David Grisman

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David Grisman

David Grisman (born March 23, 1945 in Hackensack, New Jersey) is a noted bluegrass/newgrass mandolinist and composer of acoustic music. He started the Acoustic Disc record label in an effort to preserve and spread acoustic or instrumental music.

David Grisman started his musical career in 1963 as a member of The Even Dozen Jug Band. His nickname, "Dawg" was affectionately assigned by his close friend Jerry Garcia (the two met at a Van Hoy Campground (NC) back when they used to host the old time fiddlers convention). "Dawg Music" is what he calls his mixture of bluegrass and Django Reinhardt-Stéphane Grappelli-influenced jazz, as highlighted on his 1977 album "Hot Dawg". Stephane Grappelli played on a couple of tracks on the Hot Dawg album and then the 1981 recording "Stephane Grappelli and David Grisman Live". It was his early fusions with Reinhardt-era Jazz that led to the formation of the genre known as newgrass. Grisman, along with New Grass Revival are generally considered the modern day Bill Monroes to this new bluegrass-influenced sound. Bonnie Raitt's album, Sweet Forgiveness features David Grisman on mandocello throughout the album.

Some of the musicians that have played with David Grisman or been part of the DGQ (David Grisman Quintet) include Rob Wasserman, Denny Zeitlin, Tony Rice, John Carlini, Mark O'Connor, Béla Fleck, Bob Brozman, Mike Auldridge, Mike Seeger, David Bromberg, Martin Taylor, Del McCoury, Ralph Stanley, Earl Scruggs, John Hartford, Mike Marshall, Darol Anger (Turtle Island String Quartet), Sam Bush, Stephane Wrembel, Joe Craven, Matt Eakle and the Kronos Quartet.

The documentary Grateful Dawg chronicles the deep friendship between Jerry Garcia and David Grisman. David Grisman appeared on the The Pizza Tapes and also Grateful Dead's American Beauty album. To this day, Grisman complains of how Jerry Garcia vetoed the length of the mandolin part featured on the studio version of "Ripple". The two recorded a number of duet albums, including the children's album Not For Kids Only.

Grisman and Garcia also played together in the band Old and in the Way with Vassar Clements, John Kahn, and Peter Rowan. Their album "Old and in the Way" was for decades the best-selling bluegrass album of all time (though it has since been overtaken by the soundtrack of "Oh Brother Where Art Thou"). Grisman's Acoustic Disc label has released two additional albums of live material.