04/24/2025
David was a great one ,but humble and gracious
RIP original FAME keyboardist David Briggs.
David Briggs obituary
David Briggs, legendary producer, arranger, session keyboardist, songwriter, music director, publisher and studio owner has passed away at the age of 82. A native of Killen, Alabama, he was only 14 when he played on his first session as a musician. For over 50 years, he played on over 10,000 sessions and contributed his unique sound on over 200 #1 records, and thousands of charted records, making him one of the most recorded keyboard players of all time.
As a member of Rick Hallโs original Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, Briggs was part of the vanguard that defined the Muscle Shoals sound, creating music distinct from that of Memphis and Motown. Between 1961-1964, Briggs played with numerous artists, and on dozens of hit records, that included: Arthur Alexanderโs โBetter Move On,โ Jimmy Hughesโ โSteal Away,โ Tommy Roeโs โEverybody,โ โCome On,โ O. B. McClintonโs โTradinโ Stamps,โ and The Tamsโs โUntie Me,โ You Liedโ and โWhat Kind of Fool Do You Think I am.โ
In 1964, Briggs moved to Nashville at the urging of legendary producer Owen Bradley, who signed Briggs as an artist to Decca Records a year earlier. Before settling into his new home, he went on tour with Tommy Roe, and was again part of musical history, when he backed Roe, The Righteous Brothers, and other acts at the Washington Coliseum, for the Beatles first appearance in the United States. Following that tour, Briggs returned to Nashville, and quickly became a fixture in Nashvilleโs musical landscape.
One of many defining moments occurred 1966, when he replaced Floyd Cramer to record Elvis Presleyโs notable hit โLove Letters.โ The collaboration between Briggs and Elvis continued between 1966 and 1977, and produced over 200 sides including keyboard contributions on dozens of studio albums such as the renowned โJungle Room Sessions,โ and various stints on tour as a member of the TCB band.
Just years later, from 1969-1970, Briggs was a founding member of the Grammy nominated group, Area Code 615, an amalgam of Nashvilleโs best session players that included Charlie McCoy, Weldon Myrick, Kenny Buttrey, Wayne Moss, Buddy Spicher, Norbert Putnam, Mac Gayden, and Bobby Thompson. The group recorded two albums, Area Code 615, which garnered a (1970) Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Performance, and โA Trip In The Country,โ both of which are considered to be influential, genre-busting achievements fusing Country and Rock and Roll.
It was also during this period that Briggs established Quadraphonic Studio with Norbert Putnam and Eliot Mazer. Quad quickly became the center of Rock and Roll recording in Nashville, hosting a coterie of legendary artists including Neil Young, Joan Baez, Linda Rondstadt, Dan Fogelberg, Eddie Rabbitt, and The James Gang. After a historic ten-year partnership, Briggs and Putnam sold Quad, and Briggs moved the famed Quad-eight board to his new studio, the House of David, where his first clients included Neil Young, Joe Cocker, Roy Orbison, Bo Didley, Tom Jones, and Willie Nelson. For the next 50 years, the House of David has been among the cityโs top independent recording studios and is notably the oldest continually operating studio on Nashvilleโs storied Music Row.
While in demand as Nashvilleโs premiere session keyboard player, Briggs expanded his publishing enterprise in the 1980โs with Academy Award winning songwriter Will Jennings. Together their Will โNโ David and David โN Will publishing venture was responsible for a plethora of pop and country hits from Steve Winwoodโs โValerie,โ Higher Love,โ and โRoll With It,โ to Whitney Houstonโs โDidnโt We Almost Have It Allโ and McBride and the Rideโs โSacred Groundโ and Shenandoahโs โNext to You Next to Me.โ
Any attempt to capture the breadth of Briggsโs recording experience is staggering, but a sampling of the 40 plus Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artists he has worked with includes Chet Atkins, The Allman Brothers, Joan Baez, Leonard Coen, Neil Diamond, Al Green, George Harrison, The Everly Brothers, B. B. King, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, Linda Rondstadt, Leon Russell, Todd Rundgren, Bob Seger, Paul Simon, Percy Sledge, and Mick Fleetwood. The list of Country Music Hall of Fame artists is even more exhaustive and includes 90 artists such as Johnny Cash, Brenda Lee, Dolly Parton, Bill Monroe, Eddy Arnold, Roy Acuff, Gene Autry, Garth Brooks, Glenn Campbell, Charlie Daniels, Merle Haggard, Vince Gill, George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn, Reba McEntire, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson, George Strait and Hank Williams Jr.
In addition to session work Briggs served 13 years as Musical Director for the CMA Awards show, worked on numerous HBO specials, the CBS Hall of Fame Special, The 65th Anniversary of the Grand Ole Opry, and a tribute to Minnie Pearl. He also produced numerous jingles for products such as Miller Beer, Budweiser, Coors, Burger King, McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Chevrolet, Coca Cola, 7-Up, Dr. Pepper, Sears, K-Mart, and NBC.
Among the numerous honors accumulated over his 60 year career Briggs was inducted into the Alabama Hall of Fame in 1999, was recognized by the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2011 as a โNashville Catโ and was featured in its most popular exhibition, Dylan, Cash, and the Nashville Cats: a New Music City, which ran from March 2015 to February 2017. He was also inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2019. Briggsโs career was devoted to the creation of memorable music and left an indelible imprint on Americaโs diverse musical landscape.
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