Career Timeline of David Byrne: Major Achievements and Milestones

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how David Byrne made an impact.

David Byrne is a highly influential Scottish-American artist best known as the frontman for the new wave band Talking Heads. As a musician, he innovatively blended art rock, punk, funk, and world music, creating a distinctive sound and stage presence. Beyond music, Byrne is a multidisciplinary artist, engaging in filmmaking, writing, and visual arts. His work often explores themes of urban life, architecture, and cultural commentary, solidifying his status as a significant figure in contemporary art and music.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements

1971: Musical Career in Revelation

In 1971, David Byrne started his musical career in a high school band called Revelation.

1972: Bizadi Duo

Between 1971 and 1972, David Byrne was one half of a duo named Bizadi with Marc Kehoe.

1973: Formed The Artistics

In 1973, David Byrne returned to Providence and formed a band called the Artistics with Chris Frantz.

January 1975: Talking Heads Practicing Together

In January 1975, Talking Heads were practicing and playing together, while still working normal day jobs.

May 1976: Quit Day Job

In May 1976, David Byrne quit his day job to focus on music.

1977: Jerry Harrison Joined Talking Heads

In 1977, Jerry Harrison joined Talking Heads, expanding the band's lineup.

1979: Collaborated with Brian Eno

In 1979, David Byrne collaborated with Brian Eno, beginning work on "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts".

1981: Continued Collaboration with Brian Eno

In 1981, David Byrne continued to work with Brian Eno on the album "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts".

1981: Partnered with Twyla Tharp for Ballet

In 1981, David Byrne partnered with choreographer Twyla Tharp, creating music for the ballet "The Catherine Wheel".

1984: Stage Design and Choreography for Stop Making Sense

In 1984, David Byrne was chiefly responsible for the stage design and choreography of the concert film Stop Making Sense.

1985: Wrote Music for "The Knee Plays"

In 1985, David Byrne wrote the Dirty Dozen Brass Band-inspired score "Music for The Knee Plays" for Robert Wilson's opera.

1986: Soundtrack for Dead End Kids

In 1986, David Byrne provided a soundtrack for JoAnne Akalaitis' film Dead End Kids. He also added "Loco de Amor" with Celia Cruz to Jonathan Demme's film Something Wild.

1986: Wrote, Directed, and Starred in True Stories

In 1986, David Byrne wrote, directed, and starred in True Stories, a musical collage of Americana, also producing the film's music.

1988: Talking Heads Hiatus

In 1988, Talking Heads quietly went on hiatus, leading David Byrne to launch a solo career.

1988: Release of Talking Heads' "Naked"

In 1988, Talking Heads released "Naked", which featured the song "(Nothing But) Flowers" that David Byrne performed at the TED conference in October 2010.

1989: Directed the Documentary Île Aiye

In 1989, David Byrne directed the documentary Île Aiye.

1989: Released First Solo Album

In 1989, David Byrne released his first solo album, "Rei Momo", after leaving Talking Heads.

1990: Co-founding Luaka Bop Record Label

In 1990, David Byrne co-founded the world-music record label Luaka Bop with Yale Evelev.

December 1991: Talking Heads Officially Split

In December 1991, Talking Heads officially split after a brief reunion to record "Sax and Violins."

March 1992: Performance with Richard Thompson

In March 1992, David Byrne performed with Richard Thompson in Brooklyn Heights, New York. The resulting concert was recorded and released as An Acoustic Evening.

1992: Directed the concert film Between the Teeth

In 1992, David Byrne directed the concert film of his Latin-tinged tour, titled Between the Teeth.

1994: Original Release of "Psychedelic Afternoon"

In 1994, David Byrne originally released the song "Psychedelic Afternoon" with Sakamoto, which was later re-recorded in March 2013 to raise money and awareness for children impacted by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

March 1995: Collaboration with Selena

In March 1995, David Byrne collaborated with Selena, writing, producing, and singing "God's Child (Baila Conmigo)". This became Selena's last recording before her death on March 31, 1995.

1995: Collaborated with Selena

In 1995, David Byrne collaborated with Selena on her album Dreaming of You, with "God's Child (Baila Conmigo)".

1997: Hosting Sessions at West 54th and Album 'Feelings'

In 1997, David Byrne hosted Sessions at West 54th and collaborated with Devo and Morcheeba members on the album Feelings.

1999: Soundscape for Ultima Vez

In 1999, David Byrne produced a soundscape titled "In Spite of Wishing and Wanting" for Belgian choreographer Wim Vandekeybus's dance company Ultima Vez.

2001: "Like Humans Do" Selected for Windows XP

In 2001, Microsoft selected a version of David Byrne's single "Like Humans Do" (edited to remove a marijuana reference) as sample music for Windows XP.

2002: Collaboration on "Lazy"

In 2002, David Byrne co-wrote and sang on "Lazy" by X-Press 2, reaching No. 2 in the UK and No. 1 on the US Dance Charts.

September 2004: Creative Commons Benefit Concert

In September 2004, David Byrne co-authored a CD collection and performed with Gilberto Gil at a benefit concert for the Creative Commons license.

2004: Live performance at Carnegie Hall with Caetano Veloso

In 2004, David Byrne performed live at Carnegie Hall with Caetano Veloso which was later released as a show in 2012.

2004: "Lazy" Featured on Grown Backwards

In 2004, the track "Lazy", which David Byrne collaborated on, was featured with orchestral arrangements on his Grown Backwards album.

2005: Initiation of Radio David Byrne

In 2005, David Byrne started his own internet radio station, Radio David Byrne, where he posts playlists of music he likes each month.

2005: "Playing the Building" installed in Stockholm

In 2005, the "Playing the Building" project, where a structure is connected electronically to a pipe organ and made playable, was installed in Stockholm. David Byrne used the project to allow people to experience art firsthand.

2005: Started Work on Here Lies Love

In late 2005, David Byrne and Fatboy Slim began work on Here Lies Love, a disco opera about Imelda Marcos.

2006: Release of "Arboretum"

In 2006, David Byrne released Arboretum, a sketchbook facsimile of his Tree Drawings, published by McSweeney's.

2006: Featured on Thievery Corporation's Album

In 2006, David Byrne's singing was featured on "The Heart's a Lonely Hunter" on The Cosmic Game by Thievery Corporation.

2007: Cover of "Ex-Guru"

In 2007, David Byrne covered The Fiery Furnaces' song "Ex-Guru" for a Thrill Jockey anniversary compilation.

April 2008: Paul Simon Retrospective Concert

In April 2008, David Byrne performed "You Can Call Me Al" and "I Know What I Know" at Paul Simon's retrospective concert series at BAM.

2008: Reunited with Eno for Album

In 2008, David Byrne and Brian Eno reunited for the album 'Everything That Happens Will Happen Today'.

2008: Bicycle Parking Rack Designs

In 2008, David Byrne designed a series of bicycle parking racks in the form of image outlines corresponding to their locations.

2008: "Playing the Building" and "Toe Jam"

In 2008, David Byrne transformed the Battery Maritime Building into a playable musical instrument for "Playing the Building" and collaborated on "Toe Jam" with the Brighton Port Authority.

August 2009: Auction for London Cycling Campaign

In August 2009, David Byrne auctioned his Montague folding bike to raise money for the London Cycling Campaign.

2009: Collaborations and Performances in 2009

In 2009, David Byrne appeared on N.A.S.A.'s album, collaborated with Dirty Projectors, performed at Bonnaroo, and signed a letter protesting Toronto Film Festival's Tel Aviv focus.

2009: "Playing the Building" installed at London Roundhouse

In 2009, the "Playing the Building" project, where a structure is connected electronically to a pipe organ and made playable, was installed at the London Roundhouse. David Byrne used the project to allow people to experience art firsthand.

June 2010: TED Conference Speaker

In June 2010, David Byrne spoke at the TED conference about the effects of architecture on music.

October 2010: TED Performance

In October 2010, David Byrne performed "(Nothing But) Flowers" at the TED conference with Thomas Dolby and Ethel.

2010: Apparance on The Suburbs Deluxe Edition

In 2010, Arcade Fire released The Suburbs, which would later feature David Byrne in the deluxe edition.

2010: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps soundtrack

In 2010, David Byrne and Brian Eno provided the soundtrack for the film Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

2010: "Here Lies Love" concept album release

In 2010, David Byrne originally released his concept album "Here Lies Love", which later debuted as a fully staged production in March 2013.

2010: Exhibition at the Nasher Museum of Art

In 2010, David Byrne's original artwork was featured in The Record: Contemporary Art and Vinyl exhibition at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University.

May 2011: Backing Vocals on Arcade Fire Track

In May 2011, David Byrne contributed backing vocals to "Speaking in Tongues" by Arcade Fire, from the deluxe edition of their 2010 album The Suburbs.

2011: Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami

In 2011, the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami happened, which caused David Byrne and Sakamoto to re-record "Psychedelic Afternoon" to raise money and awareness for children impacted by the natural disaster in March 2013.

2012: Collaboration and Live Album Release

In 2012, David Byrne featured on Jherek Bischoff's album and released a live album with Caetano Veloso recorded in 2004.

March 2013: "Here Lies Love" Staged and Collaboration for Tōhoku Relief

In March 2013, David Byrne debuted a fully staged production of "Here Lies Love" and re-released "Psychedelic Afternoon" with Sakamoto for Tōhoku earthquake relief.

May 2014: Collaboration on Anna Calvi's EP

In May 2014, David Byrne announced his involvement with Anna Calvi's EP, Strange Weather, collaborating on two songs.

2015: Organized Contemporary Color

In 2015, David Byrne organized Contemporary Color, two arena concerts in Brooklyn and Toronto.

August 2016: Featured on De La Soul Album

In August 2016, David Byrne was featured on "Snoopies" on De La Soul's Kickstarter-funded album.

2016: Co-created NEUROSOCIETY

In 2016, David Byrne collaborated with Mala Gaonkar to co-create NEUROSOCIETY, an immersive theater performance.

2016: Documentary Film of Contemporary Color

In 2016, a documentary film of the Contemporary Color concerts was released, directed by the Ross brothers and produced by Byrne.

January 2018: Announced First Solo Album in 14 Years

In January 2018, David Byrne announced his first solo album in 14 years, "American Utopia".

2022: "This Is a Life" for Everything Everywhere All at Once

In 2022, David Byrne co-wrote and sang on "This Is a Life" for the film Everything Everywhere All at Once and performed it at the Academy Awards.

2022: Theater of the Mind Production

In 2022, David Byrne collaborated with Mala Gaonkar on "Theater of the Mind", an immersive theater production in Denver, Colorado.

July 20, 2023: "Here Lies Love" Broadway Debut

On July 20, 2023, the stage version of David Byrne's Here Lies Love made its Broadway debut, facing criticism over the initial plan to use pre-recorded music.