David Byrne
David Byrne | |
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 Byrne in April 2018 | |
| Born | 14 May 1952 Dumbarton, Scotland |
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| Years active | 1971–present |
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| Children | 1 |
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| Origin | Arbutus, Maryland, U.S. |
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| Website | davidbyrne |
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David Byrne (/bɜːrn/; born May 14, 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist, and filmmaker, who is well known as the founding member, principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of Talking Heads.
Byrne has released solo recordings and worked with various media including film, photography, opera, fiction, and non-fiction. He has received an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, a Special Tony Award, and a Golden Globe Award, and he is an inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of Talking Heads.
Early life and education
On May 14, 1952, David Byrne was born , in Dumbarton, Scotland to parents Emma Byrne, who came from a Presbyterian home, and Tom Byrne, who's family was Catholic. David's parents would leave Scotland for a number of reasons. In a 2018 interview, David discussed their reasoning including his father looking for a new job and the stigma they faced in Scotland because of their mixed religious household. “Looking back I sense that they wanted economic betterment and I think they probably wanted to be free of all the mixed marriage religious stuff. It was quite oppressive.”[1]
The family moved to Hamilton, Ontario when he was 2 years old, and while there his sister Celia was born. Around the age of 9, his family moved to Arbutus, near Baltimore, Maryland in the US.
Following the move to Maryland, Byrne still had had his thick Scottish accent, which lead to feelings of being an outsider.[2]
Early music career
Byrne began recording in his youth on a reel to reel tape recorder in his basement.[2]
Talking Heads
Solo career
On May 26, 2024 Ghost Train Orchestra posted photos to their Instagram account with a caption saying they were recording new songs written by Byrne, alongside producer Kid Harpoon.[3]
Personal Life
Political Activism
While Byrne was previously politically active largely outside of his live concerts, the 2018 American Utopia tour saw a change in Byrne's persona on stage. While previously adverse to breaks in between songs, this tour saw Byrne stopping multiple times to discuss voting in local elections and police violence in the United States.[4]
In 2024, Byrne travelled to Washington, D.C. to lobby for the American Music Fairness Act, which Byrne argues would allow musicians to get paid for radio play. Byrne discussed his reasoning and visit in an opinion piece published in USA Today.[5]
Discography
- My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (1981) (with Brian Eno)
- Rei Momo (1989)
- Uh-Oh (1992)
- David Byrne (1994)
- Feelings (1997)
- Look into the Eyeball (2001)
- Grown Backwards (2004)
- Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (2008) (with Brian Eno)
- Love This Giant (2012) (with St. Vincent)
- American Utopia (2018)
Filmography
Other projects
- ↑ Byrne, David. David Byrne’s Desert Island Discs. 18 Mar. 2018, www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09vz6r1. Accessed 30 July 2024.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cooper, Anderson. “David Byrne on Talking Heads and Following His Own Beat.” Www.cbsnews.com, 5 Mar. 2023, www.cbsnews.com/news/david-byrne-60-minutes-2023-03-05/.
- ↑ Ghost Train Orchestra. “Instagram.” Www.instagram.com, 26 May 2024, www.instagram.com/p/C7dFlA-gGAr/?img_index=10. Accessed 30 July 2024.
- ↑ “David Byrne Sings about Philando Castile during His Encore at the Orpheum.” Startribune.com, 18 May 2018, www.startribune.com/david-byrne-sings-about-philando-castile-during-his-encore-at-the-orpheum/483062661. Accessed 12 Aug. 2024.
- ↑ Byrne, David. “David Byrne: Why Radio Should Pay Singers like Beyoncé and Willie Nelson.” USA TODAY, 8 July 2024, www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2024/07/08/beyonce-willie-nelson-pink-rihanna-radio-songs-david-byrne/74284981007/. Accessed 11 July 2024.