DAVID NELSON BAND

Biography

David Brian Nelson, born June 12, 1943, began his musical career in the early 1960s in the San Francisco Bay Area, playing folk and bluegrass with Jerry Garcia in bands like the Wildwood Boys, Hart Valley Drifters, and Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions, which included future Grateful Dead members. After stints with the New Delhi River Band and briefly Big Brother and the Holding Company, Nelson co-founded the New Riders of the Purple Sage (NRPS) in 1969 with Garcia and John 'Marmaduke' Dawson, pioneering psychedelic country rock and achieving success with Columbia Records through the early 1980s, including the hit 'Panama Red'.[2][1]

Nelson left NRPS in 1982 to pursue projects like the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band on Broadway and touring with Al Rapone and the Zydeco Express. In 1994, he formed the David Nelson Band (DNB), drawing from former NRPS and Kingfish members, blending almost acoustic styles from his Garcia collaborations, roots rock, psychedelic country-rock, and Grateful Dead classics, with many songs co-written with lyricist Robert Hunter. The band has performed and recorded steadily, evolving lineups while maintaining a jam band, electroacoustic, and newgrass sound.[3][1][2]

DNB's legacy includes critical acclaim and Nelson's continued activity, reforming NRPS in 2005 with Buddy Cage and Michael Falzarano, co-founding bluegrass group The Papermill Creek Rounders with Lowell 'Banana' Levinger, and guest spots on Grateful Dead albums like Aoxomoxoa, Workingman's Dead, and American Beauty. In 2006, he performed 'Ripple' on the Grand Ole Opry, and in 2019 released a posthumous Hunter collaboration, cementing his influence in psychedelic country and jam scenes.[2][4]

Fun Facts

• David Nelson performed the first-ever Grateful Dead song, 'Ripple,' on the Grand Ole Opry in 2006 during sessions with Jesse McReynolds.[2]
• He briefly served as lead guitarist for a reconstituted Big Brother and the Holding Company in early 1969 before Janis Joplin's permanent replacement was found.[2]
• Nelson was housemates in 1960s Palo Alto communal houses with Grateful Dead members while pioneering the fusion of bluegrass with electric guitar and psychedelic rock.[5]
• The David Nelson Band originated from members of a Grateful Dead tribute band who decided to continue under Nelson's name in 1994.[1]

Members

• David Nelson

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Jerry Garcia - Early musical partner and stylistic influence in bluegrass and transition to psychedelic country rock (Wildwood Boys (1962), Hart Valley Drifters, Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions, New Riders of the Purple Sage) [1962-1970s]

Key Collaborators

• Bill Laymon - Original bassist in David Nelson Band (David Nelson Band (original lineup)) [1994-1990s]
• Barry Sless - Lead and pedal steel guitar in original DNB lineup (David Nelson Band) [1994-1990s]
• Mookie Siegel - Keyboards and accordion in original DNB lineup (David Nelson Band) [1994-1990s]
• Arthur Steinhorn - Original drummer in DNB (David Nelson Band) [1994-1990s]
• Pete Sears - Bass and keyboards in later DNB lineup (David Nelson Band) [2005-present]
• Robert Hunter - Lyricist for many DNB compositions (David Nelson Band songs, 2019 posthumous release) [1969-2019]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz