John Daniel "Danny" Tate (born November 10, 1955) is an American musician, songwriter, composer, producer, and former

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...

recording artist best known for writing songs which were covered by

Jeff Healey Norman Jeffrey Healey (March 25, 1966 – March 2, 2008) was a Canadian blues, rock and jazz guitarist, singer and songwriter who attained popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. He reached No. 5 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart with " Ang ...

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Kenny Wayne Shepherd (born Kenneth Wayne Brobst; June 12, 1977) is an American guitarist. He has released several studio albums and experienced significant commercial success as a blues rock artist. Early life Shepherd was born in Shrevepo ...

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd (, ) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964. The group originally formed as My Backyard and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (vocals), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom ...

Tim McGraw Samuel Timothy McGraw (born May 1, 1967) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 17 studio albums (11 for Curb Records, five for Big Machine Records and one for Arista Nashville). 10 of those albums have reached number one on ...

The Oak Ridge Boys The Oak Ridge Boys are an American vocal quartet. The classic and most well-known lineup of the group, which performed together for over 40 years, consisted of William Lee Golden (baritone), Duane Allen (lead), Richard Sterban (bass), and Joe ...

The Smithereens The Smithereens are an American rock music, rock band from Carteret, New Jersey. The group formed in 1980 with members Pat DiNizio lead vocals, (vocals and guitar), Jim Babjak (guitar and backing vocals, vocals), Mike Mesaros (bass guitar and bac ...

, Diesel,

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

David Lee Murphy David Lee Murphy (born January 7, 1959) is an American 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 ...

Billy Ray Cyrus William Ray Cyrus ( ; born August 25, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. Having released 16 studio albums and 53 singles since 1992, he is known for his hit single "Achy Breaky Heart", which topped the U.S. Hot Country Songs cha ...

, Doro (Doro Pesch),

The Fabulous Thunderbirds The Fabulous Thunderbirds is an American blues rock band formed in 1974. Singer Kim Wilson is the only constant member through the band's entire history. Their 1986 album ''Tuff Enuff'' sold over a million copies, and spawned two minor hit singl ...

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began ...

, Walk the West, Cactus Brothers, Carla Olson, Danny Wilde, and many other artists. Most notably Tate won the NSAI Rock Song of the Year award for 1998, 1999, and 2000. His debut was writing the 1983 multi-platinum hit, " Affair of the Heart", by

Rick Springfield Richard Lewis Springthorpe (born 23 August 1949), known professionally as Rick Springfield, is an Australian-American musician and actor. He was a member of the pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971, then started his solo career with his debut ...

. He released three solo albums, ''Danny Tate''

Charisma () is a personal quality of magnetic charm, persuasion, or appeal. In the fields of sociology and political science, psychology, and management, the term ''charismatic'' describes a type of leadership. In Christian theology, the term ''chari ...

/Virgin (1992), ''Nobody's Perfect'' Charisma/Virgin (1995), and ''Destination X'' Noville Records (2005), meeting limited success and continued his career writing songs, composing for television shows, (''

Extra Extra, Xtra, or The Extra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * The Extra (1962 film), ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * The Extra (2005 film), ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * Extra (newspaper), ...

'', ''

Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Par ...

'', '' The Tyra Banks Show'', ''

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The show ran for nineteen seasons from September 8, 2003, to May 26, 2022, in which it broadcast 3,339 episodes. It was produced by ...

'') and contributing to the film soundtracks of '' 3000 Miles to Graceland'', '' Boys Don't Cry'', and ''

How to Make an American Quilt ''How to Make an American Quilt'' is a 1995 American drama film based on the 1991 novel of the same name by Whitney Otto. Directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse, the film features Winona Ryder, Anne Bancroft, Ellen Burstyn, Kate Nelligan and Alfr ...

''.

Associated acts

David Lee Murphy, The Warren Brothers, Doro, Tim McGraw, Russ Taff, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, The Smithereens,

, The Oak Ridge Boys, Patti LaBelle, Jeff Healey, Billy Ray Cyrus,

Travis Tritt James Travis Tritt (born February 9, 1963) is an American country music, country singer-songwriter. He signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1989, releasing seven studio albums and a greatest hits package for the label between then and 1999. In t ...

, Dwight Yoakam, Diesel, Jack Casady,

(Matthew and Gunnar Nelson),

Béla Fleck Béla Anton Leoš Fleck (born July 10, 1958) is an American banjo player. An acclaimed virtuoso, he is an innovative and technically proficient pioneer and ambassador of the banjo, playing music from bluegrass, jazz, classical, rock and various ...

, The Rembrandts, Danny Johnson, John Brannen, and John Cowan.

Early life

John Daniel Tate was born on November 10, 1955 to David Munroe Tate Jr. and Hazel Ella Tate in Beaumont east of

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. When he was 6 , Danny and his family moved to Camden southwest of

Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

where his father, a music minister, accepted a position at a church. There, Danny absorbed the musical and religious influences of a classic small town setting. In 1974, he left home to attend college, where he studied under the renowned composer and conductor, William Francis McBeth. Danny Tate graduated and is listed in Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities and is a member of Mensa. In 1989 Governor

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

appointed Tate an "Arkansas Traveler", an ambassador of good will.

Career

After graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree in music theory and composition in 1978, Tate found work as a solo performer for a high school assembly service in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. Touring continuously on a grueling schedule, Tate performed a combination of popular radio hits, his own songs, and told stories in a one-man show for high school students. From 1978 to 1980, Tate performed 600 shows in 3 semesters and at one point has had the most successful ratings and sales in the service's 50-year history. Later in 1980, Tate moved to

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

pursuing a career in the music industry. His big break came when a friend cornered

in the restroom of a club and handed him a cassette tape of Tate's song "Superman" which immediately caught Springfield's attention. Tate wrote off the experience as being a brief encounter until he received a phone call from Springfield's manager, who requested the use of a substantial and extremely infectious part of the song. After a melding of minds as it were, the writers came up with a song co-written by Tate which morphed into a runaway hit, Affair of the Heart. Springfield's recording of the song peaked at #9 on

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

charts, the album Living in Oz went platinum, and the song was nominated for a

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

(losing to

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

Beat It "Beat It" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his sixth studio album, ''Thriller (album), Thriller'' (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson, produced by Quincy Jones, and co-produced by Jackson. Jones encouraged Jackson to ...

Solo career

Riding on that success, Tate moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

where he felt his talents would be more profitable as a pop/rock songwriter. He embarked on a solo career releasing Danny Tate (1992), Nobody’s Perfect (1995) followed up with the "Dreamin'" tour featuring Danny Johnson formerly with

Rick Derringer Richard Dean Zehringer (August 5, 1947 – May 26, 2025), known professionally as Rick Derringer, was an American musician, producer and songwriter. He gained success in the 1960s with his band, the McCoys. Their debut single, " Hang On Sloopy", ...

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time, having sold ...

, and

The Troggs The Troggs (originally called the Troglodytes) are an English beat music band formed in Andover, Hampshire, in May 1964. Their most famous songs include the US chart-topper " Wild Thing", " With a Girl Like You" and " Love Is All Around", al ...

on guitar, and Destination X (2005). In 2005, Tate also released a

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

single, "''Wonder what Jesus thinks about Christmas,''" with a clever and unique look at the Christmas holiday.

Movie credits

*''

'' (1995) *'' Boys Don't Cry'' (1999) *'' 3000 Miles to Graceland'' (2001) *''The Black Dove'' (not yet released)

Television credits

Enjoying uncommon success as a songwriter in a variety of musical genres spanning pop, rock, country, alternative, heavy metal, and blues, Tate expanded his resume to include musical cues and underscore for television shows. His compositions have been featured on Entertainment Tonight, Extra,

TMZ ''TMZ'' is an American entertainment-focused tabloid news organization owned by Fox Corporation. It made its debut on November 8, 2005, as a collaboration between AOL and Telepictures, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested ...

Celebrity Justice ''Celebrity Justice'' is an American news show/ nontraditional court show which ran from 2002 to 2005. It was produced by Harvey Levin Productions, and directed by Brad Kreisburg. It was hosted by Holly Herbert and Carlos Diaz. IMDb.com; acces ...

, The Insider, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Tyra Banks Show, The Bachelor,

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other so ...

Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...

, and

Judge Mathis ''Judge Mathis'' is an American Court show#Arbitration-based reality court show, arbitration-based reality court show presided over by Judge Greg Mathis, a former judge of Michigan's 36th Michigan district courts, District Court and African Ame ...

Awards

NSAI Rock Song of the Year 1998, 1999, 2000 BMI #1 Awards Multiple Platinum and Gold Records “Only an artist of rare talent, intelligence, and instinct could achieve the kind of lasting success that Tate has enjoyed"—Vincent Jeffries (

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

.com)

References

External links

allmusic.com/artist/tate-p22061

amazon.com/Danny-Tate/e/B000APXS1I

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tate, Danny 1955 births Musicians from Beaumont, Texas Living people Mensans Songwriters from Texas