b. Killen, Alabama, March 16, 1943
Nashville Cat
David Briggs began playing piano on R&B, pop, and country hits in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, in his teens. After a brief stint as a pop singer, Briggs moved to Nashville in 1964 to focus on a career as a studio musician. The following year, Briggs backed Elvis Presley in the studio, an association that continued until Presley’s death.
Briggs juggled instruments and genres through the decades, playing piano and organ on country hits by Charley Pride and Jerry Reed, by Alabama and Reba McEntire, and by Kenny Chesney and Shania Twain. On the rock side, Briggs recorded with Joan Baez, the Beau Brummels, the Monkees, and Bob Seger. The keyboardist was a member of the acclaimed band Area Code 615, made up of Nashville studio pros.
In 1969, Briggs and bassist-producer Norbert Putnam opened Quadrafonic Sound Studios in Nashville, and the studio became a favorite of visitors from New York, Los Angeles, and other music centers. Briggs also is an arranger, producer, songwriter, and music publisher (including the Academy Award-winning song “Up Where We Belong” and the Steve Winwood hit “Higher Love”).
J.J. Cale, Really, 1972
J.J. Cale, Really, 1972
Country Song Roundup, February 1972
Listen to David Briggs
Selected Songs
J.J. Cale, “Kiss This World Goodbye” (J.J. Cale)
Among the musicians featured on this recording are David Briggs, piano; J.J. Cale, guitar; Norbert Putnam, bass; Kenny Buttrey, drums.
From the album Really, 1972. Produced by Audie Ashworth at Quadrafonic Sound Studios, Nashville.
Mickey Newbury, “Just Dropped In (to See What Condition My Condition Was In)” (Mickey Newbury)
Among the musicians featured on this recording are David Briggs, harpsichord; Norbert Putnam, bass.
From the album Harlequin Melodies, 1968. Produced by Felton Jarvis at RCA Studio B, Nashville.
Eric Andersen, “All I Remember Is You” (Eric Andersen)
Among the musicians featured on this recording are David Briggs, piano; Andy Johnson, guitar; Weldon Myrick, pedal steel guitar; Norbert Putnam, bass; Kenny Buttrey, drums.
From the album A Country Dream, 1969. Produced by Jack Lothrop at Cinderella Sound Studio, Madison, Tennessee.
Jimmy Hughes, “Steal Away” (Jimmy Hughes)
The musicians featured on this recording are David Briggs, piano and organ; Terry Thompson, guitar; Norbert Putnam, bass; Jerry Carrigan, drums.
From the album Steal Away, 1965. Produced by Rick Hall at FAME Studios, Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
Conway Twitty, “The Image of Me” (Wayne Kemp)
Among the musicians featured on this recording are David Briggs, piano; Lew Houston, pedal steel guitar; Grady Martin, electric guitar; Bob Moore, bass; Tommy Markham, drums.
From the album Here’s Conway Twitty and His Lonely Blue Boys, 1968. Produced by Owen Bradley at Columbia Studios, Nashville.
Elvis Presley, “Love Letters” (Edward Heyman, Victor Young)
Among the musicians featured on this recording are David Briggs, piano; Floyd Cramer, organ; Bob Moore, bass; D.J. Fontana, drums; Millie Kirkham, backing vocal; June Page, backing vocal; Dolores Edgin, backing vocal.
Single, 1966. Produced by Felton Jarvis at RCA Studio B, Nashville.
Meet the Cats
Best known for his harmonica technique—distinguished by speed, clarity, and exceptional phrasing, Charlie McCoy is a multi-instrumentalist who has been recorded on bass, guitar, keyboards, percussion, saxophone, trumpet, and tuba.
Charlie Daniels proved pivotal to many of the Nashville recording sessions of Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan. Because Daniels had a strong blues influence, Johnston felt he would fit with the adventurous singer-songwriters.
Ben Keith was a prominent Nashville pedal steel guitarist and dobro specialist before becoming a producer and instrumentalist for Neil Young.
One of country music’s most admired and influential steel guitarists, Weldon Myrick taught himself to play lap steel and, at age thirteen, landed a job on a radio station near his hometown of Jayton, Texas.
Mac Gayden grew up fascinated by the R&B acts he heard in his hometown of Nashville. That interest helped him develop a style as a guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter distinctly different from other Nashville studio pros.
Lloyd Green developed an emotional, resonant style of pedal steel guitar playing that gave him a distinct sound apart from other top steel specialists.
At age eighteen, Pete Drake heard steel guitarist Jerry Byrd on the Grand Ole Opry during a trip to Nashville. Duly inspired, Drake purchased a steel guitar in an Atlanta pawnshop. The decision not only changed his life, but impacted the sound of country and rock music.
Pig Robbins earned his stripes by creating the rocking piano on George Jones’s “White Lightnin’.” Over the ensuing decades, his integral role on Music Row recording sessions earned him membership in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2012.
In his distinctive fiddle style, Buddy Spicher combined a rich tonal quality with bluegrass precision and an adventurous sense of swing. After arriving in Nashville, he quickly gained attention as a dazzling instrumentalist capable of handling country, jazz, pop, and rock.
Inspired by Country Music Hall of Fame members Chet Atkins and Earl Scruggs, Wayne Moss’s iconic guitar riffs helped forge the identifiable sounds of country and rock hits.
Norbert Putnam is a widely admired bassist, record producer, and studio owner. He started his career in his teens recording with soul singer Arthur Alexander at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, as part of a renowned rhythm section that included keyboardist David Briggs and drummer Jerry Carrigan.
Grady Martin was a member of a loose collection of legendary studio musicians known as the Nashville A-team. His versatility and creativity as a guitarist also appealed to younger rockers and singer-songwriters who came to Nashville.
David Briggs began playing piano on R&B, pop, and country hits in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, in his teens. After a brief stint as a pop singer, Briggs moved to Nashville in 1964 to focus on a career as a studio musician.
Three-time Grammy winner Jerry Reed is most famous for his colorful, catchy story songs steeped in Southern attitude and lore. He was recognized as a groundbreaking guitarist with a guitar technique that gave an extra layer of funky, back-country grease.
The preferred drummer for artists across America—he built a lasting legacy with his work in R&B and rock.
Fred Carter Jr. began his career in northeastern Louisiana playing rock & roll. He backed Dale Hawkins, known for his rock hit “Susie-Q,” and later played with Ronnie Hawkins, Dale’s cousin, in his backing group, the Hawks. Carter left and was replaced by Robbie Robertson before the group evolved into the Band.