Dave Torbert

Dave Torbert
Birth nameDavid Edwin Torbert
Born(1948-06-07)June 7, 1948
DiedDecember 7, 1982(1982-12-07) (aged 34)
GenresRock
Instrument(s)Bass guitar, vocals
Years active1968–1982

David Edwin Torbert (June 7, 1948 – December 7, 1982) was a Bay Area musician, best known for his associations with the Grateful Dead and the New Riders of the Purple Sage.[1] He played bass for the latter group, replacing Phil Lesh during the sessions for their first album.[2] He also played on "Box of Rain", a song from American Beauty,[3] and on "Greatest Story Ever Told" from Bob Weir's solo album Ace. Additionally, he was a founding member, with Matthew Kelly, of the band Kingfish.[4][5][6] Torbert died of a heart attack in 1982. Among the songs that Torbert wrote and sang lead with the New Riders were "California Day", "Contract", "Gypsy Cowboy", "Groupie", "On My Way Back Home", "It's Alright with Me", "Important Exportin' Man", and "Thank the Day".

  1. ^ Dave Torbert on Allmusic
  2. ^ The History of NRPS on nrpsmusic.com
  3. ^ Peters, Stephen (1999). What a Long, Strange Trip, Thunder's Mouth Press, ISBN 1-56025-233-2, p. 78
  4. ^ Biography of Kingfish on bay-area-bands.com
  5. ^ Knight, Brian L. "Kingfishing for Blues: An Interview with Matthew Kelly", Vermont Review
  6. ^ Biography of the Grateful Dead from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (2001)