Danny Click (born December 5, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and blues guitarist born in

Tipton, Indiana Tipton is a city in and the county seat of Tipton County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,106 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kokomo, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was named after John Tipton, a politician. Histor ...

. After moving to

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

, Click played with a number of local aggregations, including a stint as guitarist in

Jimmy LaFave Jimmy LaFave (July 12, 1955 – May 21, 2017) was an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. After moving to Stillwater, Oklahoma, LaFave became a supporter of Woody Guthrie. He later became an Advisory Board member and regular performer ...

's touring band. He has recorded seven albums. Since moving to California in 2006, he leads Danny Click & the Hell Yeahs!

Early life

Danny Click was born and raised in a working-class family outside Indianapolis, Indiana, the youngest of nine children. He began playing guitar at age 6, and played in his older sister's band when he was in high school. Click also learned some mandolin and lap steel. When he was 10, his father and one of his brothers died, a tragedy that inspired "Ten Years," one of several autobiographical songs on the album ''Life Is A Good Place''.

Career

Influences

Discussing his early influences, he says "I still remember the exact moment I heard "

Sultans of Swing "Sultans of Swing" is a song by British rock band Dire Straits, written by lead vocalist Mark Knopfler. The demo of the song was recorded at Pathway Studios, North London, in July 1977 and quickly acquired a following after it was put in rotati ...

" for the first time. Changed my musical life. And I remember listening to ''

Abraxas Abraxas ( grc-x-biblical, ἀβραξάς, abraxas, variant form romanized: ) is a word of mystic meaning in the system of the Gnostic Basilides, being there applied to the "Great Archon" (), the princeps of the 365 spheres (). The word is found ...

'' and putting up black-light posters! So many great bands that helped me think differently," he said. Click credits such musicians and bands as

Buck Owens Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006), known professionally as Buck Owens, was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and band leader. He was the lead singer for the Buckaroos, Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, which had 21 ...

Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled af ...

Duane Allman Howard Duane Allman (November 20, 1946 – October 29, 1971) was an American rock guitarist, session musician, and the founder and original leader of the Allman Brothers Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in ...

, David Lindley,

Ry Cooder Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, an ...

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer Boats * Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...

Mark Knopfler Mark Freuder Knopfler (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Born in Scotland and raised in England, he was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits. He pursued a s ...

and

Dire Straits Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums and percuss ...

for inspiring him musically. Additional influences include

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the lat ...

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

Albert King Albert Nelson (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), known by his stage name Albert King, was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He is perhaps b ...

Freddie King Freddie King (September 3, 1934December 28, 1976) was an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King and B.B. King, none of whom were blood related). Mos ...

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a focus ...

fellow Hoosier

John Mellencamp John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrument ...

and fellow Austinite

Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Although his mainstream career spanned only seven years, ...

Recording and performing

After arriving in

in 1989, he formed the band Danny and the Hurricanes, released his first album, and also began touring with folksinger

. His career was put on hold for two years after he was rear-ended by an 18- wheeler in his Honda Civic in 1995. After going through two years of therapy, he was able to return to the stage in 1998. Click moved to

Marin County, California Marin County is a County (United States), county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and ...

, in 2006. He formed Danny Click & the Hell Yeahs! in 2011. It included Marin County musician

Bonnie Hayes Bonnie Hayes is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer, born in San Francisco, California, United States, and currently lives between Los Angeles and New York City. Her songs have been recorded by Cher, Bette Midler, Bonnie ...

(keyboards, backing vocals), until her departure in August 2013 to take the position of chair of the songwriting department at the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

. The rest of the band comprises Kevin Hayes (drums), Don Bassey (bass, backing vocals), Adrienne Biggs (violin), Lynn Asher (backing vocals), and Jon Mitguard (pedal steel). The band's lineup is not entirely static. Other members have included Steve Abramson (keyboards), Tracy Blackman (guitar, backing vocals),

Ernest Carter (drummer) Ernest Carter is an American drummer. He has toured and recorded with, among others, Bruce Springsteen, David Sancious, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes and Paul Butterfield. During his time with Springsteen, he played the drums on the song "B ...

, Mike Emerson (keyboards), Jennifer Jane (vocals), and Paul Revelli (drums), as well as frequent guest musicians. Danny Click & the Hell Yeahs! took up various residencies around

Fairfax, California Fairfax is an incorporated town in Marin County, California, United States. Fairfax is located west-northwest of San Rafael, at an elevation of . The population was 7,605 at the 2020 census. History The Coast Miwok Native Americans occupied ...

, though for several years based in San Rafael. Click's CD ''Life Is A Good Place'' remained on Country, Pop and Americana radio charts for over 12 consecutive months, with the first single, "Wait My Turn" reaching No. 1 on the Indie World Country chart in Nashville, and the second single, "I Feel Good Today" reaching No. 14 on the NMW national mainstream Country radio chart. Click released a two-song "single" on April 19, 2013, entitled "Baptize Me Over Elvis Presley's Grave," backed with an acoustic version of "Blue Skies." Click released ''Captured Live!'' in March 2014, recorded September 6, 2013 at 142 Throckmorton in

Mill Valley, California Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, Marin County, California, United States, located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge and from Napa Valley. The population was 14,231 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...

. The album was engineered by Matt Cohen, and was initially financed by a

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

campaign.

Discography

*''Forty Miles'' (1999 – DogStar Records) *''Night of the Living Guitars'' (2001 – Appaloosa/I.R.D 2000) *''Elvis the Dog'' (2003 – DogStar Records) *''Life Is a Good Place'' (2011 – DogStar Records) *''Baptize Me Over Elvis Presley's Grave'' Single. (2013 – DogStar Records) *''Captured Live!'' (2014 – DogStar Records) *''Holding Up The Sun'' (2015 – DogStar Records) *''Danny Click and the Americana Orchestra: Live at 142'' (2018 – DogStar Records)

References

External links

*
Review of "Life is a Good Place," by David Bowling. November 15, 2011.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Click, Danny 1960 births Living people Singer-songwriters from California American alternative country singers American blues guitarists American male guitarists American blues singer-songwriters American country singer-songwriters Blues rock musicians Country musicians from Indiana Electric blues musicians Slide guitarists Musicians from San Rafael, California People from Tipton, Indiana Country musicians from California People from Fairfax, California Guitarists from California Guitarists from Indiana 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians American male singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Indiana