BIO
(up to 2005)
When Danny was in 7th grade he wanted to join the school band and learn how to read music. The music teacher said he would have to join the 6th grade band class to learn to read music and also said if he caught on fast enough he would be able to skip to the 8th grade band the next year. Danny did just that the following year ... skipped the 7th grade band and went straight to the 8th grade band. While Danny was in the 8th grade, he competed in the Houston All City Band tryouts and won a spot in the drum line.
By the time Danny got into high school he was already playing in a band, (Gospel In Song) and was doing drum solos nightly and some nights he would do part of his solo with his bare hands. When Danny was in the high school band he made an effort to learn all the percussion and drum instruments, (divided bass drums, snare, quad-toms, tympani and xylophone). The summer between Danny's junior and senior year in high school, he went to study drums at McNeese University's high school marching band camp and placed 1st in the drum line. During his senior year, he became drum captain; and by the end of the year, Danny placed 1st in the UIL solo snare drum competition.
During his years in high school Danny started to learn the bass and guitar. He taught himself how to play the bass (from borrowing the bass guitar from his school's music department along with a book). Also around this time, Danny's Dad taught him 4-5 chords on the guitar and after Danny got comfortable with the bass he starting learning more and more stuff on the guitar and was playing full songs (along with guitar solos within six months or so).
Around 1993, Danny started teaching other fellow drummers (one of them twice his age) in the Houston area. Also that same year, Danny played his first solo gig (without Gospel In Song) and was fronting a 3 piece band being the lead singer and sole guitarists (while also showing off his guitar solo technique).
In 1995, Danny competed in the Guitar Center National Drum Off, and placed 1st in the North Houston area and went to the Texas state finals competition and placed 5th among the top 8 drummers from Texas. During his performance at the state finals, the highlights of the solo is where he played with his bare hands and also later in the solo, standing up playing fast bass drum patterns with his bass pedal while still playing various drum and cymbal patterns with the sticks.
In 1997, Danny got his first offer to do studio session drum set work for recording artist Ron Hathaway, which Danny played drums on all of the tracks for the album. A couple of songs from the album did receive some local airplay on a Houston Gospel radio station (KJIC).
In 1998, Danny did studio drum work for the band Next Level and also was part of the band for live gigs. During the same time as the Next Level gigs, Danny was still playing regularly with his other band, Gospel In Song. Also in 1998, Danny bought a mandolin (and once again) taught himself how to play a new instrument.
In 2000, Gospel In Song was playing quite a few acoustic shows, (which Danny played acoustic guitar and mandolin) so to change the sound up some Danny bought a resonator guitar. Danny would play slide guitar from time to time (early in his music career) but after getting the resonator, he decided he was going to perfect his slide technique.
In 2002, Gospel In Song recorded its debut CD, with Danny playing all sorts of instruments plus all the drum tracks on the CD. Speaking of the CD, Danny was the sole musician playing on the closing track "I Don't Sing The Blues No More" ... which showcase Danny's guitar, bass and drum solo abilities. A couple of songs from the group's CD has reached radio airplay in Hardy, AR as well as Carthage, TX (KGAS).
Also in 2002, after playing the resonator guitar for a couple of years, Danny decided to learn a couple of other instruments including a dulcimer and lap steel.
In 2004, Gospel In Song released its sophomore CD, Gospel In Song Too, as well as a fan club CD of Christmas songs.
During the sessions for Gospel In Song's second album, Danny recorded a song playing all of the instruments and providing the vocals. The song was left off of the album but Danny felt the song had some potential so he decided in late 2004 to start recording his first solo album (in between Gospel In Song studio work and live gigs). Danny played a total of 118 dates for 2004.
Danny's solo album will be titled Nobody's Fault But Mine and will include songs he has performed live as well as some songs he's written over the years.
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Other information about Danny Patterson:
- Born in 1975 in Tennessee
- Raised in Houston, TX
- 1989, Gospel In Song was formed (which Danny is a founding member)
- Danny is on the musician's roster for these recording studios: Psalms Recording and Dove Media
Venues and festivals Danny has performed at (with various bands):
- The Astrodome
- The Astro Arena, (during Rodeo Houston)
- Jones Hall
- George R. Brown Convention Center
- Houston City Hall
- Sam Houston Race Park
- Heights Festival
- The Strawberry Festival (Pasadena, TX)
- Old Town Spring (Spring, TX)
- The International Festival
For a List of BANDS / ARTISTS Danny has worked with over the years CLICK HERE
