Schultz grew up in
Ramsey, New Jersey, the son of clinical psychologist Dr Michael J. Schultz (died 2007) and Judy (née Kinyon), and attended
Ramsey High School and the
University of Richmond. At the time The Lumineers released their first album, their press release highlighted the fact that Schultz, then age 9, had been quoted in a 1992 story in
The New York Times. as part of which he tours elementary schools imitating classical composers as a way to introduce children to classical music), 9-year-old Schultz is quoted as saying: "I spend a lot of time on my drawings and it turns out good 'cause I've been practicing a lot." Growing up in Ramsey, Schultz's best friend was Josh Fraites. Fraites died of a drug overdose in 2002, at the age of 19. The two toured under various names including Wesley Jeremiah and Six Cheeks, and released a self-titled EP, including future The Lumineers songs, "Flowers In Your Hair" and "Darlene". Frustrated by their band's limited success in New York, and struggling with the high cost of living, Schultz and Fraites decided to relocate to
Denver, where they could dedicate more time to working on their music and touring. In 2019, the Lumineers released their third album,
III. The album title references that the album is presented in three chapters, each focusing on a different main character of the fictional Sparks family. On October 25, 2020 Schultz announced that a 10-song solo album containing covers entitled
Vignettes would be released that Friday, October 30. He defined the album as a love letter to the songs he played in bars and coffee shops at the beginning of his music career. Schultz had previously released a version of
Eric Clapton's song "
Bell Bottom Blues" on September 3, which was included on the album. ==Songwriting credits==