David Nelson is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He is perhaps best known as a co-founder and longtime member of the New Riders of the Purple Sage.
Career
Nelson started his musical career playing folk and bluegrass music, most notably as a member of The Wildwood Boys with Jerry Garcia. Shortly after his friend and former bandmate began to play rock music with The Warlocks, Nelson joined the similarly inclined New Delhi River Band. Although they lacked the managerial acumen and cultural cachet of the Grateful Dead and elected to remain in East Palo Alto, California unlike the former group, who soon relocated to the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, the New Delhi River Band were considered to be the house band of The Barn in Scotts Valley, California by late 1966. The group continued to enjoy a cult following in Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Counties through the Summer of Love until their dissolution in early 1968. While performing with various ephemeral bluegrass groups in early 1969, Nelson was recruited by the remaining rhythm section of Peter Albin and Dave Getz to serve as the lead guitarist of the reconstituted Big Brother and the Holding Company. Before the group began to audition potential replacements for Janis Joplin, Garcia and fellow Palo Alto folk scene veteran John "Marmaduke" Dawson invited Nelson to serve as the lead guitarist for their new psychedelic country rock venture, the New Riders of the Purple Sage. After playing with the New Riders from 1969 to 1982, Nelson left the band to pursue other musical opportunities; these included a stint on Broadway as a member of the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band and some time touring with Al Rapone and the Zydeco Express. In the mid 1990s, Nelson formed his own group, the critically acclaimed David Nelson Band, whose original members included Bill Laymon on bass, Barry Sless on lead and pedal steel guitar, Michael "Mookie" Siegel on keyboards and accordion, and Arthur Steinhorn on drums. Later on, drumming duties were shared by Charlie Crane, Greg Anton and Jimmy Sanchez. Since 2007, working under the name David Nelson Band, the lineup now includes Pete Sears on bass and keyboards, and John Molo on drums. Along with noted steel player Buddy Cage and guitarist Michael Falzarano, Nelson re-formed The New Riders of the Purple Sage in 2005. This band is currently experiencing a resurgence in popularity, due not only to the veteran performers who front the band but because of the energy provided by drummer Johnny Markowski and Ronnie Penque on bass. In addition to NRPS, Nelson still performs with the David Nelson Band as well as with The Papermill Creek Rounders, a bluegrass group he co-founded with his long-time friend, Lowell "Banana" Levenger. During the summer of 2006, Nelson was asked to contribute to an album of Grateful Dead songs being made in Nashville by Jesse McReynolds. While in Nashville for the recording sessions, Nelson appeared on the Grand Ole Opry and played "Ripple," the first-ever Grateful Dead song to be performed on the Opry. In addition to his work in his own bands, Nelson has performed as a guest artist on recordings by many other artists, including three Grateful Dead albums: Aoxomoxoa, Workingman's Dead, and American Beauty. He is well known as the lead singer on The New Riders of the Purple Sage's 1973 countercultural anthem, "Panama Red". In 2019, following the passing of Robert Hunter, Nelson released a previously unheard collaboration with the lyricist.
Discography
This is a partial discography of albums on which David Nelson appears.
