NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Last week at the Peach Jam I got a chance to interview musician Bruce Hornsby, whose son, Keith, is a 6-3 rising senior at Oak Hill (Va.) Academy committed to UNC-Asheville. UNC-Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach recruited David Thompson to N.C. State, I was told by my Peach Jam roommate, NYC recruiting expert Tom Konchalski. “Eddie Biedenbach is a legend of N.C. State basketball,” Hornsby said. The elder Hornsby, 55, said he played basketball growing up but opted for a career in music instead. “I played basketball in high school,” he said. “I had an offer to play at Randolph Macon when they were Division 2. Now they’re Division 3. But I told the coach I wanted to play the piano. I think it’s the only time he’s ever been told that.” Hornsby went on to win Best New Artist Grammy in 1987 with Bruce Hornsby and the Range, the Best Bluegrass Recording Grammy in 1989 and the Best Pop Instrumental Grammy in 1993. He authored late-80’s hits like “The Way It Is” and “The Valley Road.” Hornsby also collaborated with The Grateful Dead and was a part time member of the band from September 1990 to April 1992. He’s also worked on a bluegrass project with Ricky Skaggs and a jazz act, The Bruce Hornsby Trio. He is excited about his current live act, Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers, which is shown in the video above. Their current album, “Levitate,” includes the song “Cyclone” with lyrics from Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter. Hornsby did the score for “Kobe Doin’ Work,” Spike Lee’s Kobe documentary, and is involved with Lee’s current project about New Orleans, “If God is Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise.” It is the sequel to Lee’s 2006 documentary “When the Levees Broke.” Hornsby also pointed out that he makes a cameo in the 2009 Robin Williams movie “World’s Greatest Dad,” which features the line, “Bruce Hornsby is a fag.” We talked about the future of music a little and Hornsby said he likes bands like “The Shins,” “Arcade Fire” and “Arctic Monkeys.” “That’s what you should be saying as far as young bands,” he said. Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
