David Olney

by John Bush
Though multi-instrumentalist David Olney is a folk singer at heart, he incorporates wide-ranging inspirations from honky tonk to rock into his standard repertoire. Born in Rhode Island, Olney moved to Nashville during the early '70s and became a major player in the city's underground folk/country scene. He gained a contract with the folk label Philo several years later. Though his first half-dozen albums were recorded before the end of the decade, Olney's output during the '80s slowed considerably. He returned to Philo in 1995 with High, Wide and Lonesome, recorded with an impressive cast of roots rock all-stars -- Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Rodney Crowell, and Brian Ahern, among others. Real Lies followed in 1997, including contributions from John Prine and Garth Hudson, while 1999 brought Through a Glass Darkly. After a live album that year (Ghosts of the Wind), Olney recorded in 2000 for Dead Reckoning (Omar's Blues) and in 2003 for LoudHouse (The Wheel).