David Licht

David Licht is a drummer and a founding member of the Grammy Award-winning American Klezmer band The Klezmatics.

Biography

Licht grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina and played in a local jazz group In-Time starting around 1977. In the early 1980's, he played with The Chadbournes. He also worked as a house painter as well as a musician.
In 1985, Licht moved to New York City to help manage a recording studio and joined the band Bongwater. In New York he was able to find other musicians who shared his love of klezmer music, and he helped found The Klezmatics along with Frank London, Paul Morrissett, Lorin Sklamberg, and Alicia Svigals in 1986. He also played with Shockabilly and When People Were Shorter and Lived Near the Water.