David Lindley (musician)

David Lindley
Lindley in 2013
Lindley in 2013
Background information
Birth nameDavid Perry Lindley
Also known asDe Paris Letante, Mr. Dave
Born(1944-03-21)March 21, 1944
San Marino, California, U.S.
DiedMarch 3, 2023(2023-03-03) (aged 78)
Pomona, California, U.S.
GenresRock, country, world
Occupations
Instruments
Years active1962–2020
Labels
Formerly of
Websitedavidlindley.com

David Perry Lindley (March 21, 1944 – March 3, 2023) was an American musician who founded the rock band El Rayo-X and worked with many other performers including Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Ry Cooder, Bonnie Raitt, Warren Zevon, Curtis Mayfield and Dolly Parton. He mastered such a wide variety of instruments that Acoustic Guitar magazine referred to him not as a multi-instrumentalist but instead as a "maxi-instrumentalist."[1] On stage, Lindley was known for wearing garishly colored polyester shirts with clashing pants, gaining the nickname the Prince of Polyester.[2]

The majority of the instruments that Lindley played are string instruments, including violin, acoustic and electric guitar, upright and electric bass, banjo, mandolin, dobro, hardingfele, bouzouki, cittern, bağlama, gumbus, charango, cümbüş, oud and zither. He was the unparalleled master of the lap steel guitar in the rock music sphere,[3][4] and an expert in Hawaiian-style slide guitar blues.[5][6]

Lindley was a founding member of the 1960s psychedelic band Kaleidoscope and worked as musical director for several touring artists.[1] He occasionally scored and composed music for film.[7]

  1. ^ a b Kotapish, Paul (2005). "BIG little MUSIC: The Weird and Wonderful World of String Wizard David Lindley". Acoustic Guitar Magazine. pp. Cover Story. Archived from the original on June 14, 2009. Retrieved May 31, 2009.
  2. ^ Doran, Bob (August 25, 2005). "Preview: Organic Polyester". North Coast Journal. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Legends was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Marsh, Dave; Bernard, James (1994). New Book of Rock Lists. Simon and Schuster. p. 347. ISBN 9780671787004.
  5. ^ Helen Casabona, ed. (1989). Rock Guitar. Hal Leonard. p. 107. ISBN 9780881889086.
  6. ^ Madsen, Pete (2005). Slide Guitar: Know the Players, Play the Music. Hal Leonard. p. 55. ISBN 9780879308520.
  7. ^ "David Lindley". IMDb.com. Retrieved January 22, 2020.