David Grier
title: "David Grier" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["american-acoustic-guitarists", "american-male-guitarists", "living-people", "1961-births", "psychograss-members"] topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Grier" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | David Grier |
| image | David Grier on April 2, 2024.jpg |
| landscape | |
| caption | Grier in April 2024 |
| birth_date | 1961 |
| birth_place | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| death_date | |
| genre | Bluegrass, acoustic |
| occupation | Musician |
| instrument | Guitar |
| years_active | 1981–present |
| label | Dreadnaught |
| associated_acts | Psychograss, Helen Highwater, Phillips, Grier & Flinner |
| website | |
| :: |
| honorific_prefix = | name = David Grier | honorific_suffix = | image = David Grier on April 2, 2024.jpg | image_upright = | image_size = | landscape = | alt = | caption = Grier in April 2024 | native_name = | native_name_lang = | birth_name = | alias = | birth_date = 1961 | birth_place = Washington, D.C., U.S. | origin = | death_date = | death_place = | genre = Bluegrass, acoustic | occupation = Musician | instrument = Guitar | years_active = 1981–present | label = Dreadnaught | associated_acts = Psychograss, Helen Highwater, Phillips, Grier & Flinner | website = | module = | module2 = | module3 =
David Grier is an American acoustic guitarist. A three-time IBMA guitarist of the year, Grier has been lauded as highly influential and a master flatpicker by music publications and several of his colleagues.
Grier is particularly known for crosspicking, as well as unique phrasing and repeated variations of melody and harmony parts. The Bluegrass Situation has noted Grier's "phenomenal cross-picking guitar techniques, which put him among the greatest bluegrass players of the last several decades."
He has the rare distinction of appearing as a guitarist on bluegrass albums which have been nominated for Grammy Awards in three different decades.
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/David_Grier_playing_a_session_at_Stargel_Studios,_April_2_2024.jpg" caption="David Grier playing a session at Tunesmith Studios, April 2, 2024"] ::
Biography
Early history
Grier was born in Washington D.C. in 1961. His family moved to Nashville when he was 3, and he began playing guitar at age 6.{{cite web |url=http://www.chiefnoda.com/intvw/dg.html |title=David Grier Interview|work=Chief Noda|access-date=July 3, 2017}} Grier's father Lamar was a banjo player in Bluegrass legend Bill Monroe's band for a number of years.
Roland White was a major musical influence on the young Grier, and helped him learn to play. Grier's guitar playing is also heavily influenced by that of Clarence White, Roland's brother.
When he was 20 years old, Grier joined the Virginia band Full Time.
Psychograss
Grier performs solo and as a member of the group Psychograss, founded by Darol Anger and Mike Marshall.
Helen Highwater
In 2015, bluegrass supergroup Helen Highwater, consisting of Grier, Shad Cobb (fiddle), Missy Raines (bass), and Mike Compton (mandolin), released one self-titled EP.
Music instruction
Grier worked with Matt Flinner, Darol Anger, Tony Trischka, and Todd Phillips to prepare the All Star Bluegrass Jam Along instruction books and CDs for Homespun Music Instruction.
Musical instruments
Grier owns his father's 1955 Martin D-18. The D-18 was his main guitar for a number of years but is now "retired." He also played a Nashville Guitar Company dreadnought, built by renowned luthier Marty Lanham in Nashville, TN, the guitar was sold in 2009 with the music store Elderly Instruments. His current principal guitar is a Martin D-28, which was built in 1946.
Awards
Grier was named "Guitar Player of the Year" by the International Bluegrass Music Association three times (1992, 1993 and 1995).
Grier was recognized by Acoustic Guitar magazine as one of the top ten influential artists of the 1990s.
Influence
Molly Tuttle has called Grier "one of [her] guitar heroes". During her appearance on the Guitar Player Magazine show "My Life in Five Riffs", called Grier's version of "Bill Cheatham" a "masterclass in flatpicking guitar" and said of his influence, "he plays around with a melody, and also fills out the melody, so you can hear these chord changes around the melody of a fiddle tune, and I love that about his playing - that he incorporates a lot of crosspicking so you don't just hear the melody, you hear all the harmony."
Discography
Main article: David Grier discography
References
References
- "A Really Weird Dream: Guitarist David Grier Fulfills His Destiny". Fretboard Journal.
- Blair Jackson. "Guitar Talk: Nashville Picker Extraordinaire David Grier is Happy to Play Anything". Acoustic Guitar Magazine.
- "Episode 16 with David Grier". Banjo Studio Podcast.
- Troy Grady. "The David Grier Interview is here". Cracking The Code.
- Steve Hochman. "Guitarist David Grier Steps Out as a Lead Singer, Too".
- "North By South". Compass Records.
- John Lawless. "New Tony Trischka project due in January".
- Claire Lynch. "Moonlighter".
- Bogdanov, Vladimir. (2001). "All Music Guide: The Definitive Guide to Popular Music". Hal Leonard Corporation.
- Harris, Craig. "Psychograss: Biography". Allmusic.
- (June 17, 2015). "Helen Highwater to Roe Entertainment". Bluegrass Today.
- "Homespun Instructor: David Grier". Homespun.
- Lankford, Ronnie. "David Grier: Biography". Allmusic.
- (August 27, 2020). "Molly Tuttle on Angeline the Baker". Premier Guitar.
- (February 3, 2020). "Molly Tuttle: My Life In Five Riffs". [[Guitar Player Magazine]].
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