Quick Facts
Biography
David Bromberg (born September 19, 1945) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. An eclectic artist, Bromberg plays bluegrass, blues, folk, jazz, country and western, and rock and roll. He is known for his quirky, humorous lyrics, and the ability to play rhythm and lead guitar at the same time.
Bromberg has played with many famous musicians, including Jerry Jeff Walker, Willie Nelson, Jorma Kaukonen, Jerry Garcia, Rusty Evans (The Deep) and Bob Dylan. He co-wrote the song "The Holdup" with former Beatle George Harrison, who played on Bromberg's self-titled 1972 album.
In 2008, he was nominated for a Grammy Award. Bromberg is known for his fingerpicking style that he learned from Reverend Gary Davis.
Musical career
Bromberg was born in Philadelphia, and raised Jewish in Tarrytown, New York. He attended Columbia University in the 1960s, studying guitar with Reverend Gary Davis during that period.
Proficient on fiddle, many styles of acoustic and electric guitar, pedal steel guitar and dobro, Bromberg began releasing albums of his own in the early 1970s on Columbia Records. His seven-minute rendition of "Mr. Bojangles" from 1972's Demon in Disguise, interspersed with tales about traveling with song author Jerry Jeff Walker, earned Bromberg progressive rock radio airplay. In 1973, he played mandolin, dobro, and electric guitar on Jonathan Edwards' album Have a Good Time for Me.
Bromberg released his first new studio album since 1990 with Try Me One More Time on February 27, 2007, on Appleseed Recordings. The disc includes Dylan's "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry" and Elizabeth Cotten's "Shake Sugaree." The album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Traditional Folk Album at the 50th annual Grammy Awards in 2008. His 2011 album Use Me features guests Levon Helm, John Hiatt, Tim O'Brien, Dr. John, Keb' Mo', Los Lobos, Widespread Panic, Linda Ronstadt, and Vince Gill.
Bromberg currently lives in Wilmington, Delaware, where he and his wife, artist Nancy Josephson, own an extensive violin sales and repair shop, with a partial subsidy from the City of Wilmington, Delaware. He occasionally performs at Wilmington's Grand Opera House, where he and his wife are major donors, as well as at the new World Cafe Live at the refurbished Queen Theatre.
Discography
Solo albums
LPs and CDs:
- David Bromberg (1972)
- Demon in Disguise (1972)
- Wanted Dead or Alive (1974)
- Midnight on the Water (1975)
- How Late'll Ya Play 'Til? (1976)
- Reckless Abandon (1977)
- Out of the Blues: The Best of David Bromberg (1977)
- Bandit in a Bathing Suit (1978)
- My Own House (1978)
- You Should See the Rest of the Band (1980)
- Long Way from Here (1987)
- Sideman Serenade (1989)
- The Player: A Retrospective (1998)
- Try Me One More Time (2007)
- Live: New York City 1982 (2008)
- Use Me (2011)
- Only Slightly Mad (2013)
- The Blues, the Whole Blues, and Nothing But the Blues (2016)
DVDs:
- The Guitar Artistry of David Bromberg: Demon in Disguise (2008)
- A Guitar Lesson with David Bromberg (2009)
- David Bromberg and His Big Band In Concert at the Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, NJ. (2009)
MP3s:
- The David Bromberg Quartet at MerleFest, April 29, 2006 (2006)
- David Bromberg & Angel Band at Philadelphia Folk Festival, August 16, 2007 (2007)
- The David Bromberg Quartet at MerleFest, April 25, 2009 (2009)
With other artists
David Bromberg has contributed musically to many albums by other musicians and bands. This is a partial list of those recordings.
- Mr. Bojangles – Jerry Jeff Walker (1968)
- Driftin' Way of Life – Jerry Jeff Walker (1969)
- Sanders' Truck Stop – Ed Sanders (1969)
- Things I Notice Now – Tom Paxton (1969)
- Easy Does It – Al Kooper (1970)
- Stonehenge – Richie Havens (1970)
- Tom Paxton 6 – Tom Paxton (1970)
- Tom Rush – Tom Rush (1970)
- Woodsmoke and Oranges – Paul Siebel (1970)
- Wrong End of the Rainbow – Tom Rush (1970)
- Self Portrait – Bob Dylan (1970)
- New Morning – Bob Dylan (1970)
- Jack-Knife Gypsy – Paul Siebel (1970)
- Buzzy Linhart Is Music – Buzzy Linhart (1971)
- Sha Na Na – Sha Na Na (1971)
- Carly Simon – Carly Simon (1971)
- Blue River – Eric Andersen (1972)
- Diamonds in the Rough – John Prine (1972)
- Dobro – Mike Auldridge (1972)
- Jerry Jeff Walker – Jerry Jeff Walker (1972)
- Old Dan's Records – Gordon Lightfoot (1972)
- Subway Night – David Amram (1972)
- Be What You Want To – Link Wray (1973)
- All American Boy – Rick Derringer (1973)
- Breezy Stories – Danny O'Keefe (1973)
- Garland Jeffreys – Garland Jeffreys (1973)
- Shotgun Willie – Willie Nelson (1973)
- Have a Good Time for Me – Jonathan Edwards (1973)
- Somebody Else's Troubles – Steve Goodman (1973)
- That's Enough for Me – Peter Yarrow (1973)
- Full Moon – Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge (1973)
- Texas Tornado – Doug Sahm (1973)
- Ringo – Ringo Starr (1973)
- Blues and Bluegrass – Mike Auldridge (1974)
- Phoebe Snow – Phoebe Snow (1974)
- Johnny Shines & Co., Vol. 2 – Johnny Shines (1974)
- One of These Nights – The Eagles (1975)
- Hillbilly Jazz – Vassar Clements (1975)
- Tales from the Ozone – Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen (1975)
- It Looks Like Snow – Phoebe Snow (1976)
- Took a Long Time – Magna Carta (1977)
- Goodbye Blues – Country Joe McDonald (1977)
- Ringo the 4th – Ringo Starr (1977)
- Live at McCabes – Paul Siebel (1978)
- Even a Green Day – Tom Paxton (1983)
- Red to Blue – Leon Redbone (1985)
- I've Got a Rock in My Sock – Rory Block (1986)
- Best Blues and Originals – Rory Block (1987)
- Jim Post & Friends – Jim Post (1987)
- John Prine Live – John Prine (1988)
- Murder of Crows – Joe Henry (1989)
- Mr. Cover Shaker – Johnny Shines (1992)
- Picture Perfect Morning – Edie Brickell (1993)
- Catfish for Supper – Jon Sholle (1996)
- Relax Your Mind – Jay Ungar (2003)
- My Last Go Round – Rosalie Sorrels (2004)
- The Bootleg Series Vol. 8 – Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989–2006 – Bob Dylan (2008)
- King Wilkie Presents: The Wilkie Family Singers – King Wilkie (2009)
- Bless My Sole – Angel Band (2010)
- All My Friends Are Here – Arif Mardin (2010)
- First Came Memphis Minnie – various artists (2012)
- Love for Levon: A Benefit to Save the Barn – various artists (2013)
- The Bootleg Series Vol. 10 – Another Self Portrait – Bob Dylan (2013)
- Live at Caffè Lena: Music From America's Legendary Coffeehouse (1967–2013) – various artists (2013)