Login
Login

Don Heffington

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}

{{Short description|American drummer (1950–2021)}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| honorific_prefix =

| name = Don Heffington

| honorific_suffix =

| image =

| image_upright =

| image_size =

| landscape =

| alt =

| caption =

| native_name =

| native_name_lang =

| birth_name =

| alias =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1950|12|20}}

| birth_place = Los Angeles, California

| origin =

| death_date = {{death date and age|2021|03|24|1950|12|20}}

| death_place = Los Angeles, California

| genre = Rock music, Americana music

| occupation = Musician

| instrument = Drums, guitar

| years_active = 1970–2021

| label =

| associated_acts = Lone Justice, Watkins Family Hour

| website = {{URL|donheffington.net}}

| notable_instruments =

| module =

| module2 =

| module3 =

}}

Don Heffington (December 20, 1950{{spnd}}March 24, 2021){{cite web |url=https://www.rolandnote.com/people.php?scode=thismonth&month=12&year=1950|title=RolandNote™Country Music Database Searches|work=RolandNote|accessdate=September 3, 2017}} was an American drummer, percussionist, and songwriter. He was a founding member of the Los Angeles alternative country band Lone Justice, which he performed with from 1982 to 1985. Heffington was also a member of the bluegrass band Watkins Family Hour, recorded three solo albums, and was a session and touring musician for various artists, including Lowell George, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Jackson Browne, Victoria Williams, the Wallflowers, the Jayhawks, and Joanna Newsom.

Early life

Heffington was born in Los Angeles on December 20, 1950. He grew up in a musical family – his grandmother played drums and his mother played upright bass, and they passed on their enthusiasm for jazz to Heffington.{{cite news|title=Don Heffington, Lone Justice drummer and session musician for roots stars, dies at 70|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-03-25/don-heffington-lone-justice-drummer-session-musician-dies-70|first=Mikael|last=Wood|date=March 25, 2021|access-date=March 25, 2021|newspaper=The Dallas Morning News}} Later, Bob Dylan's album Bringing It All Back Home broadened his musical scope to include rock and roll music. As a teen, Heffington joined a jazz band, The Doug Morris Quintet, on drums.{{cite web |url=http://m.web2carz.com/article/article.php?articleId=2872|title=Poetic Justice for Alt-Country Progenitors|work=web2carz|accessdate=September 4, 2017|author=Steven Karras|date=February 17, 2014}}{{cite web |url=http://gemsofjazz.blogspot.com/2013/06/butch-morris-time.html|title=Butch Morris Time|work=Gems of Jazz|accessdate=September 4, 2017|date=June 26, 2013}}

Heffington was drummer for Emmylou Harris's Hot Band. In that capacity, he played on Blue Kentucky Girl (1979), as well as the 1983 album White Shoes.{{cite web |url=http://lonestarmusicmagazine.com/lsm-playlist-nashvilles-great-credibility-scare-of-the-80s/|title=LSM Playlist: Nashville's "Great Credibility Scare" of the '80s|work=Lone Star Music Magazine|accessdate=September 3, 2017|author=Holly Gleason|author-link=Holly Gleason|date=March 1, 2016}}

Career

=Lone Justice=

Heffington was a member of the first incarnation of Lone Justice, along with Maria McKee (vocals), Ryan Hedgecock (guitar), and Marvin Etzioni (bass). Heffington was with the band from 1982 until 1985.{{cite book |last=Larkin|first=Colin

|date= May 27, 2011|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|publisher=Omnibus Press

|isbn=9780857125958

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_NNmFiUnSmUC

|access-date=September 3, 2017}}{{cite book |last=Thompson|first=John Joseph|date=2000|title=Raised by Wolves: The Story of Christian Rock & Roll|publisher=ECW Press|isbn=9781550224214 |url=https://archive.org/details/raisedbywolvesst0000thom|url-access=registration|access-date=September 3, 2017}} In spite of being the group's second drummer, he joined early enough in its existence that McKee spoke of him as an "original member", adding how Heffington was the only one she "never had any drama with".

The presence of Heffington in the band was described by Spin in 1985 as a "kind of professionalizing force". His sensitivity and musicality drew comparisons with Ringo Starr. Etzioni stated how Heffington, like Ringo, "didn’t play drums, he played songs". Hedgecock echoed the sentiment by dubbing Heffington the "King of Swing", recounting how he had "played with a few drummers before, but Don was the first musician that played drums I had encountered".

=Watkins Family Hour=

Heffington was a member of the Watkins Family Hour, led by Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins. Other members include Sebastian Steinberg (bass), Greg Leisz (pedal steel), Benmont Tench (piano), and David Garza (guitar).{{cite web |url=https://youmakemyworldrock.com/tag/don-heffington/|title=We'll Steal Your Heart Away|work=You Make My World Rock|accessdate=September 3, 2017

|date=December 28, 2005}}{{cite news|last1=Crooks|first1=Deborah|title=An Hour-Plus of Watkins Family Joy|url=http://nodepression.com/live-review/hour-plus-watkins-family-joy|accessdate=September 3, 2017|work=No Depression|date=August 17, 2015}}

=Performing and recording=

Heffington has played and/or recorded with many artists, including Dave Alvin,{{cite web |url=http://www.vintageguitar.com/2948/dave-alvin/|title=Dave Alvin: Blast Back to the Ashgrove|work=Vintage Guitar|accessdate=September 1, 2017|author=Michael Dregni|date=October 1, 2004}} Peter Case,{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/1998/music/reviews/peter-case-1200453119/|title=Review: 'Peter Case'|work=Variety|accessdate=September 3, 2017|author=Todd Everett|date=March 15, 1998}} Vic Chesnutt,{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/1434-ghetto-bells/|title=Vic Chesnutt: Ghetto Bells|work=Pitchfork|accessdate=September 4, 2017|author=Stephen M. Deusner|date=March 28, 2005}} Delia Bell,{{cite news|last1=staff writer|title=Picks and Pans Review: Delia Bell|url=http://people.com/archive/picks-and-pans-review-delia-bell-vol-19-no-22/|accessdate=September 3, 2017|work=People|date=June 6, 1983}} Sheryl Crow, Bob Dylan,{{cite book |last=Heylin|first=Clinton|date=March 15, 1997|title=Bob Dylan: The Recording Sessions, 1960-1994|publisher=Macmillan |isbn=9780312150679|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c9d62SgEJpkC|access-date=September 4, 2017}} Kathleen Edwards,{{cite web |url=http://www.popmatters.com/article/57101-5-questions-for-canadian-singer-songwriter-kathleen-edwards/|title=Five Questions for Canadian Singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards|work=Detroit Free Press|accessdate=September 4, 2017|author=Martin Bandyke|date=April 8, 2008}} Lowell George,{{cite web |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-last-tour-lowell-george-self-produced-review-by-c-michael-bailey.php?width=412|title=Lowell George: The Last Tour|work=All About Jazz|accessdate=September 3, 2017|author=C. Michael Bailey|date=January 30, 2016}} the Jayhawks,{{cite book |last=Bogdanov|first=Vladimir|author2=Chris Woodstra|author3=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|date=2001|title=All Music Guide: The Definitive Guide to Popular Music|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|isbn=9780879306274 |edition=1|url=https://archive.org/details/allmusicguidedef00bogd|url-access=registration|access-date=September 4, 2017}} Rickie Lee Jones,{{cite news|last1=Bream|first1=Jon|title=Review: A special night with Rickie Lee Jones|url=http://m.startribune.com/a-special-night-with-rickie-lee-jones/46151337/|accessdate=September 3, 2017|work=Star Tribune|date=May 27, 2009|archive-date=December 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181206102227/http://m.startribune.com/a-special-night-with-rickie-lee-jones/46151337/|url-status=dead}} Sam Phillips,{{cite web |url=http://innocentwords.com/sam-phillips-martinis-bikinis/|title=Sam Phillips: Martinis & Bikinis|work=Innocent Words|accessdate=September 4, 2017|author=Troy Michael|date=August 1, 2012}} Ron Sexsmith,{{cite news|last1=Hutchinson|first1=Charles|title=Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith sells out Pocklington gig on Carousel One tour|url=http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/13845647.Canadian_singer_songwriter_Ron_Sexsmith_sells_out_Pocklington_gig_on_Carousel_One_tour/|accessdate=September 4, 2017|work=The York Press|date=October 13, 2015}} Percy Sledge, Big Mama Thornton, Big Joe Turner, the Wallflowers, Lucinda Williams,{{cite news|last1=Mirkin|first1=Steven|title=Review: 'Lucinda Williams'|url=https://variety.com/2001/music/reviews/lucinda-williams-3-1200468950/|accessdate=September 4, 2017|work=Variety|date=July 31, 2001}} and Dwight Yoakam.{{cite web|url=http://argonautnews.com/from-sideman-to-center-stage/|title=From Sideman to Center Stage|work=The Argonaut|accessdate=September 3, 2017|author=Bliss Bowen|date=September 2, 2015|archive-date=December 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181206102306/https://argonautnews.com/from-sideman-to-center-stage/|url-status=dead}}

=Solo and collaborative albums=

Heffington briefly reunited with McKee for her solo album You Gotta Sin to Get Saved (1993). Two years later, he and fiddler Tammy Rogers collaborated on the mostly instrumental In the Red. This marked the first of three studio albums in his career. He released his first solo album nearly two decades later titled Gloryland (2014). He said that he "wanted it to sound like some drunk falling down the stairs while he was practicing the trombone". Heffington played most of the instruments in that album and recorded with engineer David Vaught.

Contemporary Abstractions in Folk Song and Dance, released in 2015, was recorded live with Heffington (vocals, acoustic guitar), Tim Young (electric guitar) and Sebastian Steinberg (upright bass). Heffington performed as part of the Don Heffington Group with Tim Young, and Sebastian Steinberg.

Later life

Heffington died on March 24, 2021, at his home in Los Feliz, Los Angeles. He was 70, and had been hospitalized for leukemia prior to his death.{{cite web |last1=Willman |first1=Chris |title=Don Heffington, Lone Justice Member and L.A.'s Premier Roots-Rock Drummer, Dies at 70 |url=https://variety.com/2021/music/news/don-heffington-dead-drummer-roots-rock-1234937646/ |website=Variety |access-date=March 25, 2021 |date=March 25, 2021}}

Discography

{{Incomplete list|date=October 2024}}

= As leader =

  • In the Red with Tammy Rogers (Dead Reckoning, 1995){{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/george-segal-mn0001408586/credits|title=Don Heffington – Credits|work=AllMusic|accessdate=March 25, 2021}}
  • Gloryland (self-released, 2014){{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/don-heffington-mn0000182761/discography/all|title=Don Heffington – Album Discography|work=AllMusic|accessdate=March 25, 2021}}
  • Contemporary Abstractions in Folk Song and Dance (self-released, 2016)

= As producer =

  • 2005 The Creekdippers, Mystic Theatre (Glitterhouse){{cite news|title=Mark Olson & The Creekdippers|url=https://www.allinlondon.co.uk/whats-on/event-8958-mark-olson-the-creekdippers|date=September 2006|access-date=March 25, 2021|publisher=KCRW}}
  • 2006 Ramsay Midwood, Popular Delusions & The Madness of Cows (Farmwire){{cite news|title=Ramsay Midwood|url=https://www.kcrw.com/music/shows/morning-becomes-eclectic/ramsay-midwood-2|first=Nic|last=Harcourt|date=January 12, 2007|access-date=March 25, 2021|publisher=KCRW}}
  • 2009 Amy Allison, Sheffield Streets (Urban Myth)
  • 2014 Chuck E. Weiss, Red Beans and Weiss (ANTI-)

= As sideman =

{{Div col}}

With Amy Allison

With Dave Alvin

With Neal Casal

  • Fade Away Diamond Time (Zoo, 1995)
  • Basement Dreams (Fargo, 1998)

With Peter Case

With Vic Chesnutt

  • Silver Lake (New West, 2003)
  • Ghetto Bells (New West, 2005)

With A. J. Croce

  • Twelve Tales (Compass, 2013)

With Bob Dylan

With Marvin Etzioni

  • The Mandolin Man (Restless, 1992)
  • Weapons Of The Spirit (Restless, 1994)

With Tony Gilkyson

  • Sparko (Askew, 1997)
  • Goodbye Guitar (Rolling Sea, 2006)

With Jimmie Dale Gilmore

  • Braver Newer World (Elektra, 1996)
  • One Endless Night (Rounder, 2000)

With Barry Goldberg

  • Stoned Again (Antone's, 2002)
  • In The Groove (Sunset Blvd, 2017)

With Lone Justice

With Christy McWilson

  • The Lucky One (Hightone, 2000)
  • Bed of Roses (Hightone, 2002)

With Buddy Miller

  • Your Love and Other Lies (Hightone, 1995)
  • Cruel Moon (HighTone, 1999){{cite web|url=http://www.lonestarmusic.com/BuddyMiller|title=Buddy Miller|publisher=Lone Star Music|accessdate=March 26, 2021}}

With Fernando Ortega

  • Night of Your Return (RPI, 1996)
  • Home (RPI, 2000)

With Sam Phillips

With Amy Rigby

  • Diary of A Mod Housewife (Koch, 1996)
  • Middlescence (Koch, 1998)

With Adam Sandler

With Ron Sexsmith

With Rick Shea

  • Sawbones (Aim 2000)
  • Bound for Trouble (Tres Pescadores, 2005)

With Victoria Williams

With others

{{Div col end}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • {{URL|donheffington.com/|Official website}}
  • {{AllMusic | id= don-heffington-mn0000182761 | label= Don Heffington}}
  • {{discogs artist|435437-Don-Heffington|Don Heffington}}
  • {{IMDb name | id=1393824 | name=Don Heffington}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heffington, Don}}

Category:1950 births

Category:2021 deaths

Category:American male drummers

Category:American rock drummers

Category:American session musicians

Category:Deaths from leukemia in California

Category:Drummers from Los Angeles