Bruce Hornsby
Bruce Randall Hornsby (born
November 23,
1954 in
Williamsburg, Virginia) is an
American singer, virtuoso
pianist,
accordion player, and
songwriter, best known for his 1980s
signature song "
The Way It Is", the top five hits "Mandolin Rain" and "The Valley Road", and for being an irregular member of the
Grateful Dead. Later in his career, Hornbsy moved in a less commercial musical direction.
Bruce Hornsby is a distant relative of
baseball great
Rogers Hornsby, and in later years would sometimes perform with a
bust of the player on his piano.
Hornsby grew up listening to all types of music. He studied music at three highly regarded schools of music, the
University of Richmond,
Berklee College of Music, and the
University of Miami, from which he graduated in 1977. Following his graduation from the University of Miami, Hornsby spent time in
Los Angeles as a
session musician and songwriter before moving back to his native southern Virginia.
In 1984 he formed
Bruce Hornsby and the Range, who were signed to
RCA Records in 1985. Besides Hornsby, Range members were
David Mansfield (
guitar,
mandolin,
violin), George Marinelli (guitars and
backing vocals),
Joe Puerta (
bass guitar and backing vocals), and John Molo (
drums).
Hornsby's recording career started with the biggest hit he would ever have, entitled "The Way It Is". With a propulsive yet contemplative piano riff and the refrain,
That's just the way it is, some things will never change, the song was both catchy and reflective of the
American Civil Rights movement, and it topped the American music charts in
1986. In years to come, the song would be sampled by at least six
rap artists, including
Tupac Shakur,
E-40, and
Mase. It is also used as some of the introductory music to
Sean Hannity's popular
talk radio program.
With the success of the single worldwide, the album
The Way It Is went
multi-platinum and produced another top five hit with "Mandolin Rain" (co-written, as many of Hornsby's songs were, with his brother John). "Every Little Kiss" also did respectably well. Other tracks on the album helped establish what some labeled the "Virginia sound", a mixture of
rock,
jazz, and
bluegrass with an observational
Southern feel. Hornsby and the Range would go on to win the
Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1987.
The wave of fame continued to roll with Hornsby and the Range's second album,
Scenes From The Southside (on which
Peter Harris replaced Mansfield). Released in
1988, it featured such hits as "Look Out Any Window" and "The Valley Road". The song "Jacob's Ladder" was featured as well, having originally been written by Hornsby for musician friend
Huey Lewis. Lewis' version became a number one hit from his album
Fore!.
Scenes was successful in its own right and it would also be the last to perform so well in the singles market.
In 1988, Hornsby first appeared on stage with
The Grateful Dead, lending some assistance to that group's somewhat unstable keyboards position. This collaboration would continue on an irregular basis until the Dead ended in 1995; in all he made over 100 appearances with them. In 1989 Hornsby co-wrote and played piano on
Don Henley's big hit "The End of the Innocence". In 1991 Hornsby played piano on
Bonnie Raitt's popular hit "I Can't Make You Love Me". Hornsby would feature both these songs in his own concerts.
A Night On The Town was released in
1990. A change in style became apparent as the album was much more guitar driven, while the others were centered around Hornsby at the piano. After the album, the Range broke up with each member pursuing respective musical careers.
Hornsby would go on to release his first solo album,
Harbor Lights, in
1993. This record showcased Hornsby in a more jazz-oriented setting and featured an all-star lineup, including
Pat Metheny,
Branford Marsalis,
Jerry Garcia,
Phil Collins, and Raitt. The tone was set by the opening title track, which after 50 seconds of expansive Virginia sound solo piano (written and recorded by Hornsby after the rest of the track was finished, because, as Hornsby would later say, he thought it would make a good opening to the album) lurches into an up-tempo jazz number, ending with Metheny's guitar runs. The album closes the same way on "Pastures of Plenty", this time with Garcia intertwined with Hornsby's piano. The mid-tempo "Fields of Gray", written for Hornsby's recently-born twin boys, received some modest radio airplay.
Harbor Lights was well-received by critics and fans, but Hornsby acknowledged that his days of popular commercial success were behind him, saying in interviews that it had been an accident that his
McCoy Tyner-influenced piano work ever found itself in the middle of a hit record in the first place.
In 1995,
Hot House was released. The jazz feelings that peppered the previous album would be expanded on here, giving the album a constant uptempo party sound. As is typical with Hornsby, the underlying messages behind the catchy tunes are often very dark, such as on "Country Doctor" and "White Wheeled Limousine".
Murder,
nuclear disaster,
adultery: these dark themes and more can be found in many Hornsby compositions. The album featured many of the same guests as on his previous record, such as Pat Metheny, and added
folk music to Hornsby's usual mix. Even though
Hot House and
Harbor Lights were not as popular as his works with the Range, many fans viewed them as some of his most satisfying works.
Three years later, Hornsby released a
double album,
Spirit Trail. Featuring a decidedly goofy picture of his uncle on the cover, the collection blends instrumental tracks with the story-telling, rock, jazz, and other musical forms Hornsby had delved into over his career. Hornsby's piano playing gained further complexity here, as evidenced by his two-hand-independence on such tracks as "King of the Hill".
Hornsby next worked with several
Grateful Dead reformation projects, released a live album in 2000 entitled
Here Come The Noise Makers, and did extensive touring.
It would not be until 2002 when he would release another album of new material, entitled
Big Swing Face. Hornsby wanted to experiment and did so by dropping the piano almost completely in favor of electric pianos and other
synthesizers. "Big Swing Face" also evidences a greater reliance upon programmed loops than most of his prior work, as well as lyrics that are in many ways more eccentric and humorous. The album was not well-received by many.
However, in
2004, after 19 successful years on RCA Records, Hornsby returned to a more acoustic, piano-driven sound on his Columbia Records debut
Halcyon Days. Guests included
Sting,
Elton John, and
Eric Clapton. With no signs of slowing down yet, Bruce Hornsby remains a musician more concerned with his devoted fan base and his own growth as an artist than with commercial success.
In addition to those mentioned above, Hornsby has worked with many other artists over the years, including
Squeeze,
Warren Zevon,
Chaka Khan,
Stevie Nicks and
Béla Fleck to name just a few. He continues to work with Dead-related projects, such as
Bob Weir's
Ratdog and The Other Ones, and in
2005 participated in a tribute concert to
Jerry Garcia.
Hornsby has also taken an ownership interest in Williamsburg area radio station "The Tide",
WTYD 92.3
FM, so that (he said) his music could be heard on the radio in his hometown. Accordingly, his
Brunch with Bruce program, where he plays selections from his concerts, is heard on Sunday mornings.
Albums
*
The Way It Is (1986) #3 US (RIAA: 3xPlatinum)
*
Scenes From The Southside (1988) #5 US (RIAA: Platinum)
*
A Night On The Town (1990) #20 US
*
Harbor Lights (1993) #46 US
*
Hot House (1995) #68 US
*
Spirit Trail (1998) #148 US
*
Here Come The Noise Makers (2000) #167 US
*
Big Swing Face (2002)
*
Halcyon Days (2004) #86 US
Singles
* "
The Way It Is" (1986) #1 US
* "Mandolin Rain" (1987) #4 US
* "Every Little Kiss" (1987) #14 US
* "The Valley Road" (1988) #5 US
* "Look Out Any Window" (1988) #35 US
* "Across The River" (1990) #18 US
* "Lost Soul" (1990) #84 US
* "Fields Of Gray" (1993) #69 US
* "Walk In The Sun" (1995) #54 US
*
Official site*
MySpace Site*
Fan site*
Against the Grain: An Interview with Bruce Hornsby - The Music Box, Vol. 7, #11
*[news:rec.music.artists.bruce-hornsby Usenet newsgroup]
*
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Bruce Hornsby
