The instrumental virtuoso David Lindley died March 3 at the age of 78. He played just about every stringed instrument I know of as well as a few I don’t. His New York Times obituary by Alex Williams seems just right to me. He subordinated his talent to enhance the music of the great artists with whom he worked, Jackson Browne foremost among them. I don’t know Lindley’s work sufficiently well to do justice to it, but I would like to pay tribute to it here this morning.
As for the instruments he played — several of which can be seen in the videos below — Williams puts it this way:
Mr. Lindley had “no idea” how many instruments he could play, as he told Acoustic Guitar magazine in 2000. But throughout his career he showed a knack for wringing emotion not only from the violin, mandolin, banjo, dulcimer and autoharp, but also from the Indian tanpura, the Middle Eastern oud and the Turkish saz.
To my knowledge, his earliest recorded work came as a member of the band Kaleidoscope. The band debuted on Epic with Side Trips in 1967. As I hear the music, the band mixed psychedelia with a love of the Beatles and traditional American popular music. Lindley wrote “Why Try” for the album.
Incredible! was the name of Kaleidoscope’s third and final album on Epic (1969). It’s not bragging if you’ve got it. Lindley wrote “Banjo” for the album.
Kaleidoscope did not stick to one niche. They covered Mr. Howlin’ Wolf’s “Killing Floor” on that final album.
I first became aware of Lindley’s work with Jackson Browne. I think Lindley played a couple of guitars on Late For the Sky‘s “For a Dancer” and contributed one of the harmony vocals, but it was his work on the violin that really brought out the emotion in this moving song. Lindley’s artistry perfectly matches the level of Browne’s songwriting here. I just don’t think it gets better than this in popular music.
Lindley recorded El Rayo-X in 1981. It is full of great tracks. The Temptations cover — “Don’t Look Back,” written by Smokey Robinson and Ronald White — may be the least of it, but it showed his range.
Ry Cooder is another of the A-list musicians with whom Lindley worked. Cooder and Lindley put out The Family Tour in 1995. The album credits indicate that Lindley contributed vocals, guitar, bajo sexto, bouzouki, and tambora on the album. Trust but verify. “Promised Land” is Lindley’s song, not the old Chuck Berry number.
Browne put together an all-star backing cast for his 1999 performance at Red Rocks. You’ve got Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Hornsby, Shawn Colvin, Wally Ingram, and David Lindley on Browne’s “Your Bright Baby Blues.” Even in this stellar cast Lindley stands out. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the double neck lap steel [?] instrument that Lindley is playing here. Beautiful!
Jorma Kaukonen joined Lindley to perform Lindley’s “Rag Bag” at Jorma’s Fur Peace Ranch in 2004. These are two masters at work.
Browne and Lindley toured Spain together in March 2006. Browne released the resulting double live album — Love Is Strange — in 2010. With the pared down instrumental backing you can really hear Lindley’s artistry. “Mercury Blues” is an old song that Lindley first recorded on El Rayo-X in 1981. It goes back to K.C. Douglas/Bob Geddins’s “Mercury Boogie” (1948). I think Lindley loved this song.
The album featured songs written by Browne and opened with Browne’s “I’m Alive.”
Lindley sings harmony and adds the grace notes on Browne’s “For Everyman.”
I thought “Minglewood Blues” was a Grateful Dead original. If I understand correctly, however, it goes back to Noah Lewis’s Cannon Jug Stompers circa 1928. Lindley played it all by his lonesome on the 11-string fretless oud [?] in 2011. This seems to me something of a tour de force. At the least it gives you an idea of the breadth of his instrumental prowess.
Lindley accompanied Bonnie Raitt on Browne’s “Everywhere I Go” for Looking Into You: A Tribute to Jackson Browne (2014). The song originally appeared on Browne’s I’m Alive (1993). I think this is a killer track.
“Call It a Loan” is a song that Browne wrote for Hold Out (1980). Browne and Lindley played it in this sublime live 2015 performance. I think Lindley is playing some version of a mandolin [?]. “You were meant to play your part…”
Let’s close out with this 1976 live performance of “For a Dancer.” Lindley’s accompaniment is so beautiful. “Go on and make a joyful sound.” RIP.
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