About Dix Bruce

Dix is a musician, composer, author and award-winning guitarist from the San Francisco Bay Area. He performed and recorded with a variety of Bay Area-based musical groups in varied styles from traditional American country and folk to bluegrass to swing to rock and jazz.

His interest in American folk music, jazz, and original composition blended into a unique vocal and instrumental sound. His exuberant stage personality, along with his driving rhythm and lead guitar work, set the tone for a warm and exciting performances.

Dix’s numerous music instruction books, videos, and CDs have influenced thousands of aspiring musicians young and old. He loved teaching private lessons as well as at many music camps over the last 50+ years.

Much beloved as a musician and especially as a person, Dix’s legacy of joy lives on in the lives he touched.

Remembering Guitarist and Teacher Dix Bruce 1952–2023
(by Acoustic Guitar magazine)

Dix Bruce Memorial Concert (Video)
Recorded live, Saturday, April 15, 2023 2:00PM
Freight & Salvage, Berkeley, CA

To learn about Musix and details about where to buy Musix products, see About Musix.

In additon to being a musician and music educator, Dix was also a talented photographer. You can see some of his favorite historic music photos here.

More about Dix

Dix Bruce was born and raised in the Midwest.  Dix began playing guitar at age twelve. After college, he relocated to the Bay Area where his interest in hybrid acoustic string music led him to David Grisman’s, prototype quintet in the mid-1970s. Bruce eventually teamed up with the mandolinist and edited the magazine Mandolin World News from 1978 until 1984.

In 1978 Bruce formed the band Back Up & Push to explore the emerging possibilities of swing and jazz on acoustic stringed instruments. The band toured the west coast throughout the 1980s and accompanied Bruce on his release Tuxedo Blues, which features many of his original instrumental and vocal compositions.

Dix Bruce recorded two LPs with mandolin legend Frank Wakefield, eight big band CDs with the Royal Society Jazz Orchestra, and his own collection of American folk songs entitled My Folk Heart on which he plays guitar, mandolin, autoharp and sang.

He contributed two original compositions to the soundtrack of Harrod Blank’s acclaimed documentary Wild Wheels. Bruce wrote, arranged, and performed six songs (with Jim Nunally on guitar, Darol Anger on fiddle and Avram Siegel on banjo) for the soundtrack to the computer game Streets of Sim City (a sequel to the wildly popular “Sim City” from Maxis). He’s also composed and produced part of the soundtrack for the computer game Sims’ House Party.

Dix released four recordings of original and traditional duets with guitarist Jim NunallyFrom Fathers to SonsThe Way Things AreIn My Beautiful Dreamand Brothers at Heart. The Dix Bruce & Jim Nunally duo was known for its fast and hot guitar playing and close harmony singing. Acoustic Musician magazine described Dix Bruce as a “…west coast virtuoso.”  Dix also released a recording of originals and country duets with mandolinist and singer Julie Cline entitled Look at it Rain.

Mel Bay Publications has published  more than fifty of Bruce’s instructional books and videos, including mandolin and country guitar sets from the best-selling You Can Teach Yourself series along with Bruce’s own BackUp TRAX series of play-along, music-minus-one type, sets for learning everything from bluegrass and old time music, to blues and jazz. His best-sellers for Mel Bay are his six editions of The Parking Lot Picker’s Songbook, one for each instrumentalist/singer in bluegrass bands.

One of his books explores the early 1960s playing of guitar legend Doc Watson. Mel Bay Publications has also published his book on the playing of Jerry Garcia. Guitar Workshop has released two of Dix’s instructional videos: Basic Country Flatpicking Guitar, and Basic Swing Guitar, which featured Jeremy Cohen on violin.

Musix published four of his acclaimed book/audio sets, two each for mandolin and guitar, entitled Gypsy Swing and Hot Club Rhythm, available through Amazon.

Homespun released his Mandolin Licks-ercises video. Bruce has written for Acoustic Guitar, FRETS, Bluegrass Unlimited, Flatpicking Guitar, and the Fretted Instrument Guild of America and Mandolin Magazine.

Reviews:

“… (a) west coast virtuoso…”
– Acoustic Musician magazine

“… Bruce is a skilled, multi-faceted guitarist… impressive whether fingerpick(ing) or flatpick(ing)…a personable singer… enjoyable, rewarding listening.”
—Jon Fox (Bluegrass Unlimited)

“… Bruce’s guitar playing is stellar hot licks and drive, well-balanced with clean phrasing and sensitivity. Serious music (yet) Bruce’s sense of humor pervades the mix.”
—Dirty Linen

“…(Bruce is) the energy and idea man, part comedian, part story teller. His warm stage personality is apparent and so is the fact that he enjoys what he’s doing, playing the kind of music he loves.”
—Peter Corbett Flagstaff (Az.) Northlander