Dave Getz
Dave Getz | |
|---|---|
Big Brother and the Holding Company in the mid 1960s, Getz is stood at the far left | |
| Background information | |
| Born | January 24, 1940 Brooklyn, New York, US |
| Genres | rock |
| Occupations | Musician, artist |
| Instruments | Drums, keyboards |
| Years active | 1955–1979, 1987–present |
| Member of | Big Brother and the Holding Company |
| Formerly of | Country Joe and the Fish |
David Getz (born January 24, 1940[1]) is an American musician and artist. In music, he is best known for being the drummer and keyboardist for Big Brother and the Holding Company.
Early life
Getz was born in Brooklyn in 1940.[2] Getz started playing drums professionally when he was fifteen, playing in hotels and clubs in the Catskill Mountains, originally performing jazz music.[3]
He studied at Cooper Union in New York, the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine, and in 1960 moved to California and received a Master of Fine Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1964.[2][4][5] Getz was given a Fulbright Fellowship and for a year lived in Kraków, Poland. He then went back to the SFAI and worked as an art teacher from 1965 to 1966.[2]
Career
Getz left the SFAI in March 1966 to join Big Brother and the Holding Company. The group briefly disbanded between 1968 and 1969, during which he and bassist Peter Albin joined Country Joe and the Fish and played on one of their albums before leaving in May 1969 and remaking the band.[6] He was in BB&THC until 1972, and until 1979 continued to record and tour in other musical projects.[2] Getz returned to art in 1979 and worked as an art teacher at two schools in Marin County, including San Marin High School, until the late 1990s.[4]
In 1987, Getz, Albin and James Gurley reformed the Holding Company.[6] Gurley left in 1996, and Getz and Albin are still members of the band. Getz still creates and sells his own art.[7][8][1]
References
- ^ a b "David Getz Artwork for Sale at Online Auction | David Getz Biography & Info". www.invaluable.com. Retrieved 2025-12-11.
- ^ a b c d "The Art of Dave Getz". The Art of Dave Getz. Retrieved 2025-12-11.
- ^ "Janis Joplin - Kozmic Blues Articles". janisjoplin.net. Archived from the original on 2008-11-23. Retrieved 2025-12-11.
- ^ a b "Gary James' Interview With drummer Dave Getz". www.classicbands.com. Retrieved 2025-12-11.
- ^ Fish, Scott K. (2017-05-07). "Dave Getz: We Were Like a Punk Band". Scott K Fish. Retrieved 2025-12-11.
- ^ a b The Virgin Encyclopedia of Heavy Rock - Colin Larkin 1999 - page 57
- ^ "David Getz Artworks". Saatchi Art. Retrieved 2025-12-11.
- ^ "David Getz". Image Makers Art, Inc. Retrieved 2025-12-11.