David Grissom is an American guitarist, songwriter, and bandleader whose roots trace back to Louisville, Kentucky before he found his true musical home in Austin, Texas. David moved to Austin in 1983 and quickly became a stalwart on the vibrant local scene, playing first with Lucinda Williams before he joined Texas legend Joe Ely's band in 1985, touring and recording nonstop until 1991. That blues-drenched, roots rock apprenticeship in the Texas scene shaped the muscular, guitar-forward style that would define his career, blending rock and roll, country rock, and blues rock into a distinctive voice on the instrument.
Grissom's profile rose considerably when he joined John Mellencamp's band in 1991, making three records with Mellencamp and touring extensively from 1991 through 1993. It is this run that many fans and critics point to as his commercial and creative peak, since David Grissom is a guitarist best known for his work with John Mellencamp. After leaving Mellencamp's band, he returned to Texas and formed Storyville, a band that included the Double Trouble rhythm section of Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon, and powerhouse vocalist Malford Milligan. The group came together organically, as Storyville was an American blues-rock band formed in 1993 in Austin, Texas, following a jam session at the well-known Austin venue, Antone's. Storyville earned a reputation as a critically acclaimed Austin "supergroup," with Grissom contributing much of the songwriting alongside his guitar work.
Beyond Mellencamp and Storyville, Grissom built one of the most respected sideman careers in American roots music. Over the years, he has collaborated with artists including Buddy Guy, John Mellencamp, Joe Ely, Storyville, The Allman Brothers Band, The Dixie Chicks, Chris Isaak, Robben Ford, John Mayall, and Ringo Starr. His songwriting also reached beyond his own recordings, as his songs have been recorded by John Mayall, Rita Coolidge, Trisha Yearwood, Lee Ann Womack, and Storyville among others. As a solo artist he steadily built a catalog beginning with his 2007 debut, since he has released four solo albums: Loud Music, 10,000 Feet, Way Down Deep, and How It Feels to Fly. Throughout, his gear became part of his identity, as Grissom uses a PRS guitar and has for most of his career, and PRS Guitars has long recognized him as one of its longest serving signature artists.
Grissom remains active in Austin today, continuing to perform, record, and teach. He is known for his ongoing residency at Austin's Saxon Pub, where the guitarist, vocalist, and all-around musical monster takes fans to school with live sets captured at his regular Tuesday night residency at Austin's legendary and eternal Saxon Pub. Widely regarded as a "guitarist's guitarist," he has spent decades quietly influencing the Americana, blues rock, and heartland rock genres from behind the scenes, even as he continues to release solo material and mentor players through instructional guitar courses. His reputation endures less as a chart-topping frontman and more as an essential architect of the sound behind some of American roots rock's most respected voices.
For the archive at waynedennon.com, David Grissom holds a modest but meaningful place among the thousands of performers Wayne Dennon captured with his lens over the years. Wayne photographed Grissom's band at a single show in 2008, and the fifteen resulting photographs preserved in the collection have drawn considerable interest from visitors over time, with the images viewed 12,169 times by fans revisiting that night through Wayne's camera. It stands as a small but lasting testament to a guitarist whose steady, understated brilliance has long been better known to musicians and devoted fans than to the mainstream, much like Wayne's own quiet dedication to documenting the live music scene he loved.
