His first claim to fame was as lead guitarist for Shenandoah, the band Arlo Guthrie hired in 1974 to tour with him for over two decades. His lasting legacy, though, is as a purveyor of musical entertainments for children. Berkshires fixture David Grover died November 3 at the age of 69 following a car crash.
In an interview with public radio station WAMC, Grover’s wife Kathy Jo provided details. “He was driving, he was on a trip, he was near Utica, New York, and he was rear-ended … And they took him to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital.” She explained that her husband had been in poor health for some time: “David also had a number of underlying conditions that he was dealing with,” she explained, “and between the two things, they were just unable to bring him back. He was in the hospital for quite some time, about 12 days. There were just so many things going on that they couldn’t keep up with it.”
The online magazine kidzlovemusic.com got it right when they compared David Grover to Mr. Rogers, James Taylor, Paul Simon and Raffi, because Grover combined the kid-friendliness of Raffi and Rogers with Taylor’s and Simon’s guitar chops. Anyone who ever saw him entertain a room full of children will tell you that he had the magic touch with kids. His PBS television show ”Grover’s Corner” and innumerable community bookings over the decades attest to that.
But Grover’s peers want us to remember his musicianship above all else — because, honestly, as a player he actually was above most of them — as harmonically fluent as you’d hope a full-service guitar accompanist would be and a walking encyclopedia of songs that he played and sang from memory. His skills ranged from folk to rock to jazz and the American Songbook.
Grover’s performance at the 2017 “Sergeant Pepper” concert at Lenox Town Hall is getting to be legendary. The event’s organizer, Prof. Jeremy Yudkin, described that performance in an email:
“David did a remarkable job of imitating George Harrison, his guitar and sitar, and even managed to suggest some of the other Indian instruments on the track, such as the tambura. I’m not sure many other people could have accomplished what he did for that concert.”
Most of us would like to think the world we leave behind will be better off for having known us — that we will have made a lasting impact on our respective communities. Any musician in Berkshire County will tell you: David Grover did just that. One in particular, Arlo Guthrie, went out of his way Thursday in a social media post to emphasize something important about his old touring buddy: He was always fun to work with. “Unlike almost every band you ever heard of, we had a good time for all of it, not just the good times or the early days. I mean all of it. I had the unique pleasure of working with some of the nicest people, as well as really wonderful players. David Grover was one of ‘em.”
A Gofundme campaign to benefit David Grover’s family is accepting donations here.
