David Byrne (other)
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David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a
Scottish-American Scottish Americans or Scots Americans (Scottish Gaelic language, Scottish Gaelic: ''Ameireaganaich Albannach''; sco, Scots-American) are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Scotland. Scottish people, Scottish Americans are cl ...
musician, writer, visual artist, and filmmaker. He was a founding member, principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of the American new wave band
Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talkin ...
. Byrne has released solo recordings and worked with various media including film, photography, opera, fiction, and non-fiction. He has received an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
, a
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
, a
Special Tony Award The Special Tony Award category includes the Lifetime Achievement Tony Award and the Special Tony Award. These are non-competitive honorary awards, and the titles have changed over the years. The Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre ...
, and a
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
, and he is an inductee to the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...
as part of Talking Heads.


Early life and education

David Byrne was born on 14 May 1952 in Dumbarton, Dunbartonshire,
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, the elder of two children born to Tom (from Lambhill, Glasgow) and Emma Byrne. Byrne's father was Catholic and his mother Presbyterian. Two years after his birth, the family moved to Canada, settling in
Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...
. The family left Scotland in part because there were few jobs requiring his father's engineering skills and in part because of the tensions in the extended family caused by his parents'
interfaith marriage Interfaith marriage, sometimes called a "mixed marriage", is marriage between spouses professing different religions. Although interfaith marriages are often established as civil marriages, in some instances they may be established as a religiou ...
. When Byrne was eight or nine years old they moved to Arbutus, Maryland, in the United States, where his father worked as an electronics engineer at
Westinghouse Electric Corporation The Westinghouse Electric Corporation was an American manufacturing company founded in 1886 by George Westinghouse. It was originally named "Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company" and was renamed "Westinghouse Electric Corporation" in ...
and his mother later became a teacher. Byrne stated that he initially grew up speaking with a Scottish accent but adopted an American one in order to fit in at school. He later recalled "I felt like a bit of an outsider. But then I realized the world was made up of people who were all different. But we’re all here." Before high school, Byrne already knew how to play the guitar, accordion, and violin. He was rejected from his
middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...
's choir because they said he was "off-
key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...
and too withdrawn". From a young age, he had a strong interest in music. His parents say that he would constantly play his
phonograph A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...
from age three and he learned how to play the harmonica at age five. His father used his electrical engineering skills to modify a
reel-to-reel tape recorder Reel-to-reel audio tape recording, also called open-reel recording, is magnetic tape audio recording in which the recording tape is spooled between reels. To prepare for use, the ''supply reel'' (or ''feed reel'') containing the tape is plac ...
so that Byrne could make
multitrack recording Multitrack recording (MTR), also known as multitracking or tracking, is a method of sound recording developed in 1955 that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources or of sound sources recorded at different times to create a ...
s. Byrne graduated from
Lansdowne High School Lansdowne High School (LHS), formerly known as Lansdowne Sr. High School, and currently known as the Lansdowne High School Academy for Advanced Professional Studies, is a four-year public high school in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. ...
in southwest
Baltimore County, Maryland Baltimore County ( , locally: or ) is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Maryland and is part of the Baltimore metropolitan area. Baltimore County (which partially surrounds, though does not include, the independent City of ...
. He attended the
Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase the ...
(RISD) in
Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
, during the 1970–71 term and the Maryland Institute College of Art in
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
during the 1971–72 term before dropping out.


Career


Early career: 1971–1974

He started his musical career in a high school band called Revelation; then between 1971 and 1972, he was one half of a duo named Bizadi with Marc Kehoe. Their repertoire consisted mostly of songs such as " April Showers", "
96 Tears "96 Tears" is a song recorded by the American garage rock band ? and the Mysterians in 1966 (''see'' 1966 in music). In October of that year, it was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the U.S. and on the RPM (magazine), ''RPM'' ...
", " Dancing on the Ceiling" and
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
songs. He returned to Providence in 1973 and formed a band called the Artistics with fellow RISD student Chris Frantz. The band dissolved in 1974. Byrne moved to
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
in May that year, and in September of that year, Frantz and his girlfriend Tina Weymouth followed suit. After Byrne and Frantz were unable to find a
bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
player in New York for nearly two years, Weymouth learned to play the instrument. While working day jobs in late 1974, they were contemplating a band.


Talking Heads: 1975–1991

By January 1975, Talking Heads were practicing and playing together, while still working normal day jobs. They played their first gig in June. In May 1976, Byrne quit his day job, and the three-piece band signed to Sire Records in November of that year. Byrne was the youngest member of the band. Multi-instrumentalist Jerry Harrison, previously of The Modern Lovers, joined the band in 1977. The band released eight studio albums to critical acclaim and commercial success. Four albums achieved gold status (exceeding 500,000 in sales) and two others were certified double-platinum (exceeding two million in sales). Talking Heads were pioneers of the new wave music scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s with popular and creative music videos in regular rotation on
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
. In 1988 the band quietly went on hiatus during which Byrne launched a solo career and the other members pursued their own projects. Talking Heads reunited in 1991 to record the single "
Sax and Violins "Sax and Violins" is a song by the rock band Talking Heads and their final release. It appears on the soundtrack for the 1991 film ''Until the End of the World''. It was also released as a successful airplay single and charted at number one on the ...
" and officially split in December 1991. In 2002, Talking Heads was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...
, where they reunited to play three tracks, including " Psycho Killer" and "
Burning Down the House "Burning Down the House" is a song by New wave music, new wave band Talking Heads, released in July 1983 as the first single from their fifth studio album ''Speaking in Tongues (Talking Heads album), Speaking in Tongues''. Inspiration and compo ...
".


Solo album career: 1979–1981, 1989–present

During his time in the band, David Byrne took on outside projects, collaborating with
Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...
during 1979 and 1981 on the album '' My Life in the Bush of Ghosts'', which attracted considerable critical acclaim due to its early use of analogue sampling and found sounds. Following this record, Byrne focused his attention on Talking Heads. ''My Life in the Bush of Ghosts'' was re-released for its 25th anniversary in early 2006, with new bonus tracks. In keeping with the spirit of the original album, stems for two of the songs' component tracks were released under
Creative Commons Creative Commons (CC) is an American non-profit organization and international network devoted to educational access and expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has release ...
licenses and a
remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...
contest website was launched. '' Rei Momo'' (1989) was the first solo album by Byrne after leaving Talking Heads, and features mainly Afro-Cuban, Afro-Hispanic, and Brazilian song styles, including popular dances such as merengue, son cubano,
samba Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...
,
mambo Mambo most often refers to: *Mambo (music), a Cuban musical form *Mambo (dance), a dance corresponding to mambo music Mambo may also refer to: Music *Mambo section, a section in arrangements of some types of Afro-Caribbean music, particular ...
, cumbia, cha-cha-chá, bomba and charanga. His third solo album, '' Uh-Oh'' (1992), featured a brass section and was driven by tracks such as "Girls on My Mind" and "The Cowboy Mambo (Hey Lookit Me Now)". His fourth solo album, titled ''
David Byrne David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...
'' (1994), was a more proper rock record, with Byrne playing most of the instruments on it, leaving percussion for session musicians. "Angels" and "Back in the Box" were the two main singles released from the album. The first one entered the US
Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...
chart, reaching No. 24. For his fifth studio effort, the emotional ''
Feelings Feelings are subjective self-contained phenomenal experiences. According to the ''APA Dictionary of Psychology'', a feeling is "a self-contained phenomenal experience"; and feelings are "subjective, evaluative, and independent of the sensations ...
'' (1997), Byrne employed a brass orchestra called Black Cat Orchestra. His sixth, ''
Look into the Eyeball ''Look into the Eyeball'' is the sixth studio album by musician David Byrne, released on May 8, 2001. The single " Like Humans Do" was supplied with the Windows XP operating system to showcase Microsoft's Windows Media Player. "" is a Spanish l ...
'' (2001), continued the same musical exploration of ''Feelings'', but was compiled of more upbeat tracks, like those found on ''Uh-Oh''. ''
Grown Backwards ''Grown Backwards'' is the seventh studio album by musician David Byrne, released on March 16, 2004. Reception . In 2010, Byrne claimed in his book '' How Music Works'' it has sold 127,000 physical albums, 8,000 digital albums and 53,000 di ...
'' (2004), released by Nonesuch Records, used orchestral string arrangements, and includes two operatic
aria In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...
s as well as a rework of X-Press 2 collaboration " Lazy". He also launched a North American and Australian tour with the Tosca Strings. This tour ended with
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,
San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
and New York shows in August 2005. He also collaborated with Selena on her 1995 album '' Dreaming of You'' with "God's Child (Baila Conmigo)". Byrne and Eno reunited for his eighth album '' Everything That Happens Will Happen Today'' (2008). He assembled a band to tour worldwide for the album for a six-month period from late 2008 through early 2009 on the
Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno Tour The Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno Tour is a 2008–2009 promotional concert tour of music co-written by David Byrne and Brian Eno with performances by Byrne. In addition to being a retrospective of the duo's collaborations, the tour promoted ...
. In 2012, he released a collaborative album with American singer-songwriter
St. Vincent Saint Vincent may refer to: People Saints * Vincent of Saragossa (died 304), a.k.a. Vincent the Deacon, deacon and martyr * Saint Vincenca, 3rd century Roman martyress, whose relics are in Blato, Croatia * Vincent, Orontius, and Victor (died 305) ...
called ''
Love This Giant ''Love This Giant'' is a studio album made in collaboration between musicians David Byrne and St. Vincent (Annie Clark), released on 4AD and Todo Mundo on 10 September 10, 2012, in the United Kingdom and the following day in the United States. ...
''. The album featured both Byrne and St. Vincent on vocals and guitar, backed by a brass section. To promote the album, both artists travelled throughout North America, Europe, and Australia on the Love This Giant Tour in 2012 and 2013, with each performing pieces from their career in the album’s distinctive brass band style alongside those composed for the album. In January 2018, Byrne announced his first solo album in 14 years. ''
American Utopia ''American Utopia'' is the tenth studio album by Scottish-American rock musician David Byrne, released on March 9, 2018 through Todo Mundo and Nonesuch Records. The release is his first true solo studio album since 2004's ''Grown Backwards'', a ...
'' was released in March through Todo Mundo and Nonesuch Records. He also released the album's first single, "Everybody's Coming to My House", which he co-wrote with Eno. The subsequent tour – which showcased songs from ''American Utopia'' alongside highlights from his Talking Heads and solo career to date – was described by ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' as being perhaps "the most ambitious and impressive live show of all time", blurring the lines "between gig and theatre, poetry and dance".


Work in theatre, film, and television: 1981–present

In 1981, Byrne partnered with choreographer
Twyla Tharp Twyla Tharp (; born July 1, 1941) is an American dancer, choreographer, and author who lives and works in New York City. In 1966 she formed the company Twyla Tharp Dance. Her work often uses classical music, jazz, and contemporary pop music. Fr ...
, scoring music he wrote that appeared on his album '' The Catherine Wheel'' for a ballet with the same name, prominently featuring unusual rhythms and lyrics. Productions of ''The Catherine Wheel'' appeared on Broadway that same year. He was chiefly responsible for the stage design and choreography of the concert film '' Stop Making Sense'' (1984). Byrne wrote the Dirty Dozen Brass Band-inspired score '' Music for "The Knee Plays"'', released in 1985, for Robert Wilson's vast five-act opera '' The Civil Wars: A Tree Is Best Measured When It Is Down''. He wrote, directed, and starred in '' True Stories'' (1986), a musical collage of discordant Americana for which he also produced most of the film's music. He was impressed by the experimental theatre that he saw in New York City in the 1970s and collaborated with several of its best-known representatives. He worked with Robert Wilson on "The Knee Plays" and "The Forest", and invited
Spalding Gray Spalding Gray (June 5, 1941 – January 11, 2004) was an American actor, novelist, playwright, screenwriter and performance artist. He is best known for the autobiographical monologues that he wrote and performed for the theater in the 1980s and ...
(of The Wooster Group) to act in ''True Stories'', while Meredith Monk provided a portion of the film's soundtrack. Byrne also provided a soundtrack for JoAnne Akalaitis' film ''Dead End Kids'' (1986), made after a Mabou Mines theatre production. Byrne's artistic outlook has a great deal in common with the work of these artists. The same year he also added "Loco de Amor" with
Celia Cruz Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso (21 October 1925 – 16 July 2003), known as Celia Cruz, was a naturalized Cuban-American singer and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. Cruz rose to fame in Cuba during t ...
to
Jonathan Demme Robert Jonathan Demme ( ; February 22, 1944 – April 26, 2017) was an American filmmaker. Beginning his career under B-movie producer Roger Corman, Demme made his directorial debut with the 1974 women-in-prison film ''Caged Heat'', before ...
's film '' Something Wild'' (1986). His work has been extensively used in film
soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
s, most notably in collaboration with Ryuichi Sakamoto and
Cong Su :''This is a Chinese name; the family name is Su.'' Cong Su (; born 1957 in Tianjin, China) is a Chinese composer. He studied at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, then in Germany. He has lectured on music theory, music analysis, film ...
on Bernardo Bertolucci's '' The Last Emperor'' (1987), which won an
Academy Award for Best Original Score The Academy Award for Best Original Score is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by t ...
. Some of the music from Byrne's orchestral album '' The Forest'' was originally used in a Robert Wilson-directed theatre piece with the same name. The play ''The Forest'' premiered at the ''Theater der Freien Volksbühne'', Berlin, in 1988. It received its New York premiere in December 1988 at the
Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...
(BAM). The Forestry Maxi-single contained dance and industrial remixes of pieces from ''The Forest'' by
Jack Dangers Jack Dangers (born John Stephen Corrigan, 11 January 1965) is an English electronic musician, DJ, producer, and remixer best known for his work as the primary member of Meat Beat Manifesto. He lives in San Francisco. Career Prior to founding ...
, Rudy Tambala, and Anthony Capel. Byrne released his soundtrack album in 1991. Byrne also directed the documentary ''Île Aiye'' (1989) and the concert film of his 1992 Latin-tinged tour titled ''Between the Teeth'' (1994). ''
In Spite of Wishing and Wanting ''In Spite of Wishing and Wanting'' is a 1999 soundtrack by David Byrne for the performance of the same name by the Ultima Vez dance company. It features original compositions as well as remixes from Byrne's previous album ''Feelings''. Byrne sold ...
'' is a soundscape Byrne produced in 1999 for Belgian choreographer
Wim Vandekeybus Wim Vandekeybus (Herenthout, 30 June 1963) is a Belgian choreographer, director and photographer. His company Ultima Vez is located in Sint-Jans-Molenbeek (Brussels). Together with Jan Fabre, Alain Platel and Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Wim Vand ...
's dance company Ultima Vez. In 2003, Byrne guest starred as himself on a season 14 episode of ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
''. Released the same year, ''
Lead Us Not into Temptation ''Lead Us Not into Temptation'' is an album by David Byrne, released in 2003 for the movie '' Young Adam'', a film directed by David MacKenzie. Track listing All songs written by David Byrne except where noted. Personnel * Lisa Aferiat&nb ...
'' included tracks and musical experiments from his score to film ''
Young Adam ''Young Adam'' is a 1954 novel by Alexander Trocchi which tells the story of Joe, a young man who labours on the river barges of Glasgow, and who discovers the body of a young woman floating in the canal. The novel focuses on the relationship ...
'' (2003). In late 2005, Byrne and
Fatboy Slim Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), also known by his stage name Fatboy Slim, is an English musician, DJ, and record producer who helped to popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. In the 1980s, Cook was the bassist f ...
began work on ''
Here Lies Love ''Here Lies Love'' is a concept album and rock musical made in collaboration between David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, about the life of the former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos along with the woman who raised her—Estrella Cumpas—a ...
'', a
disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
opera or
song cycle A song cycle (german: Liederkreis or Liederzyklus) is a group, or cycle (music), cycle, of individually complete Art song, songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a unit.Susan Youens, ''Grove online'' The songs are either for solo voice ...
about the life of Imelda Marcos, the controversial former First Lady of the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
. Some music from this piece was debuted at
Adelaide Festival of Arts The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural ...
in Australia in February 2006 and the following year at
Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...
on 3 February 2007. In 2008, Byrne released '' Big Love: Hymnal'' – his soundtrack to season two of '' Big Love'', which aired in 2007. These two albums constituted the first releases on his independent record label Todo Mundo. Byrne and Brian Eno provided the soundtrack for the film '' Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps'' (2010). In 2015, he organised ''Contemporary Color'', two arena concerts in Brooklyn and Toronto, for which he brought in ten musical acts who teamed up with ten color guard groups. The concerts were made into a 2016 documentary film, directed by the
Ross brothers Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross, collectively known as the Ross Brothers are an American independent filmmaking duo. They are known for the feature films ''45365'', '' Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets'' and '' Contemporary Color''. Early life Bill a ...
, and produced by Byrne. He collaborated with
Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
professor
Mala Gaonkar Mala Gopal Gaonkar (born November 1969) is an American businesswoman, and the co-portfolio manager at investment firm Lone Pine Capital. Early life Gaonkar was born in November 1969 in the US and mostly raised in Bangalore, India. She earned a d ...
in 2016 to co-create NEUROSOCIETY, a guided
immersive theater Immersive theater differentiates itself from traditional theater by removing the stage and immersing audiences within the performance itself. Often, this is accomplished by using a specific location ('' site-specific''), allowing audiences to conv ...
performance. In October 2019, his ''
American Utopia ''American Utopia'' is the tenth studio album by Scottish-American rock musician David Byrne, released on March 9, 2018 through Todo Mundo and Nonesuch Records. The release is his first true solo studio album since 2004's ''Grown Backwards'', a ...
'' opened at the
Hudson Theatre The Hudson Theatre is a Broadway theater at 139–141 West 44th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. One of the oldest surviving Broadway venues, the Hudson was built ...
on Broadway. Byrne appeared in comedian John Mulaney's children's musical comedy special '' John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch'' (2019), where he performed the song "Pay Attention!" His song "Tiny Apocalypse" was also featured as the special's end credits song. On February 29, 2020, after a 30-year absence, Byrne performed as the musical guest on ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'' with John Mulaney as host. Byrne performed " Once in a Lifetime" and " Toe Jam" with the cast of the Broadway show ''American Utopia'' and appears in the "Airport Sushi" sketch singing a parody of "Road to Nowhere". This was Byrne's third appearance on ''Saturday Night Live''. He previously served as the musical guest as part of Talking Heads in
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
, and as a solo musical guest in
1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
. In 2022, Byrne again collaborated with
Mala Gaonkar Mala Gopal Gaonkar (born November 1969) is an American businesswoman, and the co-portfolio manager at investment firm Lone Pine Capital. Early life Gaonkar was born in November 1969 in the US and mostly raised in Bangalore, India. She earned a d ...
on another
immersive theater Immersive theater differentiates itself from traditional theater by removing the stage and immersing audiences within the performance itself. Often, this is accomplished by using a specific location ('' site-specific''), allowing audiences to conv ...
production based on his life, "Theater of the Mind" transforming a 15,000 square-foot warehouse in Denver, Colorado.


Other musical contributions: 1990–present

Byrne has contributed songs to five
AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
benefit compilation albums produced by the
Red Hot Organization Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilati ...
: ''
Red Hot + Blue Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...
: A Tribute to Cole Porter'', '' Red Hot + Rio'', '' Silencio=Muerte: Red Hot + Latin'', '' Onda Sonora: Red Hot + Lisbon'', and '' Offbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip''. He appeared as a guest vocalist/guitarist for
10,000 Maniacs 10,000 Maniacs is an American alternative rock band that was founded in 1981. They have released nine studio albums, six EPs, and five live albums. They achieved their most significant success between 1987 and 1993, when they released four album ...
during their '' MTV Unplugged'' concert, though the songs in which he is featured were cut from the following album. One of them, "Let the Mystery Be", appeared as the fourth track on 10,000 Maniacs' CD single "Few and Far Between". On 24 March 1992, he performed with Richard Thompson at St. Ann & The Holy Trinity in Brooklyn Heights, New York. The concert was recorded and released as ''An Acoustic Evening''. Byrne worked with Latin superstar Selena in March 1995; writing, producing and singing a bilingual duet titled "God's Child (Baila Conmigo)". This became the last song Selena recorded before she was murdered on March 31, 1995. The song was included on the singer's posthumous album '' Dreaming of You''. In 1997, he was the host of '' Sessions at West 54th'' during its second of three seasons and collaborated with members of
Devo Devo (, originally ) is an American rock band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs (Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a ...
and Morcheeba to record the album ''
Feelings Feelings are subjective self-contained phenomenal experiences. According to the ''APA Dictionary of Psychology'', a feeling is "a self-contained phenomenal experience"; and feelings are "subjective, evaluative, and independent of the sensations ...
''. In 2001, a version of Byrne's single "
Like Humans Do "Like Humans Do" is the fourth track from David Byrne's '' Look into the Eyeball'' and was also released as a single in 2001. Most notably, the radio edit version of the song (which omits the line referring to cannabis) was selected by Microsoft ...
", edited to remove its marijuana reference, was selected by
Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
as the sample music for
Windows XP Windows XP is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It was released to manufacturing on August 24, 2001, and later to retail on October 25, 2001. It is a direct upgrade to its predecessors, Windows 2000 for high-end and ...
to demonstrate
Windows Media Player Windows Media Player (WMP) is the first media player and media library application that was developed by Microsoft for playing audio, video and viewing images on personal computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system, as well as on ...
. In 2002, Byrne co-wrote and provided vocals for a track, " Lazy" by X-Press 2, which reached No. 2 in the United Kingdom and number-one on the US Dance Charts. He said in an interview on
BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002
''Sessions'' coverage of his Union Chapel performance that "Lazy" was number-one in
Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
. The track later featured with orchestral arrangements on his ''
Grown Backwards ''Grown Backwards'' is the seventh studio album by musician David Byrne, released on March 16, 2004. Reception . In 2010, Byrne claimed in his book '' How Music Works'' it has sold 127,000 physical albums, 8,000 digital albums and 53,000 di ...
'' (2004) album. In September 2004, Byrne co-authored a CD collection and performed with Gilberto Gil at a benefit concert promoting the
Creative Commons Creative Commons (CC) is an American non-profit organization and international network devoted to educational access and expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has release ...
license. In 2006, his singing was featured on "The Heart's a Lonely Hunter" on ''The Cosmic Game'' by
Thievery Corporation Thievery Corporation is an American electronic music duo consisting of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton. Their musical style mixes elements of dub, acid jazz, reggae, Indian classical, Middle Eastern music, hip hop and Brazilian music, including bo ...
. In 2007, he provided a cover of the Fiery Furnaces' song "Ex-Guru" for a compilation to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the founding of Thrill Jockey, a Chicago-based record label. In April 2008, Byrne took part in the
Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...
retrospective concert series at BAM performing "
You Can Call Me Al "You Can Call Me Al" is a song by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the lead single from his seventh studio album, ''Graceland'' (1986), released on Warner Bros. Records. Written by Simon, its lyrics follow an individual seemingly ex ...
" and "I Know What I Know" from Simon's '' Graceland'' album. Later that year, Byrne and his production team turned the Battery Maritime Building, a 99-year-old ferry terminal in
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, into a playable musical instrument. The structure was connected electronically to a
pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''ranks ...
and made playable for a piece called "
Playing the Building ''Playing the Building'' was an art installation by David Byrne, ex singer of Talking Heads, and Färgfabriken, an independent art venue in Stockholm. It originally ran from October 8 to November 13, 2005, at Färgfabriken. The concept would late ...
". This project was previously installed in
Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
in 2005, and later at the London Roundhouse in 2009. Byrne says that the point of the project was to allow people to experience art first hand, by creating music with the organ, rather than simply looking at it. Also in 2008, he collaborated with the Brighton Port Authority, composing the music and singing the lyrics for " Toe Jam". Byrne is featured on the tracks "Money" and "The People Tree", on
N.A.S.A. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding ...
's 2009 album ''
The Spirit of Apollo ''The Spirit of Apollo'' is the debut album by N.A.S.A., a hip hop duo consisting of Squeak E. Clean and DJ Zegon. It was released on ANTI- in 2009. The track, "N.A.S.A. Anthem", was featured on the official NASA Glenn Research Center website as ...
''. In 2009, he also appeared on HIV/AIDS charity album ''
Dark Was the Night Dark Was the Night may refer to: * ''Dark Was the Night'' (album), a 2009 compilation album * ''Dark Was the Night'' (2014 film), an American thriller film * ''Dark Was the Night'' (2018 film), an American drama film * "Dark Was the Night" (''Grey' ...
'' for
Red Hot Organization Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilati ...
. He collaborated with
Dirty Projectors Dirty Projectors is an American indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2002. The band is the project of singer-songwriter David Longstreth, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The b ...
on the song "Knotty Pine". In the same year, Byrne performed at the
Bonnaroo Music Festival The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an American annual four-day music festival developed and founded by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Since its first year in 2002, it has been held at what is now Great Stage Park on a farm in ...
in Manchester, Tennessee. He also was a signator of a letter protesting the decision of the
Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...
to choose
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
as the subject of its inaugural City-to-City Spotlight strand. In May 2011, Byrne contributed backing vocals to the
Arcade Fire Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara. The band's current touring line-up also includes former core member S ...
track "Speaking in Tongues" which appeared on the deluxe edition of their 2010 album ''
The Suburbs ''The Suburbs'' is the third studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire, released on August 2, 2010. Coinciding with its announcement, the band released a limited edition 12-inch single containing the title track and "Month of May".
''. Jherek Bischoff's 2012 album ''
Composed Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...
'' features Byrne on the track "Eyes". The same year, he also released a show recorded with Caetano Veloso in 2004 at New York City's
Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...
('' Live at Carnegie Hall''). In March 2013, he debuted a fully staged production of his 2010 concept album ''
Here Lies Love ''Here Lies Love'' is a concept album and rock musical made in collaboration between David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, about the life of the former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos along with the woman who raised her—Estrella Cumpas—a ...
'' at New York's
Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American Li ...
, directed by
Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...
-nominee Alex Timbers following its premiere at MoCA earlier in the year. That same month, he and Sakamoto released a re-recording of their 1994 collaboration "Psychedelic Afternoon" to raise money and awareness for children impacted by the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six minutes ...
. In May 2014, Byrne announced his involvement with Anna Calvi's EP, '' Strange Weather'', collaborating with her on two songs: a cover of Keren Ann's "Strange Weather" and
Connan Mockasin Connan Tant Hosford, better known by the stage name Connan Mockasin and sometimes credited as Connan Hosford, is a New Zealand musician, composer and record producer. Critically acclaimed and described as "a psych-funk oddball...a contrarian", ...
's "I'm the Man, That Will Find You". In August 2016, he was featured on "Snoopies" on the
Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
-funded album, '' And the Anonymous Nobody...'' by
De La Soul De La Soul () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative ...
. In 2022, he co-wrote and provided vocals on the song "This Is a Life" for the original soundtrack to the 2022 film ''
Everything Everywhere All at Once ''Everything Everywhere All at Once'' is a 2022 American absurdist comedy-drama film written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (collectively known as "Daniels"), who produced it with Anthony and Joe Russo. The plot centers on a ...
'', alongside the film's composers Son Lux and American singer Mitski. Byrne performed the song with Son Lux at the 95th Academy Awards, with Stephanie Hsu providing vocals in place of Mitski. On July 20, 2023, the stage version of ''Here Lies Love'' made its Broadway debut. In the leadup to the premiere, Broadway's musicians' union criticized the show for planning to use a pre-recorded soundtrack and no live musicians. Local 802 of the
American Federation of Musicians The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM/AFofM) is a 501(c)(5) labor union representing professional instrumental musicians in the United States and Canada. The AFM, which has its headquarters in New York City, ...
criticized this choice as "A direct attack on Broadway Audiences — and live music." Statements from the creative team claiming that the decision was inspired by
karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...
and that the show "does not believe in artistic gate-keepers" attracted further criticism from union members, who accused Byrne of "denigrating" and "tossing aside" live musicians and likened his remarks to
union busting Union busting is a range of activities undertaken to disrupt or prevent the formation of trade unions or their attempts to grow their membership in a workplace. Union busting tactics can refer to both legal and illegal activities, and can range ...
. Following this, the creative team for ''Here Lies Love'' announced that the show would employ twelve live musicians, including three actor-musicians.


Other work

David Byrne co-founded the world-music record label Luaka Bop with Yale Evelev in 1990. It was originally created to release Latin American compilations, but it has grown to include music from Cuba, Africa, the Far East and beyond, releasing the work of artists such as
Cornershop Cornershop are a British indie rock band best known for their single "Brimful of Asha", originally released in 1997 and, in a remixed version, topping the UK chart in 1998. The band was formed in 1991 by Wolverhampton-born Tjinder Singh (singe ...
, Os Mutantes, Los De Abajo, Jim White,
Zap Mama Zap Mama is the music act of Belgian artist Marie Daulne. Zap Mama sings polyphonic and afro-pop music, a harmonic music with a mixture of infused African vocal techniques, urban, hip hop with emphasis on voice. The worldwide success of Zap Mam ...
, Tom Zé, Los Amigos Invisibles, and
King Changó King Changó is a Latin ska band from New York City, New York with roots in Venezuela. Its name comes from Changó, the Afro-Cuban god of war.
. In 2005, he initiated his own internet radio station, Radio David Byrne. Each month, Byrne posts a playlist of music he likes, linked by themes or genres. Byrne's playlists have included African popular music, country music classics, vox humana, classical opera and
film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...
s from
Italian movies A list of some notable films produced in the Cinema of Italy ordered by year and decade of release For an alphabetical list of articles on Italian films see :Italian films. 1910s *List of Italian films of 1910 *List of Italian films of 1911 *List ...
. He serves on the board of directors of
SoundExchange SoundExchange is an American non-profit collective rights management organization founded in 2003. It is the sole organization designated by the U.S. Congress to collect and distribute digital performance royalties for sound recordings. It pays f ...
, an organisation designated by the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
to collect and distribute digital performance royalties for sound recordings. In 2006, Byrne released ''Arboretum'', a sketchbook facsimile of his Tree Drawings, published by
McSweeney's McSweeney's Publishing is an American non-profit publishing house founded by Dave Eggers in 1998 and headquartered in San Francisco. Initially publishing the literary journal'' Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern'', the company has moved to n ...
. Byrne is a visual artist whose work has been shown in contemporary art galleries and museums around since the 1990s. Represented by the
Pace/MacGill Peter MacGill is an American gallerist, curator, and art historian. MacGill is President of the Pace/MacGill Gallery, which opened in 1983 on East 57th Street in New York City. In 2006 he was the first recipient of the Harold Jones Distinguishe ...
Gallery in New York. In 2010 his original artwork was in the exhibition ''The Record: Contemporary Art and Vinyl'' at the Nasher Museum of Art at
Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...
.


TED Talks

David Byrne has also been a speaker at the
TED TED may refer to: Economics and finance * TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar Education * ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association ** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey ** Transvaal Education Depa ...
conferences. In June 2010, he spoke at the TED conference about the effects of architecture on music. Later in October 2010, he performed a hit from Talking Heads' 1988 album '' Naked'' titled "(Nothing But) Flowers" along with
Thomas Dolby Thomas Morgan Robertson (born 14 October 1958), known by the stage name Thomas Dolby, is an English musician, producer, composer, entrepreneur and teacher. Dolby came to prominence in the 1980s, releasing hit singles including "She Blinded Me ...
and string quartet Ethel-the TED2010 house band.


Personal life

Although a resident of the United States since childhood, Byrne was solely a British citizen until 2012, when he became a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. He has also held
Irish citizenship Irish nationality law details the conditions by which a person is a national of the Republic of Ireland. The primary law governing these regulations is the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956, which came into force on 17 July 1956. Reg ...
since 2020. Speaking of his Scottish origins in a 2014 interview with '' The Evening Standard'', Byrne stated "I have lived in the States pretty much my whole life, but from my parents and everything, there's still an affinity to maybe a Scottish sense of humour, and some of the attitudes that go with that." During the
2014 Scottish independence referendum A referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom was held in Scotland on 18 September 2014. The referendum question was, "Should Scotland be an independent country?", which voters answered with "Yes" or "No". The "No" side w ...
, Byrne expressed his preference for Scotland to remain part of the United Kingdom. He lives in New York City. His father, Thomas, died in October 2013. His mother, Emma, died in June 2014. Byrne describes himself as on the
autism spectrum The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
, but has not been professionally diagnosed. In a 2020 interview on Amy Schumer's podcast ''3 Girls, 1 Keith'', he said that he felt that his condition was a superpower as it allows him to hyperfocus on his creative pursuits. In 2012, he said that he felt that music was his way of communicating when he could not do it face to face because of his autism.


Relationships

Byrne had a brief relationship with
Toni Basil Antonia Christina Basilotta (born September 22, 1943), better known by her stage name Toni Basil, is an American singer, choreographer, dancer, actress, and director. Her song "Mickey" topped the charts in the US, Canada and Australia and hit th ...
in 1981 and he dated
Twyla Tharp Twyla Tharp (; born July 1, 1941) is an American dancer, choreographer, and author who lives and works in New York City. In 1966 she formed the company Twyla Tharp Dance. Her work often uses classical music, jazz, and contemporary pop music. Fr ...
between 1981 and 1982. While visiting Japan in 1982, Byrne met costume designer
Adelle Lutz Adelle Lutz (born November 13, 1948) is an American artist, designer and actress, most known for work using unconventional materials and strategies to explore clothing as a communicative medium.Koda, Harold. "View: ReView, Introduction," ''Adelle ...
, and they married in 1987. They have a daughter, Malu Abeni Valentine Byrne, born in 1989, and a grandson born in 2018. Byrne and Lutz divorced in 2004. After his divorce, he became romantically involved with the art curator and Gagosian Gallery sales director Louise Neri. He also had a relationship with the artist Cindy Sherman from 2007 to 2011.


Cycling

Byrne is known for his activism in support of increased cycling and for having used a bike as his main means of transport throughout his life, especially cycling around New York. In
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, Byrne drives a Citroën DS, but in New York, he does not drive a car. He says that he began cycling while he was in high school and returned to it as an adult in the late 1970s. He likes the freedom and exhilaration cycling gives him. He has written widely on cycling, including a 2009 book, ''Bicycle Diaries''. In August 2009, Byrne auctioned his Montague folding bike to raise money for the
London Cycling Campaign The London Cycling Campaign (LCC) is an independent membership charity lobbying for better conditions for cycling in London. Its vision is to make London "a world-class cycling city". It is one of the largest urban cycling organisations in th ...
. In 2008, Byrne designed a series of bicycle parking racks in the form of image outlines corresponding to the areas in which they were located, such as a dollar sign for
Wall Street Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for t ...
and an electric guitar in
Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...
, Brooklyn. Byrne worked with a manufacturer who constructed the racks in exchange for the right to sell them later as art. The racks remained on the streets for about a year.Ariel Kaminer. "David Byrne, Cultural Omnivore, Raises Cycling Rack to an Art Form"
''The New York Times''. 8 August 2008. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
Two bike racks constructed from the Byrne Bike Rack Alphabet, a system of modular letter segments that can be combined to form various words, remain installed at the
Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...
. He came to the 2023 Met Gala on a Budnitz single speed bike.


Discography and other works


Studio albums with Talking Heads

*'' Talking Heads: 77'' (1977) *''
More Songs About Buildings and Food ''More Songs About Buildings and Food'' is the second studio album by American rock band Talking Heads, released on July 14, 1978, by Sire Records. It was the first of three albums produced by collaborator Brian Eno, and saw the band move toward ...
'' (1978) *''
Fear of Music ''Fear of Music'' is the third studio album by American rock band Talking Heads, released on August 3, 1979, by Sire Records. It was recorded at locations in New York City during April and May 1979 and was produced by Brian Eno and Talking Heads. ...
'' (1979) *'' Remain in Light'' (1980) *''
Speaking in Tongues Speaking in tongues, also known as glossolalia, is a practice in which people utter words or speech-like sounds, often thought by believers to be languages unknown to the speaker. One definition used by linguists is the fluid vocalizing of sp ...
'' (1983) *''
Little Creatures ''Little Creatures'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band Talking Heads, released on June 10, 1985, by Sire Records. The album examines themes of Americana and incorporates elements of country music, with many songs featuring steel gu ...
'' (1985) *'' True Stories'' (1986) *'' Naked'' (1988)


Solo studio albums and collaborations

* '' My Life in the Bush of Ghosts'' (1981) (with
Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...
)
* '' Rei Momo'' (1989) * '' Uh-Oh'' (1992) * ''
David Byrne David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...
'' (1994) * ''
Feelings Feelings are subjective self-contained phenomenal experiences. According to the ''APA Dictionary of Psychology'', a feeling is "a self-contained phenomenal experience"; and feelings are "subjective, evaluative, and independent of the sensations ...
'' (1997) * ''
Look into the Eyeball ''Look into the Eyeball'' is the sixth studio album by musician David Byrne, released on May 8, 2001. The single " Like Humans Do" was supplied with the Windows XP operating system to showcase Microsoft's Windows Media Player. "" is a Spanish l ...
'' (2001) * ''
Grown Backwards ''Grown Backwards'' is the seventh studio album by musician David Byrne, released on March 16, 2004. Reception . In 2010, Byrne claimed in his book '' How Music Works'' it has sold 127,000 physical albums, 8,000 digital albums and 53,000 di ...
'' (2004) * '' Everything That Happens Will Happen Today'' (2008) (with
Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...
)
* ''
Love This Giant ''Love This Giant'' is a studio album made in collaboration between musicians David Byrne and St. Vincent (Annie Clark), released on 4AD and Todo Mundo on 10 September 10, 2012, in the United Kingdom and the following day in the United States. ...
'' (2012) (with
St. Vincent Saint Vincent may refer to: People Saints * Vincent of Saragossa (died 304), a.k.a. Vincent the Deacon, deacon and martyr * Saint Vincenca, 3rd century Roman martyress, whose relics are in Blato, Croatia * Vincent, Orontius, and Victor (died 305) ...
)
* ''
American Utopia ''American Utopia'' is the tenth studio album by Scottish-American rock musician David Byrne, released on March 9, 2018 through Todo Mundo and Nonesuch Records. The release is his first true solo studio album since 2004's ''Grown Backwards'', a ...
'' (2018)


Soundtracks and music for theater

* "—" denotes albums that were released but did not chart, albums not released in a particular territory, or chart information is not available.


Film and television

Concert films Other film and television


Awards and nominations


Bibliography

Sources: * ''True Stories'' (1986) * Preface fo
''Occupied Territory''
by
Lynne Cohen Lynne Cohen (July 3, 1944 – May 12, 2014) was an American-Canadian photographer. Life Born in Racine, Wisconsin, Cohen was educated in printmaking and sculpture at the University of Wisconsin,Aperture Foundation Aperture Foundation is a nonprofit arts institution, founded in 1952 by Ansel Adams, Minor White, Barbara Morgan, Dorothea Lange, Nancy Newhall, Beaumont Newhall, Ernest Louie, Melton Ferris, and Dody Warren. Their vision was to create a forum fo ...
(1987) * ''Strange Ritual'',
Chronicle Books Chronicle Books is a San Francisco-based American publisher of books for adults and children. The company was established in 1967 by Phelps Dewey, an executive with Chronicle Publishing Company, then-publisher of the ''San Francisco Chronicle''. ...
(1995) * ''Your Action World'' (1999) * ''The New Sins (Los Nuevos Pecados)'' (2001) * ''David Byrne Asks You: What Is It?'' Smart Art Press (2002) * ''Envisioning Emotional Epistemological Information'' with DVD (2003) * ''Arboretum'' (2006) * ''Bicycle Diaries'' (2009) * ''
How Music Works ''How Music Works'' is a non-fiction book by David Byrne, a musician, composer, and writer best known for his work with the group Talking Heads. He discusses the form and influence of music in a non-linear narrative fashion, using a variety of ex ...
'' (2012) * A History of the World (in Dingbats): Drawings & Words (2022)


References


Further reading

* * *


External links

* * * * * *
David Byrne interview
on '' Fresh Air'', 1 November 2023 {{DEFAULTSORT:Byrne, David 1952 births Living people 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American keyboardists 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American keyboardists 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American singer-songwriters 20th-century Scottish male musicians 20th-century Scottish male singers 20th-century Scottish singers 21st-century Scottish male musicians 21st-century Scottish male singers 21st-century Scottish singers Alternative rock singers American alternative rock musicians American bloggers American dance musicians American experimental musicians American film score composers American male bloggers American male cyclists American male film actors American male film score composers American male guitarists American male non-fiction writers American male singer-songwriters American multi-instrumentalists American music industry executives American musical theatre composers American new wave musicians American record producers American rock guitarists American rock keyboardists American rock singers American rock songwriters American surrealist artists American world music musicians American writers about music Atomic Bomb! Band members Bessie Award winners Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners British alternative rock musicians British bloggers British dance musicians British experimental musicians British film score composers British male bloggers British male cyclists British male film actors British male guitarists British male non-fiction writers British male singer-songwriters British multi-instrumentalists British music industry executives British musical theatre composers British new wave musicians British record producers British rock guitarists British rock keyboardists British rock singers British surrealist artists British world music musicians British writers about music Creative Commons-licensed authors Cycling advocates Cyclists from New York (state) Experimental pop musicians Film directors from Maryland Film directors from New York City Golden Globe Award-winning musicians Grammy Award winners Guitarists from Maryland Guitarists from New York City Luaka Bop artists Male actors from Maryland Male actors from New York City British male new wave singers Musicians with autism Nonesuch Records artists People from Arbutus, Maryland People from Dumbarton Naturalized citizens of the United States Naturalised citizens of Ireland People with multiple nationality Record producers from New York (state) Rhode Island School of Design alumni Rhode Island School of Design alumni in music Rock songwriters Scottish emigrants to Canada Scottish emigrants to the United States Scottish experimental musicians Scottish film score composers Scottish male cyclists Scottish male film actors Scottish male guitarists Scottish male singer-songwriters Scottish male bloggers Scottish multi-instrumentalists Scottish new wave musicians Scottish record producers Scottish rock guitarists Scottish rock singers Scottish writers about music Singer-songwriters from Maryland Singer-songwriters from New York (state) Singers from New York City Sire Records artists Talking Heads members Thrill Jockey artists Warner Records artists Writers from New York City Writers with autism Actors with autism