Dave Gibson, Boulder. Master guitar, mandolin, and fiddler player, singer, songwriter, and original “danger man” David Bromberg was labeled an “American icon” by fellow musician Dr. John. If you were a connoisseur of blues and bluegrass in the 1970s, you were into Bromberg and his unique slant on each. He is renowned for his fingerpicking style learned from blues guitar legend Reverend Gary Davis, his humorous lyrics, and the most poignant version of Mr. Bojangles ever recorded. David has eighteen solo albums to his credit and contributed to over 75 artists’ works including those of the Eagles, Willie Nelson, Jerry Garcia, Bob Dylan, Richie Havens, Linda Ronstadt, and Carly Simon. George Harrison co-wrote the song Hold Up with Bromberg and played on the self-titled 1972 debut release David Bromberg.

Opening number Big Bill Broonzy’s popular 1935 standard The Sun Gonna Shine In My Back Door Someday firmly set the tone for the evening. Seamlessly transitioning through Tennessee Waltz, Diamond Lil, What A Town, and Kaatskill Serenade, after 55 years in the business, David’s vocals are solid as ever. Later, the entire quintet gathered on one side of the stage for an inspirational a cappella rendition of Standing In The Need Of Prayer. Attendees thoroughly entertained by that point, former Jefferson Airplane member Jorma Kaukonen joined Bromberg onstage in an acoustic guitar jam to wrap up the sixty-minute set. David reminisced that he met Jorma in the late ‘60s and has been playing with him ever since. It had been forty years since I’d seen David Bromberg in concert, and for an hour in his presence, all those years felt like a day.

Featuring twelve new tracks, Bromberg’s nineteenth album Big Road will be released on CD, vinyl, and DVD April 17, 2020. For further details go to www.DavidBromberg.net.     

(Originally published in the March 5, 2020, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)