Byrne, David

born May 14, 1952, Dumbarton, Dunbartonshire, Scot.

Scottish-born U.S. singer and songwriter.

At the Rhode Island School of Design in the mid-1970s, he cofounded the rock group Talking Heads as singer and guitarist. Identified with the new wave movement (see punk), the band's debut album Talking Heads '77 (1977) was followed by releases that reflected Byrne's interest in experimental pop and African rhythms, including Speaking in Tongues (1983), Stop Making Sense (soundtrack for film of the same name; 1984), and solo albums such as Rei Momo (1989). An ethnomusicologist and producer, Byrne also wrote the score for choreographer Twyla Tharp's The Catherine Wheel (1980) and directed the film True Stories (1986).

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