DIX BRUCE
Dix Bruce is a musician, composer, author and award-winning guitarist from the San Francisco Bay Area. He performs and records with a variety of Bay Area-based musical groups in varied styles from traditional American country and folk to bluegrass to swing to rock and jazz.
Dix was born and raised in the Midwest. His interests in American folk music, jazz, and original composition are blended into a unique vocal and instrumental sound. His compositions are fresh and his energetic, exuberant stage personality, along with his driving rhythm and lead guitar work, set the tone for a warm and exciting performance.
Dix began playing guitar at age twelve. After graduating form the University of Wisconsin with a degree in Radio, Television, and Film, he relocated to the Bay Area where his interest in hybrid acoustic string music led him to David Grisman's prototype quintet in the mid-1970s. Bruce eventually teamed up with the mandolinist and edited the magazine Mandolin World News from 1978 until 1984.
He has recorded two LPs with mandolin legend Frank Wakefield; eight big band CDs with the Royal Society Jazz Orchestra; his own collection of American folk songs entitled My Folk Heart on which he plays guitar, mandolin, autoharp and sings; and a CD of string swing and jazz entitled Tuxedo Blues. He has released four CDs of traditional American songs and originals with guitarist Jim Nunally. His most recent project is a CD with singer and mandolinist Julie Cline entitled Look at it Rain.
He contributed two original compositions to the soundtrack of Harrod Blank’s acclaimed 1991 documentary Wild Wheels. Bruce wrote, arranged, and performed six songs (with Jim Nunally on guitar, Darol Anger on fiddle and Avram Siegel on banjo) for the soundtrack to the CD rom game "Streets of Sim City" (a sequel to the wildly popular "Sim City" from Maxis). He's also composed and produced part of the soundtrack for the CD rom game "Sims' House Party."
To date Mel Bay Publications has published over fifty of Dix's instructional book/CD sets and videos. Included are the mandolin and country guitar book/tape sets from the best-selling "You Can Teach Yourself" series along with his own "BackUp TRAX" series of play-along, music-minus-one type, book/CD sets for learning everything from bluegrass and old time music, to blues and jazz.
He has written books that explore the early 1960s playing of guitar legend Doc Watson and the later work of Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia. Guitar Workshop has released two of Dix's instructional videos: "Basic Country Flatpicking Guitar," and "Basic Swing Guitar." Dix has also published several book/CD sets through his Musix company. Four of these play-aong projects have been best sellers: "Gypsy Swing and Hot Club Rhythm, Vol. I & II" two volumes each for guitar and mandolin. Dix has written for Acoustic Guitar, FRETS, Bluegrass Unlimited, Flatpicking Guitar, and The Fretted Instrument Guild of America. He writes regular columns for Flatpicking Guitar and Mandolin Magazine.
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