David Blue (born Stuart David Cohen; February 18, 1941 – December 2, 1982) was an American folk music singer-songwriter and actor.[1][2]
David Blue | |
|---|---|
 David Blue in 1966 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Stuart David Cohen |
| Born | February 18, 1941 Providence, Rhode Island, US |
| Died | December 2, 1982 (aged 41) New York City, US |
| Genres | Folk |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, actor |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1965—1982 |
| Labels | Elektra, Reprise, Asylum, Wounded Bird |
| Website | David Blue website |
Early life and education
editThe son of a Jewish father and Irish Roman Catholic/French Canadian descent mother, David Blue quit high school at age 17, left home, and joined the Navy, but was soon thrown out for his "Inability to adjust to a military way of life."
Career
editBlue became an integral part of the Greenwich Village folk music scene in New York City, which included Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, Dave Van Ronk, Tom Paxton, Bob Neuwirth, and Eric Andersen.[1] Blue is best known for writing the song "Outlaw Man" for the Eagles, which was included on their 1973 Desperado album. Blue's original version of "Outlaw Man" was the lead track of his own Nice Baby and the Angel album, re-issued on CD, with the entire David Blue catalogue, in 2007 on Wounded Bird Records.[1]
Blue joined Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue in 1975 and appeared in Renaldo and Clara, the 1978 movie that was filmed during that tour.[1] Blue acted in other films including, The American Friend (1977), directed by Wim Wenders, The Ordeal of Patty Hearst (a 1979 TV movie) and Human Highway (1982) by Neil Young.[1] Human Highway premiered in 1983 after Blue's death. Blue also performed onstage in Stephen Poliakoff's play American Days at Manhattan Theatre Club in New York City, in December 1980, directed by Jacques Levy.[3]
Death
editBlue died of a heart attack in December 1982 at the age of 41 while jogging in Washington Square Park in New York City.[1][4]
Discography
edit- Singer Songwriter Project (Elektra, 1965) (Blue, who is credited as David Cohen, contributes three tracks and is one of four artists; the others are Richard Fariña, Patrick Sky and Bruce Murdoch)
- David Blue (Elektra, 1966)
- These 23 Days in September (Reprise, 1968)
- Me (Reprise, 1970) (released under the name S. David Cohen)
- Stories (Asylum, 1972)
- Nice Baby and the Angel, (Asylum, 1973)
- Com'n Back for More (Asylum, 1975)
- Cupid's Arrow (Asylum, 1976)
- The Lost 1967 Elektra Recordings & More (David Blue & the American Patrol) (Mapache Records, 2023)
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | The American Friend | Allan Winter | |
| 1978 | Renaldo and Clara | Himself | |
| 1979 | The Ordeal of Patty Hearst | Schiller | TV movie |
| 1982 | Human Highway | Earl Duke | (final film role) |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Colin Larkin (May 27, 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th Concise ed.). Omnibus Press. p. 154. ISBN 9780857125958.
- ^ "David Blue". Folk.uio.no. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
- ^ "American Days" on the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- ^ "David Blue, Singer-Actor, 41, Was Part of 60's Folk Revival" The New York Times December 7, 1982.