Legendary keyboardist, producer, composer, and arranger David Briggs sadly died at the age of 82. Having a decades-long career in music, Briggs worked with a plethora of icons across different genres, including Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, George Harrison, and Alice Cooper, among many others.
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According to The New York Times, Briggs's brother, John, confirmed that David died on April 22 in a hospice facility. As per John, Briggs died of complications stemming from a battle with renal cancer.
David Briggs, born on March 16, 1943, went on to become an iconic presence in many recordings throughout the years. He was one of the main figures behind establishing his hometown of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, as one of the main recording spots for country music.
In the country music genre alone, he was able to collaborate with musicians such as Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash. His keys could be heard in Dolly Parton's 1971 single, "Coat of Many Colors," among many other classics.
His association in 1966 with the "King of Rock and Roll," Elvis Presley, would prove an important part of his life and career. This 11-year-long partnership included eight years as part of the TCB Band, along with his iconic studio session work. He would stay alongside Presley until he died in 1977.
Briggs's Studios And Influence
Years before, however, Briggs, alongside his long-time musician partner, Norbert Putnam, opened the famed studio Quadraphonic Sound.
"We wanted a studio that was a little better than everywhere else we'd recorded," Putnam said. "When we started, it was going to be a little demo studio, but then we started buying more expensive stuff. It just slowly, slowly grew and became this hot place."
And quite a hot place it became. They hosted stars like Jimmy Buffett, the Jacksons, Neil Young, and Dan Fogelberg, among many others. Eventually, Briggs and Putnam sold the studio in 1979.
In 1982, however, Briggs opened his studio, House of David. There, he collaborated with many more artists throughout the years across multiple genres.
"David Briggs could play keyboards in any style. For more than four decades, his deft touch graced countless country, R&B, rock, and pop recordings," Kyle Young, Country Music Hall of Fame Museum CEO, told Fox 54. "He further shaped Music City in co-founding Quadrafonic Studio and opening his own House of David studio. He was a man of music through and through."
Drummer Paul Leim remembered David Briggs fondly. While walking across his studio, he became emotional while talking about Briggs with WTVF.
"Just being in this control room without him is just, uh, yeah," Leim said. "This is a hard one. This is a hard one. We all were crazy about David. David is just one of those people who will always be legendary. We're going to miss him."
For his contributions to country music, he was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1999. Twenty years later, in 2019, he was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville.
David Briggs is survived by his two sons, Darren and Gabriel, a grandson, and his brother, John.
