David Lindley (musician)


Lindley in 2013

Background information
Birth name: David Perry Lindley
Also known as: De Paris Letante, Mr. Dave
Born: March 21, 1944; San Marino, California, U.S.
Died: March 3, 2023 (aged 78); Pomona, California, U.S.
Genres; Rock, country, world
Occupations: Musician, songwriter, producer, composer
Instruments: Guitar, string instruments
Years active: 1962–2020
Labels: Asylum, Atlantic, Epic, RCA Victor, Shanachie
Formerly of: Kaleidoscope, Terry Reid, El Rayo-X, Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, Ry Cooder, Linda Ronstadt
Website: davidlindley.com

David Perry Lindley (March 21, 1944 – March 3, 2023) was an American musician who founded the rock band El Rayo-X and worked with many other performers including Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Ry Cooder, Bonnie Raitt, Warren Zevon, Curtis Mayfield and Dolly Parton. He mastered such a wide variety of instruments that Acoustic Guitar magazine referred to him not as a multi-instrumentalist but instead as a "maxi-instrumentalist." On stage, Lindley was known for wearing garishly colored polyester shirts with clashing pants, gaining the nickname the Prince of Polyester.

The majority of the instruments that Lindley played are string instruments, including violin, acoustic and electric guitar, upright and electric bass, banjo, mandolin, dobro, hardingfele, bouzouki, cittern, bağlama, gumbus, charango, cümbüş, oud and zither. He was described as "the unparalleled master of the lap steel guitar" in the rock music sphere, and an expert in Hawaiian-style slide guitar blues.

Lindley was a founding member of the 1960s psychedelic band Kaleidoscope and worked as musical director for several touring artists. He occasionally scored and composed music for film.

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