New York. Inspired by the music of Pete Seeger and the Weavers, among others, he began studying the guitar at age 13. After graduating from Tarrytown High School, he enrolled at Columbia University intent on a career as a musicologist.

Drawn to Greenwich Village's flourishing coffeehouse folk music scene in the mid-1960’s, Bromberg opted for performance combined with his studies; he left school in the middle of his second year, however, to devote full time to his music. Shortly thereafter, his extraordinary guitar picking and exceptional stylistic range brought him to the attention of many other musicians: Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, John Hurt, the Reverend Gary Davis, Tom Paxton, and Chubby Checker are only a few of the notables who sought Bromberg out as a back-up artist for recording. In all he has played as a sideman on over 100 albums.

A singular performer/writer/arranger, Bromberg’s remarkable musical versatility and innovative resourcefulness have earned vast critical and popular acclaim. He is also impossible to classify: As one critic perceptively wrote, “David Bromberg fits no pigeonholes. He is part of everything contemporarily musical. He is a product of blues, country, jazz, folk, and classical music. From his early success as a guitar virtuoso, Mr. Bromberg has developed into a brilliant entertainer.”

In 1970 Bromberg decided to go it on his own and, following a spectacular, unscheduled performance at England’s Isle of Wight Festival that year, he was signed to his first recording contract, which resulted in the release of four albums: David Bromberg, Demon in Disguise, Wanted Dead or Alive, and Midnight on the Water with Columbia, now Sony. Two compilation albums have subsequently been released. In the spring of 1977 Bromberg moved to the San Francisco Bay where he recorded several albums for Fantasy, including the double album How Late’ll Ya Play ‘Til?.

In the fall of 1980 Bromberg dissolved his band and moved to Chicago where four years later he was graduated from the Kenneth Warren School of Violin Making. The late eighties and early nineties saw Bromberg tour only occasionally and mostly as a solo artist. Bromberg now considers these occasional reunions as a way to see old friends and play great music again. Preferring to spend time with his family and to buy and sell violins, the days on the road for extended periods simply do not fit his primary interests as a father and businessman.
Bromberg has currently left Chicago and returned east. He and his family have settled in Wilmington, Delaware. David has opened a retail violin shop in that city’s downtown Market Street area. The shop specializes in sales and repair as well as bow and violin making. With his return to the east coast, Bromberg fans can expect to see and hear a lot more from him.

Live On Stage:

I don't know a heck of a lot about David Bromberg other then what I read above (and guessing most other people don't either) . The name recognition for me came from with association the likes of Robert Zimmerman and the rest of the Greenwich Village folk scene from the early '60s. He's recently put out a new album for the first time in over 17 years called Try Me One More Time - and if you dig folk tunes you may want to pick it up. Here he is from a recent performance in Farfield, Connecticut....



Here's some shows to check out if you want to get familiar with his work (via Dimeadozen)....

David Bromberg Quartet - 2006-01-23 - B.B. Kings Blues Bar & Grill - New York, NY

David Bromberg and the Large Band - 2006-06-17 - Telluride Bluegrass Festival - Telluride, CO

David Bromberg Band - 1978-08-26 - Calderone Concert Hall, Hempstead, NY

David Bromberg - 1972-12-12 - Utrasonic Studios - Hempstead, NY

Not a of a lot of other stuff out there on Bromberg, but here he is sitting in with fellow Bonnaroo artist Hot Tuna from back in the '80s doing "I Know Your Rider".....



For more on David Bromberg head over to his official site.

Set Time: 6/17, That Tent, 2:45 PM - 3:45 PM