Bio Full Biography »

David Lindley is the consummate musician's musician. A much-respected session player, Lindley has added his melodic string playing to albums by a lengthy list of artists, including Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, Linda Ronstadt, Rory Block, Ry Cooder, Warren Zevon, Terry Reid, David Blue, James Taylor, David Crosby, and Graham Nash. From 1971 until 1981, Lindley played a guiding role on Jackson Browne's recordings and concert performances. Lindley's eclectic approach provided the foundation for his own bands, Kaleidoscope (1967 -- 1970) and El Rayo X (1981 -- 1990). A native of Southern California, Lindley began playing banjo as a teenager and soon added the fiddle. By his late teens, he had acquired a reputation as California's best young instrumentalist, winning the Topanga Canyon banjo and fiddle competition five times. After playing with a series of traditional folk and bluegrass bands, including the Smog City Trestle Hangers, the Mad Mountain Ramblers, and the Dry City Scat Band, Lind...