Dan Baird
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Daniel John Baird (born December 12, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and producer. He is best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist from the 1980s rock band The Georgia Satellites. Baird formed The Georgia Satellites in 1980 and left the band in 1990 to pursue a solo career. He is often credited as one of the pioneers in
cowpunk Cowpunk (or country punk) is a subgenre of punk rock that began in the United Kingdom and Southern California in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It combines punk rock or new wave with country, folk, and blues in its sound, lyrical subject mat ...
and
alt-country Alternative country (commonly abbreviated to alt-country; also known as alternative country rock, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative) is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that diffe ...
music, which combines elements of rock music,
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
, outlaw country, and
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
.


Early life

Baird was born in
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, United States. When he was about three, his family moved to
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
, Washington, for about a year, then to
Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
. His father was a telecommunications engineer for U.S. Navy nuclear submarines and his mother was a housewife who worked odd jobs after their divorce.


Career

Baird released his first solo album, '' Love Songs for the Hearing Impaired'', in October 1992, produced by Brendan O'Brien with Executive Producer
Rick Rubin Frederick Jay Rubin (, ; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is a co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records. Rubin helped popularize hip hop by produci ...
, who founded Def American Recordings. A review in ''Rolling Stone'' magazine praised its combination of foot-stomping redneck rock and slyly intelligent lyrics:
"This is how bluesed-up macho rock ought to be served: sizzling hot and extra lean, seasoned with a sneaky sense of humor. On his solo debut, ''Love Songs for the Hearing Impaired'', the former Georgia Satellites frontman commands attention like a smart bar-stool bard. Dan Baird spins ribald white-trash tales to familiar Chuck Berry-derived boogie, yet the guitars emit a stinging immediacy. Retro it's not – really."
"I Love You Period", a single from the album, charted on October 10, 1992 and peaked at #26 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "The One I Am" charted on January 23, 1993 and peaked at #13 on ''Billboard'''s chart for Album Rock Tracks. In 2005, Baird began touring with his band Homemade Sin, which today features two ex-members of The Georgia Satellites, Baird and drummer Mauro Magellan. Former member of The Georgia Satellites bassist Keith Christopher was replaced during 2014 by Micke Nilsson. Homemade Sin also includes guitarist Warner E. Hodges, who tours and records with Jason & the Scorchers (a cowpunk originating band as well). Homemade Sin performs a mixture of Baird's solo material in addition to the hits and fan favorites from his years with The Georgia Satellites. To achieve a similar classic tube amplifier sound with Homemade Sin, Baird relies on a vintage setup similar to what was used during his tenure with The Georgia Satellites. Creating confusion for some fans, there is a reformed version of The Georgia Satellites featuring original guitarist Rick Richards and bassist Rick Price, who joined the group to replace original bassist Keith Christopher, who left the band prior to their fame. Of their album ''Screamer'', one critic declared, "Dan Baird and Homemade Sin prove once again that they’re one of the last true rock and roll bands carrying the flag first hoisted by
Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...
, and they’ll continue to wave it regardless of whatever the flavor of the month happens to be, and no matter how tattered it looks." He has recorded with other artists, including The Yayhoos and Will Hoge. Baird was one of the original members of Hoge's band before leaving to pursue individual ventures. Baird has also performed as a member of the country music band Trent Summar & the New Row Mob. Baird also was in saxophonist Bobby Keys' band The Suffering Bastards. He also plays with the band The Bluefields, an American rock band that also includes Warner E. Hodges and Joe Blanton (Royal Court of China). Besides The Georgia Satellites, Baird has worked on various musical projects and is a record producer. Baird owns numerous vintage guitars and amplifiers. His favorite guitar is an original
Fender Esquire The Fender Esquire is a solid-body electric guitar manufactured by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation of Los Angeles. It was the first solid-bodied guitar marketed by the company, and made its debut in 1950.. Early development Proto ...
which belonged to
Steve Marriott Stephen Peter Marriott (30 January 1947 – 20 April 1991) was an English actor, musician, guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a student at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London and appeared in the West End, before taking a r ...
, who was the lead singer of English bands
Small Faces Small Faces were an English Rock music, rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966 ...
and
Humble Pie Humble Pie are an English Rock music, rock band formed by Steve Marriott and Peter Frampton in Moreton, Essex, in 1969. They are known as one of the first Supergroup (music), supergroups of the late 1960s and enjoyed success in the early 1970s ...
. With The Georgia Satellites, Baird worked with producer Ian McLagan, who was also a member of Small Faces. Baird is married and does not drink alcohol. During tours, Baird can often be found exercising in hotel gyms. According to Baird's blog on MySpace, he met
Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...
in a hotel gym locker room late one night. This provided Baird with an opportunity to make amends for his ineptness during a noisy backstage meeting the night before. The two discussed guitars and amplifiers, and Young complimented Baird on his music. On November 2, 2019, Baird announced on his website that he is retiring from touring. "I won’t quit making music, but it’ll be in my basement, at my home, where I can walk my dog, go to the gym 4 times a week, shave on Friday and go to sleep with my sweetie beside me every night."


Personal life

In 2017, Baird was forced to cancel the remainder of a tour with his band Homemade Sin and take the rest of the year off to battle an inherited form of leukemia.


Discography

;with The Georgia Satellites * ''Keep the Faith'' (1985) P* '' Georgia Satellites'' (1986) * ''Inspired By Jack Daniels: Live In Concert'' (1987) * ''Open All Night'' (1988) * ''In the Land of Salvation and Sin'' (1989) * ''Another Chance'' (1989) P* ''Let It Rock: The Best of the Georgia Satellites'' (1993) ompilation ;with The Harshed Mellows * " U.S. Blues" from '' Deadicated: A Tribute to the Grateful Dead'' (1991) ;As a solo artist * '' Love Songs for the Hearing Impaired'' (1992) * '' Buffalo Nickel'' (1996) * ''Redneck Savant'' (2001) s Dan Baird and the Sofa Kings* ''Out of Mothballs'' (2003) * ''SoLow'' (2017) ;with The Yayhoos * ''Fear Not the Obvious'' (2001) * ''Put the Hammer Down'' (2006) ;As Dan Baird and Homemade Sin * ''Feels So Good'' ive(2005) * ''Dan Baird and Homemade Sin: Live #2'' (2005) * ''Fresh Out of Georgia LIVE Like a Satellite (Greatest Hits Live)'' CD(2007) * ''Dan Baird and Homemade Sin'' (2008) * ''Viva Nashvegas!'' ive DVD(2012) * ''Circus Life'' (2013) * ''Dr. Dixie's Rollin' Bones'' P only(2013) * ''Get Loud'' (2015) * ''Sweden Rock 2016'' D/DVD(2016) * ''Rollercoaster'' (2017) * ''Screamer'' (2018) * ''Battleship Chains - Live'' CD/DVD(2019) ;with The Mystic Knights of the Sea * ''Cadillac Ranch / Johnny 99'' (2006) ;with The Bluefields * ''Pure'' (2012) * ''Ramshackle'' (2013) * ''Under High Cotton'' (2014) * ''Day in the Sun'' (2020) ;Bootlegs & unofficial releases * ''Redneck Punk'' (2005) * ''Live at the Borderline London'' (2007)


References


External links

* * * – without Dan Baird {{DEFAULTSORT:Baird, Dan 1953 births Living people American rock singers Record producers from California American Southern rock musicians Musicians from Atlanta Musicians from San Diego Singers from California