David Briggs, a keyboardist and member of the legendary group of studio musicians the Nashville Cats, has died, according to a statement from the Country Music Hall of Fame. He was 82 years old.
“David Briggs could play keyboards in any style,” Hall of Fame CEO Kyle Young says in the statement. “For more than four decades, his deft touch graced countless country, R&B, pop and rock recordings.”
Born in 1943, Briggs was a teenager when he first started playing in studios in Muscle Shoals, Ala. At 18 years old, he played piano for Arthur Alexander’s 1961 hit “You Better Move On,” the first big mainstream hit to emerge from the then-fledgling FAME Studios.
He moved to Nashville in 1964 at the encouragement of Owen Bradley, one of the biggest figures behind the development of the iconic “Nashville Sound.” There, Briggs worked with legends including Willie Nelson, Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton, Kenny Chesney and Shania Twain.
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He was also a popular choice in the studio with musicians of other genres. Briggs played keyboards on Elvis Presley‘s 1966 single “Love Letters.”
In 1971, Briggs established the Nashville recording studio Quadrafonic Sound Studio with fellow Nashville recruit from Muscle Shoals Norbert Putnam. Neil Young recorded his Harvest album there, and the spot was also home to other legendary country, rock and folk recordings including Jimmy Buffett‘s “Margaritaville” and Joan Baez’s version of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.”
Briggs became a member of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1999, and he was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2019.
The Country Music Hall of Fame announced Brigg’s death on Apr. 22. No cause of death, exact date of death or funeral information was immediately available.
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