Arlo Guthrie, left, and Grover perform with Shenandoah in 2018, at a concert at The Guthrie Center in Great Barrington.
The news has shocked family, friends and fans, including those who knew Grover, the rock musician; Grover, the performer for children; and Grover, the local man with the laid-back spirit geared toward kindness.
He performed at the White House several times, at the United Nations and Madison Square Garden, too.
Members of Shenandoah, David Grover, Robert Putnam, Carol Ide and Steve Ide perform at the Guthrie Center in Great Barrington.
The two had been playing together since 1975.
“We were both 13, and we both got hired to play for ‘Threepenny Opera,’” he said.
In 1974, Grover and A La Berry formed Shenandoah, a local group of musicians who, for six years, would serve as Guthrie’s shaggy-haired backup band.
“We continued to work together through the 70s, 80s and 90s,” Guthrie said.
According to the 2009 Eagle story, by 1990, Grover had overcome a drug problem, had quit drinking and was delving more into children’s music.
“He was a musician’s musician in that he could play with anyone, whatever their particular style.
In 1989, Grover created a PBS television show, “Grover’s Corner,” that taught children about music.
Along with percussionist A La Berry, they formed the folk band David Grover and the Big Bear Band, which lasted for about 18 years.
“She just walked up onstage, and he was sitting in a chair, and she couldn’t have been more than 3 or 4 years old.
“I’m 24 now and remembering when I was young.
“He was probably one of the greatest guitar players of anyone I’ve seen around here,” said Jay Fruet, of Pittsfield, a music teacher.
He had “thousands of songs in his head, maybe tens of thousands.” He knew all the chords.
Those who made it a point to catch Grover’s weekly Thursday evening gigs at The Lion’s Den in Stockbridge grew accustomed to the massive musical terrain Grover would traverse.
King, Eric Clapton and Frank Sinatra, to name only a few, said he first met Grover in the mid-1980s.
During a break in Grover’s set that evening, Miller introduced himself and asked Grover if he could grab his bass and join him onstage.
“When you respond to someone’s music, you respond to, for lack of a better word, their aura,” Miller said.
His last performance at the gazebo, in August, marked his last public performance, Kathy Jo said.