David Byrne, 67, is set to take the stage at Studio 8H! The Scottish-American singer hasn’t appeared on Saturday Night Live since the release of his first solo album back in 1989 — his first project outside of band the Talking Heads — and we can’t wait for his return. Here’s 5 things to know about David before he performs on tonight’s episode of SNL.
1. He was born in Scotland. David was born on May 14, 1952 in Dumbarton, Scotland to Tom and Emma Byrne. While Scotland was his family’s ancestral home, his parents quickly relocated to Canada before ultimately putting down roots in Maryland. Prior to pursuing a career in music, he graduated from Baltimore County’s Lansdowne High School and then attended Rhode Island School of Design and the Maryland Institute College of Art. To this day, David remains a dual citizen of both the United Kingdom and the United States.
2. He was in the Talking Heads. David founded the iconic rock group with Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison in 1975, and they were eventually signed to Sire Records in 1976. Their debut album Talking Heads: 77 put them on the map — along with single “Psycho Killer” — and eventually they went on to release eight albums total. The group split in 1988, and David then pursued a solo career. “I think we brought in a mixture of art-rock and dance music,” David said in a 2005 interview, reflecting on the bands’ success. “Two areas that couldn’t have been more separate, but we felt like they naturally belonged together. It doesn’t seem like such an odd thing now, but at the time it was a pretty novel idea.”
3. He’s in the Hall of Fame. David was inducted into the legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 with the Talking Heads. The group reunited for the honor and performed three of their biggest hits — “Psycho Killer”, “Life During Wartime,” and “Burning Down the House” — and was their first appearance together in years.
4. He’s worked in film. Outside of music, David has dabbled in the arenas of film and broadway. He directed, wrote and starred in 1986’s True Stories, in addition to directing the 1992 documentary Between the Teeth. His album American Utopia was also transformed into a Broadway show in 2019.
5. He’s an avid cyclist. David, who is a resident of New York City, has actively cycled for years as his main form of transportation. “There’s a certain amount of freedom involved in cycling: you’re self-propelled and decide exactly where to go,” David wrote in a 2009 essay. “If you see something that catches your eye to the left, you can veer off there, which isn’t so easy in a car, and you can’t cover as much ground walking.” He also reflected about how he started biking in the ’70s to get around to clubs. David later designed bicycle parking racks in 2008.