DAVID LINDLEY 1944-2023

Remembering maxi-instrumentalist slide guitar master David Lindley, who died at the age of 78 after a long illness

- Glenn Kimpton

On Friday 3 March, Douglas Reynolds, longtime friend of renowned slide guitar maestro David Lindley, announced his death via the David Lindley Medical Fundraiser. The level of public support received is unsurprising considering the effect Lindley’s art had on the world.

Born on 21 March 1944 in San Marino, California, his introduction to music was early, with his father John’s extensive collection of 78s directing him towards an abundance of musical styles, including Korean folk and Indian sitar music, both of which would influence his own mesmeric style of fusion; music his friend Ben Harper considered to be “straight up sorcery”.

California in the early 60s was one of the most eclectic musical hubs of the world, and Lindley’s talent was such that by his late teens he was considered the state’s best young instrumentalist, going on to win the Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest five times (there was one particularly dramatic final between Lindley and Taj Mahal and two intense Flamenco and Calypso banjo versions of John Henry, with Lindley emerging victorious). It was an accolade that saw his notoriety rise, helped by his first main band, Kaleidoscope, a psychedelic folk group, originally formed by Lindley, Solomon Feldthouse, Chris Darrow, Chester Crill and John Vidican. Lindley modestly mentioned in the