David LaFlamme


David Gordon LaFlamme was an American singer and violinist best known for co-founding the San Francisco band It's a Beautiful Day.

Life and career

LaFlamme was born in New Britain, Connecticut, on May 4, 1941. His mother was from a Mormon family in Salt Lake City, and when he was eight years old, the family moved there to be near her family. LaFlamme had been studying violin since moving to Los Angeles at age five, and in Salt Lake City he won a competition to perform as soloist with the Utah Symphony Orchestra.
After briefly serving in the U.S. Army, he returned to the music scene in San Francisco in 1962. During the 1960s he performed with a wide variety of notable San Francisco acts, such as Jerry Garcia and Janis Joplin. He helped create the band Electric Chamber Orkustra, and later, an early version of Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks. Then in the summer of 1967, he and his wife Linda LaFlamme formed It's a Beautiful Day with the help of impresario Matthew Katz.
The band's debut album, It's a Beautiful Day, was recorded in Los Angeles and produced by David LaFlamme. Released by Columbia Records in 1969, it contains their biggest hit, "White Bird". The album reached number 47 in the U.S. charts and remained on the Billboard Top 200 charts for over a year, achieving Gold Record certification in November 1972. Following their divorce and the recording of this seminal album, Linda LaFlamme left the band to pursue other musical ventures.
The group's second album, Marrying Maiden, was released the following year. It was their most successful on the charts, reaching number 28 in the U.S. and number 45 in the U.K. After two additional albums, Choice Quality Stuff/Anytime and Live at Carnegie Hall, LaFlamme left the group in 1972 over disputes regarding the direction and management of the band.
For a time he performed with the groups Edge City and Love Gunn in the Bay Area before going solo. In 1976, he released the album White Bird on Amherst Records. His remake of the song "White Bird" cracked the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 89 that same year. This was followed by the album Inside Out in 1978, also on Amherst Records. Both project releases were co-produced by David LaFlamme and Mitchell Froom.
Under LaFlamme's leadership, It's a Beautiful Day reformed periodically for reunions and special concerts. The group first reunited in 1978 to perform at Chet Helms' Tribal Stomp at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California, a show which featured future wife Linda Baker on vocals. Additional reunion events were consummated between 1996 and 1999 featuring original members of the band.
From 2000, he performed with a reconstituted group under the name David LaFlamme Band that included his third wife, Linda Baker LaFlamme, and original Beautiful Day drummer Val Fuentes. After years of legal wrangling over ownership of the band's name, LaFlamme resumed formal use of It's a Beautiful Day when former manager Matthew Katz let the trademark of the name go unrenewed.
LaFlamme appeared on the television shows Frasier, Ellen, and Wings, as a strolling violinist who stands right at the table in a restaurant, playing loudly or annoyingly. He also contributed to Jefferson Starship's 2008 release, Jefferson's Tree of Liberty.
In later years, LaFlamme suffered from Parkinson's disease. He died in Santa Rosa, California, on August 6, 2023, at the age of 82.

Discography

It's a Beautiful Day albums

It's a Beautiful Day compilations

Solo albums