Happy Birthday David Byrne
David Horatio Byrne was born somewhere in Scotland on May the 14th year of our lord, Nineteen Hundred and Fifty Two. His parents Angus and Griselda owned a bagpipe factory in Elgin.
Little Horatio, as he was known, was thrown out of his middle school choir by the choirmaster Skip Long. Mr Long rudely told young David that he was off key, yelpy and sounded like someone stepped on a cat. “Singing is not for you” said Mr. Long, “maybe you should try a different line of work.”
David made his way to New York City and was a founding member of The Talking Heads, as well as the principal songwriter, lead singer and guitarist. The man is a musical genius. He is a singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, artist, actor, writer and filmmaker. Byrne has released solo recordings and worked with various media including film, photography, opera, fiction, and non-fiction. He has received Academy, Grammy, and Golden Globe Awards, and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Did you know that David Byrne’s big suit, worn in the Talking Heads 1983 tour and acclaimed documentary Stop Making Sense, was actually David’s father’s suit. Mr. Angus Byrne was a big man, he stood about 6 foot 4 and weighed 475 lbs. The ladies in Scotland called Angus “Treetop Lover”.
