John Hornsby
Jonathan Bigelow Hornsby (born June 13, 1956, Williamsburg, Virginia) is an American composer, musician and actor.[1] He is the brother of musician and composer Bruce Hornsby, and the two have collaborated often.
Hornsby co-wrote seven of nine songs on the multi-platinum album The Way It Is, including the top-five hit "Mandolin Rain". Other tracks on the album helped establish what some labeled the "Virginia sound", a mixture of rock, jazz, and bluegrass, with an observational Southern feel. Bruce Hornsby's group, Bruce Hornsby and the Range, would go on to win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1986. The Hornsby brothers co-wrote "Jacob's Ladder", which became a #1 hit for Huey Lewis and the News in 1987, and "The Valley Road", for the group's 1988 follow-up album Scenes from the Southside.
Hornsby contributed to six film soundtracks and was an actor in A Place to Grow in 1998, playing one of the "Centennial Singers."[2]
He is a graduate of the University of Virginia Law School, class of 1987.
He lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, with his wife, Paige, and daughters Charlotte, Emily, Jane and son Nathan.
References
- ↑ Realhornsby.com Archived 2012-03-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ IMDb.com
Further reading
- Beviglia, Jim (December 27, 2025). "What Were Bruce Hornsby & The Range's 5 Biggest Hits?". American Songwriter. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
- Hochman, Steve (September 23, 1986). "THE GREAT CATCH IN HORNSBY'S VOICE". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
- Locey, Bill (December 13, 1990). "NIGHT LIFE THE CLUB SCENE : Live and Intense : Bruce Hornsby, who has been kept busy by success lately, wraps up his tour with a Ventura gig". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
- Matthews, Brennen (November 2022). "A Conversation with Bruce Hornsby". ROUTE Magazine. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
- Reesman, Bryan (May 7, 2024). "How Bruce Hornsby Helped Huey Lewis and the News Land Their Third No. 1 Single "Jacob's Ladder"". American Songwriter. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
- Willman, Chris (May 8, 1988). "The Piano Man Sings a Song of the South : Check List **** Great Balls of Fire *** Good Vibrations ** Maybe Baby * Running on Empty". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
- Willman, Chris (June 17, 1990). "BRUCE HORNSBY & THE RANGE "A Night on the Town" RCA : Albums are rated from five stars (a classic) to one star (poor)". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 28, 2026.