In 1984 Hornsby formed Bruce Hornsby & the Range, who were signed to RCA Records in 1985. Besides Hornsby, Range members were David Mansfield (guitar, mandolin, violin), George Marinelli (guitars and backing vocals), Joe Puerta (bass guitar and backing vocals), and John Molo (drums).
During the 1990s he toured with the Grateful Dead, and released four albums, including A Night on the Town (1990) after which he split from The Range. Harbor Lights (1993) was his first solo album and signaled Hornsby was moving in a new jazz-influenced direction, whilst retaining elements of rock and pop. Later releases include Hot House (1995) and Spirit Trail (1998).
His experimental album Big Swing Face (2002) attracted much criticism as it veered away from his piano-based style. Despite these criticisms, he returned with his next studio album, shrugging off RCA and signing to Sony Music Entertainment. Halcyon Days, released in 2004, saw a return to the piano as the key instrument; this album also became the premise for his world tour the same year.
Hornsby continues to tour with his live band "The Noisemakers", in addition to solo shows and his progressive bluegrass performances with Ricky Skaggs.
In 2007 he released Camp Meeting, his first total jazz album as The Bruce Hornsby Trio, which involved jazz giants, Jack DeJohnette and Christian McBride with whom he made live appearances with throughout 2007.
In March 2007 Hornsby teamed with bluegrass player Ricky Skaggs to produce a bluegrass album, Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby, and played several tour dates together. The seeds for the album had been sown in 2000 when the pair collaborated on "Darlin' Cory", a track on the Big Mon Bill Monroe bluegrass tribute album and then proposed recording an album together. Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby, featuring the duo backed by Skaggs's band Kentucky Thunder, combined bluegrass, traditional country, "a tinge of Hornsby's jazzy piano and a splash of humor" on a spectrum of songs from the traditional to new compositions such as the opening track "The Dreaded Spoon," "a humorous tale of a youthful ice cream heist. The pair also reinvented Hornsby's hit "Mandolin Rain" as a minor key acoustic ballad and "give his cautionary tale of backwoods violence", "A Night On the Town," a treatment highlighting the "Appalachian storytelling tradition that was always at the song's heart. The album ended with a surprise cover of Rick James's funk hit "Super Freak" in a bluegrass arrangement. Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby topped Billboard's bluegrass charts for several weeks. The album showed Hornsby carving out a place for piano within traditional bluegrass, disproving the notion that the piano is not compatible with "string-oriented" bluegrass.
Concurrently with the bluegrass project, Hornsby recorded a jazz album, Camp Meeting. with Christian McBride (bass) and Jack DeJohnette (drums). Alongside original compositions by Hornsby, the trio delivered "newly reharmonized versions" of tunes by John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell, a previously unrecorded Ornette Coleman work ("Questions and Answers") and an early Keith Jarrett composition ("Death and the Flower.") The trio made a series of appearances in the summer of 2007, including the Playboy Jazz Festival, the Newport Jazz Festival and at the Hollywood Bowl.
On January 4, 2007, former Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart reunited along with Hornsby, Mike Gordon (of Phish and the Rhythm Devils) and Warren Haynes to play two sets. including Dead classics, at a post-inauguration fundraising party for Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House in the United States Congress.
Hornsby wrote songs for a Broadway Musical, titled "SCKBSTD"; one song from this project, a playful biographical tune about real-estate tycoon Donald Trump titled "The Don of Dons," made several appearances in setlists during his early-2007 solo piano performances. He also composed the score for Spike Lee's ESPN documentary, Kobe Doin' Work, about NBA star Kobe Bryant and his MVP season.
Outside of music composition and performance, Hornsby has taken an ownership interest in Williamsburg area radio station "The Tide," WTYD 92.3 FM, and he has endowed the Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music Program at University of Miami's Frost School of Music, encouraging the study of songwriting broadly across traditional genres. Hornsby played himself in a cameo role in the Robin Williams movie World's Greatest Dad, in which Williams' character is a Bruce Hornsby fan.
He has also been honored by piano makers Steinway & Sons with their Limited Edition Signature Piano Series. Hornsby selected ten Model B Steinway Grands to be featured in this collection, each one personalized with his signature. Hornsby owns three 9-foot Model D Steinway Grands himself.
White Wheeled Limousine
Bruce Hornsby Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the band played on with no one around
And the rice was gone oh hours ago
And the white wheeled limosine's standing alone
Well they met at the club where the brasses blow
Where the wine did flow oh he moved so slow
But finally one night as the wind stood still
The day did come and the groomsmen arrived
Came a little early to go over their lines
As they walked to the church on the cobblestones
Was heard in the bushes a moan and a groan
Well she walked into town in a long white gown
And the band played on with no one around
And the rice was gone oh hours ago
And the white wheeled limosine's standing alone
She didn't want to think that she lived a lie
There was always talk of a wandering eye
He'd come to the club and he'd look all around
It took a fair minded man not to wonder aloud
Well she walked into town in a long white gown
And the band played on with no one around
And the rice was gone oh hours ago
And the white wheeled limosine's standing alone
And the father of the bride is drinking so slow
]
The Bruce Hornsby song "White Wheeled Limousine" tells the story of a wedding day that doesn't go as planned. The lyrics follow the events of the day, starting with the bride's arrival in town to the groom's nervous proposal and the eventual ceremony. However, there is an undercurrent of tension throughout the song, with hints of a possible infidelity that threatens to derail the happy occasion.
The song opens with the image of the bride walking into town in a long white gown, but the band is playing to an empty street. This immediately sets a tone of loneliness and isolation, even as the wedding day is supposed to be a celebration. The reference to the rice being gone "hours ago" suggests that the wedding guests have already departed, leaving the couple alone with their doubts and uncertainties.
The second verse introduces the backstory of the couple's meeting, implying that they met at a club where the alcohol flowed freely. The slow pace of the action and the wind standing still create a sense of hesitant anticipation, building up to the fateful moment when the groom finally proposes and the bride says "I will." The third verse introduces a disturbing element of the story, with moans and groans heard in the bushes as the groomsmen walk to the church. It's not entirely clear what's happening here, but it adds to the unease of the moment.
The fourth verse explores the bride's doubts and fears, touching on the possibility of infidelity and the difficulty of trusting her partner. The repetition of the chorus reinforces the sense of emptiness and loneliness, with the white wheeled limousine standing alone as a symbol of the couple's isolation. Finally, the song ends with a mention of the father of the bride drinking slowly, suggesting that even he is aware that something is not quite right.
Overall, "White Wheeled Limousine" is a complex and nuanced song that explores the darker side of a supposedly joyous occasion. The lyrics are evocative and poetic, conveying a sense of atmosphere and emotion that is both powerful and haunting.
Line by Line Meaning
She walked into town in a long white gown
The bride arrived in town wearing a beautiful white dress.
And the band played on with no one around
The band continued to play even though there was no one listening.
And the rice was gone oh hours ago
The rice was thrown over the newlyweds a while ago.
And the white wheeled limosine's standing alone
The bride and groom's white limousine is parked alone.
Well they met at the club where the brasses blow
The couple first met at a club where the music was loud and lively.
Where the wine did flow oh he moved so slow
They drank wine together and he was slow to make any advances.
But finally one night as the wind stood still
Eventually, on a calm night, he worked up the courage to propose.
He got up the nerve and she said 'I will'
He finally asked her to marry him and she said yes.
The day did come and the groomsmen arrived
On the wedding day, the groomsmen arrived early to go over their roles.
Came a little early to go over their lines
They arrived earlier than expected to rehearse their duties.
As they walked to the church on the cobblestones
As they made their way to the church, they walked on paved stones.
Was heard in the bushes a moan and a groan
Some strange noises were heard coming from the bushes.
She didn't want to think that she lived a lie
The bride didn't want to believe that she was living a lie.
There was always talk of a wandering eye
People were always gossiping about the groom's wandering eye.
He'd come to the club and he'd look all around
The groom would go to the club and survey the scene.
It took a fair minded man not to wonder aloud
Only a reasonable man wouldn't openly question the groom's actions.
And the father of the bride is drinking so slow
The bride's father is drinking his drink very slowly.
Lyrics © GLAD MUSIC CO.
Written by: G. JONES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Erik Feick
This just goes to show you there are phenomenal musicians that fly under the radar. The range is incredible
Marty Jansing
I agree the range of this show is incredible. And the Range was a great group. But, this is the Noise Makers
Char Watkins
INCREDIBLE, IT WRAPS MY HEART AND SOUL WITH SO MUCH PASSION, AND I AM 69 YRS. OLD. ❤🌹
L D
@Marty Jansing not sure I can give you a like for that but you do get a really loud groan & 🤦♂️.
Ed Reynolds
A band of masters, led by a generous, passionate, positive master.
Will Cotter
It took me 6 months to figure out there wasn't even a light show to enhance the performance and it was purely the band straight killing it
ed reynolds
This my favorite band. Hands down. I've worked on the guitars of world famous folks for 30+ years. I LOVE how these folks relate to each other. I love the connected energy. THIS is what a band's energy needs to be. It uplifts folks. I'm an addict. This IS the stuff. I'll shut up for now ....
TheRealFumigator
1000% agree! I love how Bruce nods his approval at a soloist who just slayed. The sax solo in this tune... holy shit. And Bruce hitting strings of 32nd note triplets like a mad man during his solo... These guys absolutely rip.
Big Daddy
There are some great musicians in this ensemble. Well done gentlemen.
anthony22bob
I was at that concert. Mind-boggling musicianship coupled with flawless mix and acoustics. It really doesn't get better than this.