David Rawlings
David Rawlings | |
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Background information | |
Born | North Smithfield, Rhode Island, U.S. | December 30, 1969
Occupation(s) |
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Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
Website | www |
David Todd Rawlings (born December 30, 1969) is an American guitarist, singer, and record producer. He is known for his partnership with singer and songwriter
Life and career
Rawlings attended the Berklee College of Music and studied with Lauren Passarelli.[3] He produced albums by Gillian Welch, Willie Watson, Dawes, and Old Crow Medicine Show. In the mid-2010s he led a band called the Dave Rawlings Machine, composed of Rawlings, Gillian Welch, Willie Watson, Paul Kowert, and Brittany Haas. John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin has been known to play mandolin with the band occasionally.[4] Rawlings contributed to the albums Cassadaga by Bright Eyes, Spooked by Robyn Hitchcock, and Heartbreaker by Ryan Adams, with whom he wrote two songs, "To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High)" and "Touch, Feel and Lose".[5] His vocal style has often been compared to that of Bob Dylan.[6][7]
Recordings
A Friend of a Friend (2009)
The Dave Rawlings Machine album A Friend of a Friend was released on November 17, 2009. Rawlings recorded the album in
Nashville Obsolete (2015)
In 2015 Dave Rawlings Machine released a second album, Nashville Obsolete.[11] The album was named to Rolling Stone's list of the top 40 country albums of 2016.[4] In late 2016 Acony issued Boots No 1: The Official Revival Bootleg, a deluxe version of the 1996 Welch album considered a "modern Americana classic" and the first collaboration for the duo.[1]
Poor David's Almanack (2017)
Poor David's Almanack, released on August 11, 2017, via
Start to finish, the album is a testament both to his immeasurable talent and to his essential place in the roots and Americana music scene. It's also a chance for a guy otherwise happy to play sideman or stand behind the boards to step out just a touch further into a well-deserved spotlight.[14]
— Brittney McKenna, Rolling Stone
"Cumberland Gap" was used as the opening song to
All the Good Times (Are Past and Gone) (2020)
In July 2020, Rawlings and Welch announced All the Good Times (Are Past & Gone), an album of covers and traditional songs recorded at their home during the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020.[17] All the Good Times is notably the first album in their decades-long history of collaboration to be released jointly in both of their names.[18] The album won the 2021 Grammy Award for Best Folk Album.[2]
Instrument
Rawlings achieves his signature guitar sound flatpicking a small archtop guitar. The 1935 Epiphone Olympic that has been his primary instrument was a mid-priced guitar for its time, with a carved arched solid sprucewood top, carved arched solid mahogany back and mahogany sides.[19] It sold for about $35 in 1935[20] (equivalent to $780 in 2023[21]). The guitar's lower bout measures 13 5/8 inches wide, and it has three piece f-holes.[19]
Rawlings "scavenged" the guitar from a friend's garage and is now hardly seen playing anything else. As he states, "I just picked it up. It was filthy, and it didn't have strings. You could just see the shape of it under the sawdust." Rawlings had a new one piece bridge made for it and brought it to a recording session for Welch's first record. "As soon as I heard it through the microphone and through the speakers I was like, 'I love this guitar'." he says.[22]
Discography
Dave Rawlings Machine
- A Friend of a Friend (Acony, 2009)
- Nashville Obsolete (Acony, 2015)
David Rawlings
- Poor David's Almanack (Acony, 2017)
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
- All the Good Times (Are Past & Gone) (Acony, 2020)
Gillian Welch
- Revival (Almo Sounds, 1996)
- Hell Among the Yearlings (Acony, 1998)
- Time (The Revelator) (Acony, 2001)
- Soul Journey (Acony, 2003)
- The Harrow & The Harvest(Acony, 2011)
- Boots No. 1: The Official Revival Bootleg (Acony, 2016)
- Boots No. 2: The Lost Songs (Acony, 2020)
As guest
With Ryan Adams
- Heartbreaker (2000)
- Demolition (2002)
With Bright Eyes
- Four Winds (Saddle Creek, 2007)
- Cassadaga (Saddle Creek, 2007)
With others
- Ani DiFranco, Swing Set (2000)
- Old Crow Medicine Show, Old Crow Medicine Show (2004)
- Robyn Hitchcock, Spooked (2004)
- The Whispertown 2000, Swim (Acony, 2008)
- Sara Watkins, Sara Watkins (Nonesuch, 2009)
References
- ^ a b "Review: Gillian Welch, 'Boots No. 1 The Official Revival Bootleg'". NPR.org. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
- ^ a b Hussey, Allison (March 14, 2021). "Gillian Welch and David Rawlings Win Best Folk Album at 2021 Grammys". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ Reed, James (June 2010). "Dave Rawlings takes the lead". Boston.com. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
- ^ a b "40 Best Country Albums of 2015". Rolling Stone. December 8, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
- ^ "DAVE RAWLINGS MACHINE - A Friend Of A Friend American Songwriter". American Songwriter. November 17, 2009. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
- ^ a b "Dave Rawlings Machine: A Friend of a Friend". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
- ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
- ^ Hogan, Phil (November 13, 2009). "Dave Rawlings Machine: A Friend of a Friend". The Observer. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
- ^ Graff, Gary (September 29, 2009). "Dave Rawlings Steps Into Spotlight With 'A Friend Of A Friend'". Billboard.com. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
- ^ "Gillian Welch & David Rawlings: The Fresh Air Interview". Npr.org. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- ^ Spencer, Neil (September 13, 2015). "Dave Rawlings Machine: Nashville Obsolete CD review". The Observer. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
- ^ "David Rawlings Readies New Album, 'Poor David's Almanack'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
- ^ "David Rawlings: Poor David's Almanack review – his most Welch-like release by far". The Guardian. August 6, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- ^ a b "Hear David Rawlings' Haunting New Song 'Cumberland Gap'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
- ^ Empire, Kitty (August 6, 2017). "David Rawlings: Poor David's Almanack review". The Guardian. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
- ^ Shah, Neil (July 22, 2017). "Why Vinyl's Boom Is Over". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
- ^ "All The Good Times | Gillian Welch". July 10, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ "Gillian Welch and David Rawlings: All the Good Times review – lockdown covers of Dylan and Prine". the Guardian. February 19, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ a b 1934 Epiphone sales catalog
- ^ "Acguitar.com". Acguitar.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "See Dave Rawlings Talk Vintage Guitars in New Series". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
External links
- David Rawlings and Gillian Welch NPR Tiny Desk Concert Video
- David Rawlings on PBS NewsHour