What do the words "swing, bluegrass, Latin, jazz and gypsy" have in common? They are all genres of music, and they have been combined into a contemporary music genre dubbed "dawg" music by its creator, mandolin player and composer David Grisman. Because he couldn't think of what to call his unique hybrid of acoustic bluegrass, folk, and jazz, he offhandedly decided to call it "dawg music" (Jerry Garcia, in 1973, had given Grisman the nickname "Dawg")-- a name which, curiously enough, has stuck.
The first time David Grisman heard bluegrass, his life changed forever. Grisman was exposed to a wide range of folk and traditional music that was filling the airwaves to fill the void left by the untimely death of Buddy Holly and Elvis' enlistment in the Army. When David was a teenager growing up in New Jersey, he discovered the mandolin and studied under folklorist Ralph Rinzler. He began his mandolin career in the style of Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass Music. Grisman was playing the piano, saxophone, and mandolin by the time he was 16. Grisman studied English at New York University in the early 1960's and took his mandolin with him to Greenwich Village, where the folk music culture of the early 1960's welcomed him warmly.
In 1963 Grisman debuted as both a recording artist (Elektra's Even Dozen Jug Band) and producer (Folkways' Red Allen, Frank Wakefield and the Kentuckians). In 1966, bluegrass bandleader Red Allen invited Grisman to join his Kentuckians, and the following year Grisman joined Peter Rowan in the progressive Earth Opera, which blended folk, country, rock, pop, and jazz. After two albums, Grisman moved to San Francisco and started playing with Jerry Garcia, including on the Grateful Dead's classic album American Beauty. Grisman and Garcia also composed original tunes and played with bluegrass contemporary Peter Rowan to form the bluegrass band Old and In The Way.
Grisman began applying jazz musical techniques to his playing beginning in 1967. He was a prolific session musician at this time, and played many genres of music with musicians such as Bela Fleck, the Grateful Dead, Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt , Earl Scruggs, Dan Fogelberg, Maria Muldaur, John Sebastian and James Taylor.
David met guitarist Tony Rice and the David Grisman Quintet formed in 1975 with bassist/ mandolinist Todd Phillips and violinist Darol Anger. The David Grisman Quintet headlined at the world's largest jazz, folk, and bluegrass festivals for twenty-five years.
In 1979 Grisman released Hot Dawg, which came to be known as Grisman's breakthrough album. It featured guest playing by jazz violin legend Stephane Grappelli. In 1981 Grisman recorded another of his signature pieces, Mondo Mando. In 1982's Grappelli joined David on Dawg Jazz/Dawg Grass, which included both swing and bluegrass.
In 1990, Grisman founded the Acoustic Disc label, which has released fifty-five compact discs, all produced or co-produced by David. Five of those have been nominated for Grammy Awards.
David is also a fine guitarist and collects mandolins and guitars. He has quite a few rare instruments. He mainly plays Gibson mandolins, in particular the Lloyd Loar Model F-5's. He also owns a Lloyd Loar cello, viola, and guitar. He has a lot of unique mandolins, guitars and related instruments.
David Grisman explains that he continues to find inspiration for new music by listening to old. Recent samplings include Raffaele Calace, a famous Renaissance mandolin builder, composer, and player and also Ralph Stanley bluegrass archives from the 1970's.
David Grisman is a true music pioneer and has inspired a new genre of acoustic string instrumental music. He is a master of the mandolin and remains a talented composer, teacher, and record producer. Because of the success of Acoustic Disc, artist-owned independent music labels now have a talented mentor and business model to follow.
