David Berman (1967–2019) was a poet and songwriter, born in Williamsburg, Virginia, and known as the frontman of the indie rock band Silver Jews. He attended the University of Virginia, where he formed Silver Jews with classmates Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich. His poetry collection, Actual Air (Open City Books, 1999), was his only book of poems. Silver Jews released six studio albums before Berman retired the project in 2009. In 2019 he released a self-titled album under the new band name Purple Mountains. He died on August 7, 2019, at the age of 52, weeks after the album's release.
