'Hardest-working musician in town' aims to entertain

David Shepherd Grossman's songbook includes 300 originals and another 300 covers. The Tempe musician loves to perform, sometimes playing up to 40 shows in a month.

David Shepherd Grossman became addicted to the acoustic guitar and songwriting while growing up in the San Francisco Bay area.

He remembers sitting around a campfire playing music at summer camp -- and thinks of those days as his first "real" gigs with "real" audiences. On his 18th birthday, open-mike nights had become routine and he released the first of 10 recordings.

After being entertained by a few major labels here and there and becoming a regular on the California nightclub circuit, Grossman moved to Tempe and quickly adapted to the music scene. His life revolves around his music -- he sometimes plays up to 40 shows per month. That daily grind is the reason many locals have dubbed him "the hardest-working musician in town."

Style: He simply calls it "lyric-oriented acoustic music." His song list runs the gamut from rock to grunge to folk, including more than 300 originals and another 300 covers. His voice has been likened to everyone from Paul Simon to Paul McCartney, and Grossman claims he is able to imitate almost any male vocalist -- and happily does so upon request.

Secrets of success: "I first check out the type of place I'm performing at," he says. "If people are eating a nice dinner, I'm not going to sing an emotional song about homeless people. I'm here to entertain, not offend. If I can get through a night without someone complaining for me to turn my sound down, I know I've done a good job."

Most requested song he hates to play: "I don't mind playing American Pie every now and then if my crowd requests it, but I draw the line at the Piano Man," he says.

Claim to fame: During his days in San Francisco, Grossman didn't open the show for such artists as Michael Hedges, 4 Non Blondes and Michelle Shocked -- they opened for him, or in some cases, those now famous musicians shared the bill with him at musical showcases. His talent has also earned him a mantel full of Best Folk Musician awards from local and national competitions.

Get in touch: Call 465-7991.