Photo: Steve Cross

Sad news comes to us this evening via Chicago: Poet and songwriter David Berman, who founded the literate and widely loved rock band Silver Jews, has died. His death was announced by Drag City, the record label that in July released Purple Mountains, the self-titled debut record from a new project that featured Berman's first new music since the dissolution of Silver Jews in 2009.

Purple Mountains was set to begin a tour on Aug. 10 that would have stopped at Mercy Lounge on Aug. 17. Berman, a longtime Nashvillian who moved to Chicago in 2018, was 52 years old.