Hornsby was born and raised in Williamsburg, Virginia, and studied music at the University of Richmond, Berkelee College of Music, and the University of Miami before moving to Los Angeles to write film music. He played with soft rockers Ambrosia and pop star Sheena Easton before forming the Range, who struck platinum with their 1986 debut, The Way It Is. In addition to recording and composing with Leon Russell, Don Henley, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, Squeeze, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and others, Hornsby continued his Grateful Dead-related activities by performing with Bob Weir’s Ratdog and Mickey Hart and broadened his stylistic reach by working with artists like bluegrass great Ricky Skaggs and jazz players like Wayne Shorter, Charlie Haden, and Branford Marsalis. He launched the Noisemakers in the late 1990s and has released six albums with the group.
Hear Hornsby and the Noisemakers play his inescapable 1986 hit “Mandolin Rain”:
Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers will perform at the Ulster Performing Arts Center (UPAC) in Kingston, New York, on April 27 at 8pm. Tickets are $47, $57, and $77. For more information, call (845) 339-6088 or buy tickets online.