Bruce Hornsby (born 1954) played keyboards and accordion with the Grateful Dead from 1990 through 1992, splitting duties with Vince Welnick during a critical transitional period. Already a platinum-selling solo artist, Hornsby joined as a temporary bridge after Brent Mydland’s death and ended up staying nearly two years. His musical sensibility reshaped the band’s approach during a period when the Dead were trying to reinvent themselves. Articles cover his tenure with the Dead and his continuing connection to the band’s extended family.
The Overlooked Keyboardist Who Saved the Dead April 7, 1979. Brent Mydland walks into Spartan Gym at San Jose State for his first show with the Grateful Dead. Keith Godchaux’s exit left the band scrambling, but within three songs, it’s clear they’d found something different. Not just a replacement — a transformation. Brent didn’t tipoe…
When a Deadhead’s Enthusiasm Got Him Evicted From the Show Bruce Hornsby, the accomplished pianist and keyboardist who toured extensively with the Grateful Dead during the early 1990s, once shared a genuinely hilarious and revealing anecdote on the Arsenio Hall Show about the intense, often physical expressions of devotion and enthusiasm that characterize Deadhead culture….