Danny Vaughn, born Daniel Himler on July 18th, 1961, is an American singer. Vaughn has performed with
Waysted
Waysted were a British heavy metal band, formed by former UFO bassist Pete Way and the Scottish rocker Fin Muir (Ian Muir) in 1982. Recruiting Frank Noon (formerly with Def Leppard), Ronnie Kayfield and Paul Raymond, Waysted signed to Chrysal ...
,
Tyketto
Tyketto is an American hard rock band, based out of New York City, New York, United States. The group was put together in 1987 by the former Waysted vocalist Danny Vaughn, with Brooke St. James (guitar), Jimi Kennedy ( bass), and Michael Clayton ...
and
Vaughn and now performs and releases under his own name. He was also a lead singer in the Ultimate Eagles.
Danny Vaughn is a product of
Steiner education. At lower school, he was placed into a choir. “My first public performance was singing
Pie Jesu "Pie Jesu" ( ; original Latin: "Pie Iesu" ) is a text from the final couplet of the hymn " Dies irae", and is often included in musical settings of the Requiem Mass as a motet. The phrase means " pious Jesus" in the vocative.
Popular settings
The s ...
in soprano. I remember the audience craning their necks to see who the little kid who sang the solo was. My best-loved experience, during those days, was singing in harmony. It stayed with me ever since.”
His schooling taught Vaughn to read and enjoy classical music, though his teenage years were filled with a love for the pop classics, especially
Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...
,
Simon & Garfunkel
Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of " ...
: anything that provided harmonizing, folk-rock, edged with the baroque.
After leaving school, Danny played in several local cover bands, many of them playing classic covers in rock-joints around Rockland County.
“One day I got a message that the Welsh rock guitarist
Paul Chapman (
Skid Row
A skid row or skid road is an impoverished area, typically urban, in English-speaking North America whose inhabitants are mostly poor people " on the skids". This specifically refers to poor or homeless, considered disreputable, downtrodden or fo ...
,
UFO
An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...
) was looking for me. I brushed it aside, but my curiosity got the better of me and I called the number. I was invited to do an audition down in Florida, for Paul's new project: DOA, and recorded a demo with him that he took to the UK to shop with the record companies there. But that went by the wayside when
Pete Way
Peter Frederick Way (7 August 1950 – 14 August 2020) was an English hard rock and heavy metal bassist. He was bassist for the rock band UFO from 1968 to 1982; Way rejoined the band briefly in 1988–1989, and full-time from 1991 to 2008. He ...
invited Paul to join Waysted instead. Of course they'd already found themselves a talented vocalist in Fin Muir. So that was that!”
“But in 1985, they had a falling out with Fin and I was invited to learn a bunch of Waysted and UFO songs just days before a huge show at Ramat Gan football stadium, in
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
. I endured. It was my trial-by fire-audition for a band I continued to play with till 1987.”
1987 Vaughn formed
Tyketto
Tyketto is an American hard rock band, based out of New York City, New York, United States. The group was put together in 1987 by the former Waysted vocalist Danny Vaughn, with Brooke St. James (guitar), Jimi Kennedy ( bass), and Michael Clayton ...
, a band he was in until 1994 when he was replaced by future
Journey
Journey or journeying may refer to:
* Travel, the movement of people between distant geographical locations
** Day's journey, a measurement of distance
** Road trip, a long-distance journey on the road
Animals
* Journey (horse), a thoroughbred ra ...
singer
Steve Augeri
Steve Augeri (born January 30, 1959) is an American rock singer best known for his work as the lead singer of Journey from 1998 to 2006. He was also affiliated with Tall Stories and Tyketto. In 2014, he formed the band Ünderwörld.
Personal l ...
. Tyketto split up in 1996, but have played mini-tours with Vaughn and other original members at various times since 2004. In April, 2008 the band played in Brazil with a further performance planned for Firefest V in Nottingham in October, 2008. The reunited Tyketto also released two albums ''Dig In Deep'' (2012) and ''Reach'' (2016)
Vaughn has also released albums with Flesh & Blood (''Blues for Daze'') and From the Inside (''From the Inside and 2008's Visions'') and appeared on the 1991 album
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
by progressive rockers
Yes
Yes or YES may refer to:
* An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no
Education
* YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US
* YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talente ...
.
In 2003 Vaughn played the part of
Lancelot
Lancelot du Lac (French for Lancelot of the Lake), also written as Launcelot and other variants (such as early German ''Lanzelet'', early French ''Lanselos'', early Welsh ''Lanslod Lak'', Italian ''Lancillotto'', Spanish ''Lanzarote del Lago' ...
on
Gary Hughes
Gary Hughes (born 5 July 1964) is an English hard rock singer, songwriter and musician. Apart from his work as a solo artist, Gary Hughes is the front man and main songwriter of Hard Rock/Melodic Rock band Ten. He has also worked as a produce ...
's
rock opera
A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...
''
Once and Future King Part I
''Once and Future King Part I'' is the fourth studio album released by Gary Hughes.
Track listing
All songs written by Gary Hughes.
# "Excalibur" – 6:22
# "Dragon Island Cathedral" – 6:03
# "At the End of Day" – 4:30
# "The Reason Why" ...
''.
July 2009 saw Vaughn release a new live album entitled ''The Road Les Travelled''. Recorded in Newcastle, England in December 2008 the album features Vaughn & band run through an unplugged set of songs from throughout the singer's career. The album was released via UK rock website HardRockHouse.com and is available exclusively through the site.
Danny Vaughn has brought out a compilation album on June 14, 2010 called ''Reprise''. It is a collection of both of his group, Vaughn's albums including the songs: "Soldiers and Sailors on Riverside", (live) and a few surprises like "House of Cards", which was only released on a single before. Besides this, there are old and new photographs and a new interview of Vaughn.
2019 saw Vaughn launch his solo album, entitled Myths, Legends & Lies: a project that he worked towards for many years. “It's an album I've been talking about making for over fourteen years,” Danny explains, “A bunch of songs I call my orphans: they're a group of numbers, collected over decades, that I never found a proper home for.”
“This is not what you'd expect from me,” he goes on. “I'm a rock guy. Everyone knows that! But sometimes I felt trapped by the designation. That's why it's been hard to find a place for these personal songs.”
The album was met with rave reviews: “This Mr Vaughn, is your masterpiece,” said The Rockpit. “These 14 songs.... don't follow a formula, they don't need to. They just sound utterly magnificent. 10 out of 10," said Andy Thorley of Maximum Volume Music, whilst Rushonrock proclaimed, “ 'Myths, Legends & Lies; the latest example of Vaughn’s criminally underrated talent laid bare.”
Some of the material on Myths, Legends & Lies album goes way back into his early musical life. “The first song that I ever wrote for myself — it's on Myths, Legends & Lies,” he explains, “is the Missouri Kid. I wrote the song as an eighteen-year-old kid, so it's fair to say it's gone through a lot of changes. I've always been attracted to the Southern rock style (especially Blackfoot), so that sort of sound influences some of my writing, although it does not dominate.”
The road that’s led to Danny’s project becoming a reality hasn’t been straightforward. Events have often altered the route, as Danny explains: “I was going to do Myths, Legends & Lies at Rockfield Studios, but serendipity ended up leading me elsewhere - to Tim Hamill, whom I'd met while working on an Ultimate Eagles recording. I always kinda gravitate back to Wales. I don't know why. It's uncanny.”
So, building on the undoubted achievement of Tyketto’s We've Got Tomorrow We've Got Tonight — the 14-piece band extravaganza that was made in Pontypridd, Wales, which consisted of re-booted and re-structured Tyketto classics, turned into miniature rock concertos — with Danny fronting — Vaughn entered Sonic One in Llangennech, Carmarthenshire, with Chris Childs (bass), Rhys Morgan (drums), Nigel Hopkins (piano) and a host of other distinguished guest musicians, to record his “orphan songs.”
“Like many things in my life, finding my way to Sonic One was such a happy accident that it seems like fate. For example, we were able to get hold of Andrew Griffiths. He plays the kind of hot horn you didn't think could be found outside New Orleans. Bringing the sounds together was really easy too. At Sonic One, I worked with very accomplished musicians. And, although I'm the song originator, I prefer collaboration over inflexibility. I didn't need to yank the reins on those guys: the songs were the primary centre of their attention, and they knew it.”
“Lyrically, my songs have been shaped and re-shaped over time. My influences have included
John Hiatt
John Robert Hiatt (born August 20, 1952) is an American singer-songwriter. He has played a variety of musical styles on his albums, including new wave, blues, and country. Hiatt has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards and has been awarded ...
,
Don Henley
Donald Hugh Henley (born July 22, 1947) is an American musician and a founding member of the rock band Eagles. He is the drummer and one of the lead singers for the Eagles. Henley sang the lead vocals on Eagles hits such as "Witchy Woman", "Despe ...
,
Bruce Hornsby
Bruce Randall Hornsby (born November 23, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. His music draws from folk rock, jazz, bluegrass, folk, Southern rock, country rock, jam band, rock, heartland rock, and blues rock musical traditions ...
,
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...
and
Bernie Taupin
Bernard John Taupin (born 22 May 1950) is an English songwriter, singer and visual artist. He is best known for his long-term collaboration with musician Elton John, a songwriting partnership that is one of the most successful in history. Tau ...
, among others.
“Storytelling has also been a strong influence on me,” Danny adds, “especially the oral tradition. I was lucky enough to have been brought up amongst a strong culture of that: both my parents read to me as a child and that included the entire
Lord of the Rings
''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's boo ...
books, as well as the Zen myth Monkey and Conan Doyle’s
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
stories." Not all stories run smoothly or have happy endings.
"I became a victim of the
PledgeMusic
PledgeMusic was an online direct-to-fan music platform, launched in August 2009. It was started to facilitate musicians looking to pre-sell, market, and distribute projects; such as recordings and concerts. It bore similarities to other artist p ...
difficulties," admits Danny. "Thankfully, just before it was too late — another timely piece of good luck! — I managed to pull the project from the platform and collect-up all my fans: all those who'd already been drawn to the project. This meant I had to do things for myself, of course. It was a stressful time, but, by acting at exactly the right moment, I managed to retain most of my pledgers. I'm pleased to say that all of them received their promised albums, on time and at the agreed-upon date.”
“Looking back,” he reflects, “perhaps the headache caused by PledgeMusic was actually a blessing. It gave me the push & impulse I probably needed to get the job done and it also made me realize, more than anything, that the fans are on my side and they are indispensable and significant. And if you have fans on your side, nothing is impossible."
Danny and
Dan Reed Daniel Reed may refer to:
* Daniel Reed (actor) (1892–1978), American actor, director, screenwriter
*Daniel Reed (table tennis) (born 1989), British table tennis player
* Daniel Reed (Canadian politician) (1858–1935), farmer and politician in O ...
(frontman of funk rockers
Dan Reed Network
Dan Reed Network is an American funk rock band formed in 1984 by Dan Reed in Portland, Oregon. They released several albums during the mid-to late 1980s and scored a top 40 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1988.
History
Formation
Dan Re ...
) decided to combine their talents in a joint project: a live acoustic touring act called Snake Oil & Harmony.
The project led to two acclaimed tours, where they shared their songs and the stories behind them with audiences throughout Europe. Snake Oil & Harmony released their debut album, Hurricane Riders, in March 2020.
Meanwhile, Vaughn will be continuing with his solo and band work and Tyketto. On June 18th 2022, Danny Vaughn announced on Youtube, that co-founder Michael Clayton and guitarist Chris Green will leave Tyketto for family reasons in 2023. Their last concert will be at the Melodic Rock Cruise in 2023.
Discography
Solo albums
*''Traveller'' (2007)
*''Myths, Legends and Lies'' (2019)
Live albums
*''The Road Less Travelled'' (2009)
Extended plays
*''Standing Alone'' (2002)
with Waysted
*''
Save Your Prayers'' (1986)
with Tyketto
*''
Don't Come Easy
"Don't Come Easy" is a song performed by Australian recording artist Isaiah Firebrace. The song was released as a digital download on 8 March 2017 through Sony Music Australia. The song represented Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 ...
'' (1991)
*''Strength in Numbers'' (1994)
*''Dig in Deep'' (2012)
*''Reach'' (2016)
*''Live In Milan'' (2017)
*''We've Got Tomorrow, We've Got Tonight'' (2019)
*''Strength In Numbers Live'' (2019)
with Flesh & Blood
*''Blues for Daze'' (1997)
with Vaughn
* ''Soldiers and Sailors on Riverside'' (2000)
* ''Fearless'' (2001)
with From the Inside
*''From the Inside'' (2004)
*''Visions'' (2008)
with The Illegal Eagles
*''Back in the Fast Lane'' (2008)
with Burning Kingdom
*''Simplified'' (2013)
with Snake Oil & Harmony (Dan Reed)
*''Hurricane Riders'' (2020)
References
External links
Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaughn, Danny
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Place of birth missing (living people)
American rock singers
Waysted members
Geffen Records artists
Music for Nations artists
Frontiers Records artists