Legendary singer and songwriter David Olney, 71, dies while performing on stage
David Olney, the American singer, and songwriter died of an apparent heart attack while performing on stage in Florida. He was 71. According to a CNN report, fellow singer and songwriter, Scott Miller, who was performing with Olney at the 30A Songwriters Festival in Santa Rosa Beach said the 'Jerusalem Tomorrow' star stopped in the middle of a song, paused and said "I'm sorry" and "put his chin to his chest."
"He never dropped his guitar or fell (off) his stool," Miller wrote on Facebook. "It was as easy and gentle as he was." Another heartfelt tribute came from Amy Rigby, the other singer on stage. "He was very still, sitting upright with his guitar on, wearing the coolest hat and a beautiful rust suede jacket ... I just want the picture to be as graceful and dignified as it was because it at first looked like he was just taking a moment," Rigby said, adding, "We all lost someone important last night."
Olney performed as a solo singer-songwriter and released more than 20 albums over four decades, which also had six live recordings. He collaborated with renowned artists such as John Hadley and Sergio Webb. His songs were covered by and co-written with Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Linda Ronstadt, Steve Young, Del McCoury, and Laurie Lewis, among others. A biography on the festival’s website said Olney incorporated a variety of styles in his music, including honky tonk and rock. His songs explored offbeat topics such as a Nashville train disaster and late New York Yankees shortstop Phil Rizzuto, the release said.
According to Variety, Olney first shot to prominence as a member of the 'X-Rays', a band that was signed to the Rounder label in the early 1980s and opened for acts like Elvis Costello. He also recorded for Rounder later in his prolific career as a solo artist, along with other labels like Philco.
Olney is survived by his wife, Regine and two children.
