Dave Torbert

Dave Torbert (June 7, 1948 – December 7, 1982) was a Bay Area musician, best known for his associations with the Grateful Dead and the New Riders of the Purple Sage.[1] He played bass for the latter group, replacing Phil Lesh during the sessions for their first album.[2] He also played on "Box of Rain", a song from American Beauty,[3] and on "Greatest Story Ever Told" from Bob Weir's solo album Ace. Additionally, he was a founding member, with Matthew Kelly, of the band Kingfish.[4][5][6] Torbert died of a heart attack in 1982. Among the songs that Torbert wrote and sang lead with the New Riders were "California Day", "Contract", "Gypsy Cowboy", "Groupie", "On My Way Back Home", "It's Alright with Me", "Important Exportin' Man", and "Thank the Day".

Dave Torbert
Born	(1948-06-07)June 7, 1948
Died	December 7, 1982(1982-12-07) (aged 34)
Genres	Rock
Instruments	Bass guitar, vocals
Years active	1968–1982
Associated acts	New Riders of the Purple Sage Kingfish

Discography

• Horses – Horses (1969)
• American Beauty – Grateful Dead (1970)
• New Riders of the Purple Sage – New Riders of the Purple Sage (1971)
• Powerglide – New Riders of the Purple Sage (1972)
• Ace – Bob Weir (1972)
• Gypsy Cowboy – New Riders of the Purple Sage (1972)
• The Adventures of Panama Red – New Riders of the Purple Sage (1973)
• Home, Home on the Road – New Riders of the Purple Sage (1974)
• Tiger Rose – Robert Hunter (1975)
• Kingfish – Kingfish (1976)
• Live 'n' Kickin' – Kingfish (1977)
• Trident – Kingfish (1978)
• Kingfish – Kingfish (1985)
• Vintage NRPS – New Riders of the Purple Sage (1986)
• Kingfish in Concert: King Biscuit Flower Hour – Kingfish (1996)
• Worcester, MA, 4/4/73 – New Riders of the Purple Sage (2003)
• Boston Music Hall, 12/5/72 – New Riders of the Purple Sage (2003)
• Veneta, Oregon, 8/27/72 – New Riders of the Purple Sage (2004)
• S.U.N.Y., Stonybrook, NY, 3/17/73 – New Riders of the Purple Sage (2007)
• Glendale Train – New Riders of the Purple Sage (2013)
• Thanksgiving in New York City – New Riders of the Purple Sage (2019)
• Bear's Sonic Journals: Dawn of the New Riders of the Purple Sage – New Riders of the Purple Sage (2020)

References

1. Dave Torbert on Allmusic
2. The History of NRPS on nrpsmusic.com
3. Peters, Stephen (1999). What a Long, Strange Trip, Thunder's Mouth Press, ISBN 1-56025-233-2, p. 78
4. Biography of Kingfish on bay-area-bands.com
5. Knight, Brian L. "Kingfishing for Blues: An Interview with Matthew Kelly", Vermont Review
6. Biography of the Grateful Dead from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (2001)