David Jay Grisman[1] (born March 23, 1945) is an American mandolinist. His music combines bluegrass, folk, and jazz in a genre he calls "dawg music". He founded the record label Acoustic Disc, which releases his recordings and those of other acoustic musicians. He was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in Owensboro, Kentucky in 2023.[2]
Grisman grew up in a Conservative Jewish household[3] in Passaic, New Jersey.[4] His father was a professional trombonist who gave him piano lessons when he was seven years old. As a teenager, he played piano, mandolin, and saxophone.[5]
Grisman (left) with Bill Keith (banjo) and Tony Rice (guitar) at the 1977 Courville sur Eure Folk festival, Eure-et-Loir, FranceThe David Grisman Bluegrass Experience performs at DelFest on May 30, 2010
In the 1980s, Grisman formed an record label Acoustic Disc, which issued his recordings and those of other acoustic musicians.[12] The folk and bluegrass part of his personality emerged when he recorded with O'Connor, Rice, and Andy Statman.[5]
Family
Grisman and Tracy Bigelow are married and she is his third wife.[13] He has three grown children: Samson, Gillian, and Monroe. Samson, a bassist and recording session musician living in Portland, Oregon, often performs with his father.[14][13] Gillian, a filmmaker living in Novato, California, directed Grateful Dawg and the music documentary, Village Music: Last of the Great Record Stores.[15]
David Grisman's song "Dawggy Mountain Breakdown" was the opening theme song for Car Talk on NPR.[16] He sued YouTube in May 2007 in federal court, saying that YouTube should be required to prevent individuals from illegally uploading recordings of his music.[17] Grisman's attorneys requested voluntary dismissal of the suit.[18]
The documentary Grateful Dawg (October 14, 2001) is about the friendship between Jerry Garcia and Grisman.[19] He wrote much of the bluegrass music for Big Bad Mama (1974) directed by Roger Corman. It was performed by the Great American Music Band; they were recorded and mixed by Bill Wolf.[20]
Acoustic Disc is an independent record label which Grisman started in 1990.[12] The label is based in San Rafael, California and specializes in bluegrass, folk, jazz, and Dawg music.
References
↑"Bluegrass at the Beach". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
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