Bruce Hornsby

Bruce Hornsby - Here Come the Noise Makers - 2000 - RCA

Bruce Hornsby was 32 when "That's the Way It Is" hit number one and made him a star in the winter of 1986-1987, and he has used that stardom differently from the way a 22-year-old might have. You might say he's deliberately dismantled his popularity, gradually dispensing with the Range, the backing band he used to bill on his records, and with his brother John, who used to write his lyrics, while making progressively less song-oriented records that have traced a steadily declining sales curve to the point that his sixth album, the 1998 double-CD Spirit Trail, spent only two weeks in the charts. Or you might say he's used his popularity, spending it on musical legitimacy by turning away from pop music, indulging in side projects such as his part-time membership in the Grateful Dead. Here Come the Noise Makers, a two-CD live album drawn from concerts in 1998-2000, is, he says, a gift to "our fans, our true fans," which is to say those who have stuck with him. His gift includes renditions of his biggest hits, "That's the Way It Is," "Mandolin Rain," and "The Valley Road," as well as hits he wrote, "Jacob's Ladder" and "The End of the Innocence," embedded in lengthy arrangements with lots of invocations of his musical influences -- the Dead, George Gershwin, Samuel Barber, Bill Evans, Bud Powell, and Bob Dylan among them. Hornsby is determined to create a hybrid style that encompasses rock, jazz, and classical music within a jam band mentality. If he doesn't succeed, it may be because there aren't enough "true fans" out there to follow him, or it may be because he is so impressed with his own showoff-ish virtuosity that he hasn't bothered to write music compelling enough to support his goals. © William Ruhlmann © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/here-come-the-noise-makers-r503904/review

One of the most talented and versatile musicians of our time, the story of Bruce Hornsby's musical achievements and accolades would need a separate blog. The guy is a modern day giant of music, and he has covered the musical spectrum, from Bluegrass through rock, and modern jazz. He is one of rock music's most in-demand "side" men, and has played on hundreds of albums by artists including Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead, Bob Seger, Bonnie Raitt, Béla Fleck, and Willie Nelson. His songs have been performed and/or recorded by artists including Willie Nelson, Don Henley, Tupac Shakur, Bob Dylan, Chaka Khan, Robbie Robertson, Huey Lewis, Sara Evans, and Leon Russell. Only five years ago Bruce Hornsby's first eight albums-The Way It Is (1986), Scenes From The Southside (1988), A Night On The Town (1990), Harbor Lights (1993), Hot House (1995), 1998's double CD Spirit Trail, his double live collection Here Come The Noisemakers (2000), and Big Swing Face (2002) had sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. Bruce was a part-time member of the Grateful Dead and, from September 1990 to March 1992, he performed with the group on over 100 concerts in America and Europe. "Here Come the Noise Makers" is a truly great live album from this wonderful multi-talented musician, and VHR by A.O.O.F.C. The review above states that "Hornsby is determined to create a hybrid style that encompasses rock, jazz, and classical music within a jam band mentality. If he doesn't succeed, it may be because there aren't enough "true fans" out there to follow him, or it may be because he is so impressed with his own showoff-ish virtuosity that he hasn't bothered to write music compelling enough to support his goals". Bruce has been a jazz pianist since his college days and fell into pop music almost by accident. Bruce has said that "I've spent my entire life combating closed-mindedness in music as well as the lack of an adventurous spirit." Maybe this explains why "he is so impressed with his own showoff-ish virtuosity that he hasn't bothered to write music compelling enough to support his goals." (LOL). Bruce Hornsby And The Range's "A Night On The Town" album is @ BRUHBY/ANOTT Check out his albums, "The Way It Is " and his 2005 album with the legendary jazz artist, "Piano Jazz, Marian McPartland / Bruce Hornsby."

CD 1

1."Piano Intro" > "Great Divide"
2."Long Tall Cool One"
3."The Red Plains" (w/ John Hornsby)
4."The Road Not Taken"
5."Lady with a Fan" (Garcia/Hunter)
6."Stander on the Mountain"
7."Jacob's Ladder" (w/ John Hornsby) > "Blackberry Blossom" (Traditional)
8.Piano Intro > "I Loves You Porgy" (Gershwin/Gershwin/Heyward) > "Nocturne" (Barber) >
9."The Way It Is"
10."Twelve Tone Tune" (Evans) > "King of the Hill"

CD 2

1."Spider Fingers" > "Tempus Fugit" (Powell)
2."Sneaking Up on Boo Radley"
3."Fortunate Son"
4."The Valley Road" (w/ John Hornsby)
5."The End Of The Innocence" (w/ Don Henley)
6."Sunflower Cat" (w/ Garcia/Hunter/Mangini) > "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry" (Dylan)
7."Rainbow's Cadillac"
8."Mandolin Rain" (w/ John Hornsby) > "Black Muddy River" (Garcia/Hunter)

All songs composed by Bruce Hornsby unless stated otherwise

MUSICIANS

Bruce Hornsby – accordion, piano, vocals
Doug Derryberry – guitar, mandolin, vocals
Steve Kimock – guitar ("The End of the Innocence")
J. V. Collier – bass
John "J. T." Thomas – organ, keyboards, vocals
Michael Baker – drums, vocals
Land Richards – drums ("Road Not Taken", "Stander on the Mountain", "The Valley Road", "Sunflower Cat" and "Jacob's Ladder")
Bonny Bonaparte – drums ("The End of the Innocence")
Bobby Read – bass clarinet, saxophone, vocals
John D'earth – trumpet ("Spider Fingers", "Long Tall Cool One" and "Sneaking Up on Boo Radley")
Debbie Henry – vocals ("Great Divide")

BIO

Bruce Hornsby was born in Williamsburg, VA, and grew up in that combination college town and tourist center, later attending the University of Miami and the Berklee School of Music. He then spent years playing in bars and sending demo tapes to record companies. In 1980, he and his brother (and songwriting partner) John Hornsby moved to Los Angeles, where they spent three years writing for 20th Century Fox. There Bruce Hornsby met Huey Lewis, who would eventually produce him and record his material. Hornsby finally signed his band, the Range, to RCA in 1985. Their debut album, The Way It Is, was released in April 1986. It eventually produced three Top 20 hits, the biggest of which was the socially conscious "The Way It Is," which featured Hornsby's characteristically melodic right-hand piano runs. The album stayed in the charts almost a year and a half and sold two million copies. Hornsby & the Range won the Best New Artist Grammy Award for 1986. Hornsby's second album, Scenes from the Southside, was not as successful as his debut, though it sold a million copies and produced the Top Ten single "The Valley Road." Hornsby also began to make his mark as a songwriter for others: Huey Lewis had a hit with his "Jacob's Ladder," as did Don Henley with "The End of the Innocence." Hornsby's third album, A Night on the Town (1990), found him trying to break out of his signature sound into other areas. It was less successful than its predecessors but, along with the pianist's extensive session work, it signaled his determination to tackle new musical challenges. Hornsby worked extensively as a producer and sideman in the early '90s, notably doing temporary duty in the Grateful Dead after their keyboardist, Brent Mydland, died in July 1990, and producing a comeback album for Leon Russell, an idol of Hornsby's. He also became the father of twin sons. He finally turned in his fourth album, Harbor Lights, for release in 1993. This solo album, which did not feature his backup band, the Range, went gold, and Hornsby toured the U.S. and Canada through the end of the year. He followed it with a similar effort, Hot House, in July 1995, returning three years later with the double album Spirit Trail. Here Come the Noise Makers was issued in fall 2000. Since that time, Hornsby has released a handful of albums including Big Swing Face in 2002, Halcyon Days in 2004, the jazz-oriented Camp Meeting in 2007, and Levitate in 2009. © William Ruhlmann © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bruce-hornsby-p4511/biography

BIO (WIKI)

Bruce Randall Hornsby (born November 23, 1954 in Williamsburg, Virginia) is an American singer, pianist, accordion player, and songwriter. Known for the spontaneity and creativity of his live performances, Hornsby draws frequently from classical, jazz, bluegrass, folk, motown, rock, blues, and jam band musical traditions with his songwriting and the seamless improvisations contained within. Hornsby's recordings have been recognized on a number of occasions with industry awards, including the Best New Artist Grammy for 1986 with Bruce Hornsby and the Range, the Best Bluegrass Recording Grammy in 1989, and the Best Pop Instrumental Grammy in 1993. Hornsby has also achieved recognition for his solo albums and performances, his current live act Bruce Hornsby & the Noise Makers, his bluegrass project with Ricky Skaggs, his jazz act The Bruce Hornsby Trio, and his appearances as a session- and guest-musician. He also collaborated with the Grateful Dead.