Danny Chauncey | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Daniel Smith Chauncey |
Born | San Francisco, California, U.S. | June 19, 1956
Genres | Southern rock, rock |
Occupation(s) | Songwriter, Guitarist |
Instrument(s) | guitar |
Years active | 1981–present |
Member of | Gregg Allman and Friends |
Formerly of |
38 Special Billy Satellite Mistress |
Website |
dannychauncey |
Daniel Smith "Danny" Chauncey (born June 19, 1956) is an American rock guitarist. He is best known for being a member of the Southern rock band 38 Special. [1]
Chauncey was born in San Francisco, California and raised in Alameda County, California. [2] He attended Alameda High School. [2]
He grew up listening to classical music, [1] but however, his musical interests changed when he heard the song " Twist and Shout" by The Beatles. [1] He was then interested in learning to play the guitar, getting his first guitar when he was eight years old. [1] He also learned to play the French horn in high school. [1] Also in high school, he played with several rock bands. [1]
His first instrument was a Stella 6-string cowboy guitar. His first electric was red Gibson SG with a Fender 50w Super Reverb.[ citation needed]
In the early-mid-1970s, Chauncey was a member of the Bay Area rock group Mistress, [1] where he plays lead and rhythm guitar. [3] In 1977 the group recorded a self-titled album for RSO Records. [1] [3] The album was released two years later, shortly before Mistress disbanded. [1] [3]
He also played in a side band, the Alameda All-Stars with Brad Gillis and Kelly Keagy who were both in the band Night Ranger. [1] [2]
Chauncey left Mistress to join Billy Satellite. [1] It was with this band that he co-wrote " I Wanna Go Back" which became a hit for Eddie Money. [4] The band was together for several years and recorded an album, Billy Satellite, for Capital Records. [4]
While in Billy Satellite, he was a studio musician for Taxxi, an English band that played Euro-tech music. [1] [5] He recorded three albums with Taxxi from 1982 to 1985, including States of Emergency, Foreign Tongue, and Expose. [5]
In 1987 after the break up of Billy Satellite, Chauncey joined 38 Special, staying with them through 2019. [1] Chauncey says, "We really hit it off so it felt natural. I was allowed to contribute songwriting from the beginning as 'I Wanna Go Back' was a hit on the charts for Eddie Money around the same time that I joined, so the guys knew I was a capable songwriter." [1]
He recorded many albums with 38 Special, providing vocals and keyboards in addition to guitar. [5] He is also the engineer and producer for some of their albums. [5]
After he left 38 Special, he started playing live shows with Gregg Allman and Friends. [1]