Danny Barnes (born December 21, 1961) Trischka, Tony. "Interview with Danny Barnes." ''

Banjo Newsletter ''Banjo Newsletter'' (BNL"Major milestone for Banjo NewsLett ...

''. September 2005. 12-23. is an American

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

player, singer, and composer whose music is influenced by

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

metal A metal (from ancient Greek, Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, e ...

, and more.Dukes, Howard
"Barnes dubs banjo in many styles."
''The

South Bend Tribune The ''South Bend Tribune'' is a daily newspaper and news website which is based in South Bend, Indiana. It is distributed in South Bend, Mishawaka, north central Indiana, and southwestern Michigan. It has been named as a "Blue Ribbon Newspaper ...

''. 29 May 2011. G2. Retrieved January 5, 2013 He has been described as a "banjo virtuoso" and is "widely acknowledged as one of the best banjo players in America." He was a founding member of the Austin trio the

Bad Livers The Bad Livers were an American band from Austin, Texas, United States, whose inventive musical style defied attempts to categorize them according to existing genres.McLeese, Don. "Musical Mayhem: Bill Monroe, Metallica inspire Bad Livers' High- ...

, with whom he toured and recorded extensively from 1990 to 2000. Since then, he has performed and recorded as a solo artist, as well as collaborating with

Bill Frisell William Richard Frisell (born March 18, 1951) is an American jazz guitarist, composer and arranger. Frisell first came to prominence at ECM Records in the 1980s, as both a session player and a leader. He went on to work in a variety of contexts ...

,Hall, Michael
"Danny Barnes Proves That Playing the Banjo Can Pay."
''

Texas Monthly ''Texas Monthly'' (stylized as ''TexasMonthly'') is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Downtown Austin, Texas. ''Texas Monthly'' was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy and has been published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. since 1998 and is ...

''. 14 September 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2015. Dave Matthews, Jeff Austin and other musicians. In 2013, Barnes and

Max Brody Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE) * Max (gorilla) (1 ...

formed the

Test Apes Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

. In September 2015, Barnes was awarded the

Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominated ...

, in recognition of his role as "one of bluegrass music’s most distinctive and innovative performers."Itzkoff, Dave
"Banjo Innovator Wins Steve Martin Bluegrass Award."
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. 15 September 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2015. Martin’s website said of Barnes’ work: "The raw and unpolished musical breadth of his compositions has propelled him across the industry today."

Early life

Born in

Temple, Texas Temple is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. As of 2020, the city has a population of 82,073 according to the U.S. census, and is one of the two principal cities in Bell County. Located near the county seat of Belton, Temple lies in ...

and raised in Belton, Barnes was exposed to music at a young age: he recalls picking up a love of country and bluegrass from his father and grandmother,

Delta blues Delta blues is one of the earliest-known styles of blues. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, and is regarded as a regional variant of country blues. Guitar and harmonica are its dominant instruments; slide guitar is a hallmark of th ...

from one brother and

from another. He was inspired to learn to play the banjo after seeing

Grandpa Jones Louis Marshall Jones (October 20, 1913 – February 19, 1998), known professionally as Grandpa Jones, was an American banjo player and "old time" country and gospel music singer. He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.McCall, Michael; ...

and Stringbean in concert when he was ten.Nitchie, Donald. "Interview with Danny Barnes." ''

Banjo Newsletter ''Banjo Newsletter'' (BNL"Major milestone for Banjo NewsLett ...

''. August 1995. 6-11. Seeing John Hartford on television and watching ''

Hee Haw ''Hee Haw'' is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with the fictional rural "Kornfield Kounty" as the backdrop. It aired first-run on CBS from 1969 to 1971, in syndication from 1971 to 1993, and on TNN from 1 ...

'' were also early influences. He attended the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

and graduated with a degree in audio production in 1985.

Career

In 1990, while living in

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, Barnes formed the

with

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

ist Mark Rubin and fiddler Ralph White. The band's 1992 debut album, ''Delusions of Banjer'', was produced by

Paul Leary Paul Leary Walthall (born May 7, 1957), known as Paul Leary, is an American musician and music producer from Austin, Texas, best known as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist for the American rock band Butthole Surfers. He is also th ...

of the

Butthole Surfers Butthole Surfers are an American rock band formed in San Antonio, Texas, by singer Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has ...

and released on Quarterstick Records. It gained the band some attention in the alt-rock-country scene; they followed it up with another album for Quarterstick, ''Horses in the Mines'', released in 1994. The band then released three albums on the Sugar Hill Records label. During his tenure with the Bad Livers, he was acclaimed as "a prodigiously talented picker, and a glorious singer" with "an ideal bluegrass voice." His songwriting, which "represents the merger of a technically superb musician with a powerful wordsmith" has also been the object of praise. In 2000 Barnes, now living in Washington State, dissolved the Bad Livers and founded a new band, Danny Barnes & Thee Old Codgers, with bassist Keith Lowe and violinist Jon Parry. This band released only a single album, 2001's ''Things I Done Wrong'', which was produced by avant-garde jazz composer and pianist

Wayne Horvitz Wayne Horvitz (born 1955) is an American composer, keyboardist and record producer. He came to prominence in the Downtown scene of 1980s and '90s New York City, where he met his future wife, the singer, songwriter and pianist Robin Holcomb. He ...

(a fellow Seattle resident). 2002 saw Barnes working with jazz

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

ist

; Frisell was moving towards incorporating more "American"—country and bluegrass—influences into his playing, and he wanted Barnes to give him lessons in that direction. Their work together led to Barnes playing on Frisell's next album, ''The Willies''; Barnes also toured with Frisell in support of the album. Since moving to Washington, Barnes has also recorded several solo albums, which were self-released, and a duet effort. His 2003 album ''Dirt on the Angel'', released on Terminus Records, featured Frisell,

Chuck Leavell Charles Alfred Leavell (born April 28, 1952) is an American musician. A member of the Allman Brothers Band throughout their commercial zenith in the 1970s, he subsequently became a founding member of the band Sea Level. He has served as the pri ...

Darol Anger Darol Anger is an American violinist and founding member of The David Grisman Quintet. Career Darol Anger entered popular music at the age of 21 as a founding member of The David Grisman Quintet. Anger played fiddle to David Grisman's mandol ...

, and

Dirk Powell Dirk Powell (born 1969) is an American fiddler, banjo player, and singer. Powell was born in Oberlin, Ohio into a family with deep Kentucky roots. He has lived in Louisiana since 1992. He is considered one of the world's leading experts on traditio ...

. In 2004 Barnes participated in Wayne Horvitz's Mylab band and released his second CD for Terminus Records, ''Get Myself Together''. On 9/21/2007, Danny joined Robert Earl Keen during an opening for the Dave Matthews Band in Houston. Danny joined DMB during their song "Bartender". He also joined DMB during their show at Smirnoff Music Centre in Dallas, and at their two shows at the Hollywood Bowl in California to conclude DMB's summer 2007 tour. He joined the band onstage once again for their three-night stand at The Gorge in 2009. He also joined them on stage on June 18, 2010 in Noblesville, Indiana. In 2015, Barnes played and toured with the Jeff Austin Band. In September 2015, he was awarded the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass. In an interview with ''

'', asked what he intended to do with the prize money, Barnes replied, "I'm going to invest it in my art." In 2017 and 2018, Barnes toured with mandolinist Joe K. Walsh and guitarist Grant Gordy as the Danny Barnes Trio.

Discography

Solo

* ''Man on Fire'' 2020 / ATO Records * ''Stove Up'' 2017 * ''Got Myself Together (Ten Years Later)'' 2015 / Eight 30 Records (CD) * ''Junior Sampled'' 2013 / Minner Bucket Records (CD) * ''Ambient Works Vol. 1'' 2013 / Minner Bucket Records (CD) * ''Shri 108'' 2013 / Minner Bucket Records (CD) * ''Falling Hard/Money Moves Up'' 2013 / Minner Bucket Records (Vinyl 45) * ''Poison'' 2011 / ATO Records (cassette) * ''Angel'' 2011 / ATO Records (CD) * ''Rocket'' 2011 / ATO Records (CD) * ''Pizza Box'' 2009 / ATO Records (CD) * ''Barnyard Electronics'' 2007 / Self-Released (CD) * ''Get Myself Together'' 2005 / Terminus Records (CD) * ''Livin' Large in a Little Bitty Room - Live!'' 2004 / Ironway Communications (CD) * ''Dirt on the Angel'' 2003 / Terminus Records (CD) * ''Minor Dings'' 2000 / Cavity Search (CD) * ''Oft Mended Raiment'' 1999 / Minner Bucket (CD)

Test Apes

* ''They Came In Peace'' 2018 / Self-Released * ''"An Evening With"05/12/17-Portland, OR '' 2017 / Self-Released * ''Live at the 16th Annual Northwest String Summit'' 2017 / Self-Released * ''PEACOCK RADIO SESSIONS *NWSS 2017*'' 2017 / Self-Release * ''Chicken Pie Vortex'' 2017 / Self-Released * ''Remotes'' 2016 / Self-Released * ''Live at the Funhouse Seattle'' 2016 / Self-Released * ''Live at the Funhouse Vol. 2'' 2016 / Self-Released * ''Mystery Tool'' 2015 / Self-Released * ''Stranded on Earth'' 2015 / Self-Released * ''Sea Monster Runway'' 2014 / Self-Released * ''Test Apes'' 2014 / Self-Released

Bad Livers

* ''Blood and Mood'' 2000 / Sugar Hill * ''Ridgetop Sessions'' 2000 / Lumpydisc * ''Dust on the Bible'' reissue 1999 / Quarterstick * ''Industry and Thrift'' 1998 / Sugar Hill * ''Hogs on the Highway'' 1997 / Sugar Hill * ''Horses in the Mines'' 1994 / Quarterstick * ''Delusions of Banjer'' 1992 / Quarterstick * ''The Golden Years'' 1992 / Quarterstick * ''Lust For Life'' 1991 / Fist Puppet * ''Dust on the Bible'' 1991 / Self-released

Danny Barnes & Thee Old Codgers

* ''Things I Done Wrong'' 2001 / Terminus Records (CD)

With Pete Krebs

* ''Duet For Clarinet and Goat'' 2001 / Cavity Search (CD)

Barnes, Hokkanen & Rubin

* ''Aka The Mad Cat Trio'' 1999 / Lumpydisc (CD)

As a guest musician

Dave Matthews Band Dave Matthews Band (also known by the initials DMB) is an American rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1991. The band's founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer and bac ...

, ''

Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King Big or BIG may refer to: * Big, of great size or degree Film and television * ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks * ''Big!'', a Discovery Channel television show * ''Richard Hammond's Big'', a television show presente ...

'' 2009 * Greasy Beans, ''Busted'' Double Ought *

/ Tucker Martine, ''Mylab'' 2004 / Terminus *

, ''

The Willies ''The Willies'' is the 15th album by Bill Frisell to be released on the Elektra Nonesuch label. It was released in 2002 and features performances by Frisell, Danny Barnes on banjo, pump organ & harmonica and bassist Keith Lowe. Reception The ...

'' 2002 / Nonesuch * Jackstraw, ''Jackstraw'' 2002 / Self-released * Greasy Beans, ''Real Live Music'' Double Ought * Gully Jumpers, ''Peas & Corn'' * Steve James, ''Art and Grit '' 1996 / Antone's Records * Steve James, ''American Primitive'' 1994 / Antone's Records

References

External links

Danny Barnes official websiteDanny Barnes collection
on the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

's live music archive
Test Apes music page on Bandcamp.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Danny 1961 births Living people American banjoists American male singer-songwriters American country singer-songwriters American acoustic guitarists American male guitarists American folk guitarists American rock guitarists American country guitarists Bluegrass musicians from Texas Singer-songwriters from Texas ATO Records artists Cavity Search Records artists Guitarists from Texas 20th-century American guitarists Country musicians from Texas 20th-century American male musicians