Biography

The prolific David Olney infuses his live performances with an intensity that converts many new listeners into die-hard fans. Mr. Olney's intelligent compositions radiate that same intensity and have earned a place as one of the most respected singer-songwriters in the world today. His songs have been recorded by Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Del McCoury, Lonnie Brooks, James King, Slaid Cleaves, Dale Ann Bradley, Tom Rozum, Ann Rabson, Keiran Kane/Kevin Welch/Fats Kaplin and others. He has released 18 albums over four decades, including five live recordings, and continues to perform worldwide.

His NEW studio album - "ONE TOUGH TOWN" - was released in June 2007 on Red Parlor Records.

Full Bio/Media Kit/Downloadable photos online: http://www.davidolney.com (Press page)

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OLNEY IMPRESSIONS:

"He's a little bit country, a little bit folk and quite a bit raw passion. He can grab an audience's attention like a bolt of lightning or exude tenderness in heart-tugging love songs."
-- The Philadelphia Inquirer

"David Olney resembles an old-time road bard who will, and can, do virtually anything to rivet strangers under his one-night tent....Olney's traveling show can mesmerize."
-- Geoff Gehman, The Morning Call

"David Olney is astounding... gave one of the most magnificent solo acoustic shows I have seen and that includes concerts by Bruce Springsteen, Guy Clark or anyone else you'd care to name. He can break your heart but he can also chill your spine."
-- Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

"David Olney is nothing less than a twisted American treasure - a booming narrator of dark topics usually spoken about only in hushed tones. He also wields a mighty wicked guitar."
-- Mountain XPress, Asheville, NC

"Anytime anyone asks me who my favorite music writers are, I say Mozart, Lightnin' Hopkins, Bob Dylan and Dave Olney. Dave Olney is one of the best songwriters I've ever heard - and that's true. I mean that from my heart."
-- Townes Van Zandt

DYNAMITE DAVE: A MUSIC CITY MASTER: "During his three decades in Nashville, Dave Olney has gone from being one of Music City's most exhilarating rock 'n' rollers to being one of our town's best respected songsmiths. Even when stripped down to a guitar and vocal, though, Olney's songs and performances retain unusual intensity and impact. All this goes to say that...well, he's awfully good. For songwriters and performers, an Olney concert offers an opportunity to learn by observing a great one in action. For everyone else, it's just an opportunity to be entertained by a uniquely masterful artist."
-- Peter Cooper, The Tennessean

"David Olney tells marvelous stories, with characters who cling to the hope of enduring love, all the while crossing the deep divide into that long dark night of the soul. They are saints and charlatans, gypsies and thieves, the ordinary and extraordinary."
--Emmylou Harris

"Writing from the point of view of historical characters has become one of Mr. Olney's most distinguishing talents, whether he's singing from the mind of a donkey that carried Jesus or imagining Jesse James's last bragging words before being shot by Robert Ford..." "But he stresses: 'Anyone who sits down to write a heavy song is a jerk. It's more like paleontology, when you find a bone of a song sticking up and do everything you can to get the rest of it out without breaking it.'"
-- Neil Strauss, The New York Times

“Olney's deep, hard-nosed voice remains as clear and unforgiving as a punch to the face, and, as always, it's his songs of love, with their focus on tenderness and redemption, that do the most lasting damage.”
-- Michael McCall, Nashville Scene