Bruce Randall Hornsby (born 23 November 1954 in Williamsburg, Virginia) is an American singer, pianist, accordian player, and songwriter. He is best known for his hit song "The Way It Is".

With a propulsive yet contemplative piano riff and the refrain That's just the way it is, the song was so catchy and socially conscious that it topped the American music charts in 1986, but not before becoming a huge hit in the UK. (In years to come the song would be sampled by at least six rap artists, including Tupac Shakur and Mase; it is also introductory music to Sean Hannity's popular talk radio program.) With the success of the single worldwide, the album of the same name would go multi-platinum and produce another top five hit with "Mandolin Rain". "Every Little Kiss" would do respectably as well.

The wave of fame continued to roll with the second album, Scenes From The Southside. Released in 1988, it featured such hits as "Look Out Any Window" and "The Valley Road". The song "Jacob's Ladder" was featured as well, having originally been written by Hornsby for musician friend Huey Lewis. Lewis' version became a number one hit from his album Fore!. "Scenes..." was successful in its own right and it would also be the last to perform so well in the singles market.

In 1988 Hornsby first appeared on stage with The Grateful Dead. This collaboration would continue on an irregular basis until the Dead ended in 1995. In 1989 Hornsby co-wrote and played piano on Don Henley's big hit "The End of the Innocence". In 1991 Hornsby played piano on Bonnie Raitt's popular hit "I Can't Make You Love Me". Hornsby would feature both these songs in his own concerts.

A Night On The Town was released in 1990. A change in style became apparent as the album was much more guitar driven, while the others were centered around Hornsby at the piano. After the album, the Range broke up with each member pursuing respective musically careers.

Hornsby would go on to release Harbor Lights in 1993, much to the delight of critics and fans. In 1995, Hot House was released. The jazz feelings that peppered the previous album would be expanded on here giving the album a constant uptempo party sound. As is typical with many Hornsby songs though, the underlying message behind the catchy tunes are often very dark. Murder, nuclear disaster, adultery, these dark themes and more can be found in many Honsby compositions. Casual listeners may not detect this at all, but his fans have come to know and appreciate it.

Three years later, Hornsby released a double album, Spirit Trail. Featuring a decidedly goofy picture of his uncle on the cover, the two disc collection blends instrumental tracks with the story telling, rock, jazz, and other musical forms Hornsby had dwelved into over his career.

It would not be until 2002 when he'd release a new album entitled Big Swing Face. During that gap Hornsby took the time to work with several Grateful Dead projects including "The Other Ones", released a live album in 2000 entitled Here Come The Noise Makers, and of course, did extensive touring. Big Swing Face was not received well by many. Hornsby wanted to experiment and did so by dropping the piano almost completely from the album and replacing it with synthesizers and drum beats. However, in 2004, the elements he enjoyed using from that album were combined with the more traditional piano stylings he developed for the album Halcyon Days. With no signs of slowing down yet, Bruce Hornsby is a musician who has never cared about the radio play so much as about his adoring fans and his own growth as an artist.

In addition to those mentioned above, Hornsby has worked with many other artists over the years, including Squeeze, Warren Zevon, Jerry Garcia, Chaka Khan, Béla Fleck, and Phil Collins to name a few.

Bruce Hornsby is a distant relative of baseball great Rogers Hornsby and sometimes performs with a bust of the player on his piano.

External links

• http://www.brucehornsby.com/ Official site
• http://www.bruuuce.com/ Fan site
• news:rec.music.artists.bruce-hornsby Newsgroup