Biography

Born in Denver, Dan got his first guitar at the age of fourteen and started hanging out at the Denver Folklore Center listening to the likes of Woody Guthrie, Mississippi John Hurt, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and Doc Watson. It was a great musical foundation that would influence his music to this day. During High school, Dan’s family moved to North Carolina where Dan began performing on his own at local coffee houses and restaurants. Just after college, he was invited to tag along with his friend, record producer, Mike Melford, for a trip to Nashville TN where Mike was scheduled to do some recording with the legendary Area Code 615 Band. After hearing, and meeting A-list players like Buddy Spiker, Wayne Moss and Weldon Myrick, Dan was hooked on country music. It marked a major change in Dan’s life and direction as an artist.

Dan decided it was time to leave North Carolina and to return to his home, Colorado. He arrived just at the start of a thriving music scene in Boulder. It wasn’t long before he formed a western swing band with his new friends, Don Debacker and Steve Swenson. The band, Dusty Drapes and the Dusters was an instant local hit with an almost cult like following. One snowy winter night they were playing to a raucous crowd when LA artist manager, Peter Rachtman caught the show. He immediately signed the band. For the next couple of years, The Dusters (as they were known to their fans) toured all over the western United States and Canada playing to packed out bars and dance halls. Along the way they opened for artists like Merle Haggard, Flatt and Scruggs, Linda Ronstadt, and Willy Nelson in large concert halls and stadiums. In 1975, the band was signed to Columbia Records and recorded an album but shortly after that, Dan figured it was time to strike out on his own. It wasn’t long before Boulder resident, Chris Hillman of the legendary Byrds and Burrito Brothers took an interest in Dan and brought his music to Elton John’s manager, Connie Pappas. The result was an instant deal with MCA Records. Dan recorded an album for them in 1977. Produced by Hillman, the album was a critical success and featured Country Music Hall of Fame guitar player, James Burton from Elvis’s band, Bernie Leadon of the Eagles, Al Perkins and Emory Gordy of Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band and guitar icon Steve Cropper of Booker T and the MG’s and later the Blues Brothers. Dan’s single from that album, “That’s The Way My Woman Loves Me” climbed the Billboard country chart and was a hit in his home area, Colorado. That album continues to this day to be a cult classic.

Dan spent the next years living in LA where he continued to play clubs both there and back in Colorado. He has appeared on numerous recordings including several that were produced by Al Perkins for Maranatha! Records. He has travelled to play music in Australia, Europe and Japan. Over the past several years he has produced two great independent releases. The first, “Diamond for Your Heart” is a collection of original tunes. One of the songs was recorded by legendary Country Music Hall of Fame member, Charley Louvin who titled the release, “Sounds of Days to Come” after a line from the song, “Goodbye, Goodbye”. The collection was co-produced by veteran Nashville session player Scott Nuebert and features fiddle and mandolin phenom Andy Leftwich of Ricky Scagg’s Kentucky Thunder band along with Dan’s old pal, Cactus Moser, who currently plays drums for Wynona Judd. Dan’s most recent project, “Wayfaring Stranger” has brought him full circle to his formative folk days. It’s a collection of songs he picked up early on and that have stuck with him like old friends. It was recorded live and features top Nashville players including current bassist for Robert Plant, Byron House, Andy Leftwich, Cactus Moser and Wynona’s guitar player, Justin Weaver who also produced the project.