Danny and the Champions of the World are a

heartland rock Heartland rock is a genre of rock music characterized by a straightforward, often roots musical style, often with a focus on blue-collar workers, and a conviction that rock music has a social or communal purpose beyond just entertainment. The ge ...

and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

band. Formed in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

during the summer of 2007 by Danny George Wilson, the band have since released six studio albums and one live album. The band's name is an allusion to the novel '' Danny, the Champion of the World'' by Roald Dahl.

Background (Formation)

The band was formed following the dissolution of Grand Drive, in which Danny performed with his brother Julian Wilson. They recorded originally as an impromptu demo session at a farm within the grounds of the

Truck Festival Truck Festival is an annual independent music festival in Oxfordshire, England. It was started in 1998 by the Bennett family (including the brothers Robin and Joe of the band Goldrush), who decided that mainstream festivals such as Glastonbu ...

. The demo and overall success of the recorded sound prompted Danny to form ''Danny & the Champions of the World''. They recorded their first, self-titled, album for

Loose Music Loose is a British independent record label based in Ladbroke Grove, London. In 1998, Loose was formed from the vinyl only record label, Vinyl Junkie, which was set up in 1994 by Tom Bridgewater. Loose Music - About Since 1998, Loose has rele ...

in 2008. Critics and fans noted a distinct departure from the music of ''Grand Drive'', instead noting a more

alt-country Alternative country, or alternative country rock (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative), is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that differ significantly in style ...

sound.

Subsequent career

Danny and the Champions of the World recorded and released their second album, ''Streets of Our Time'', in 2010. The band released the album on

Loose Loose may refer to: Places * Loose, Germany * Loose, Kent, a parish and village in southeast England People * Loose (surname) Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Loose'' (B'z album), a 1995 album by B'z * ''Loose'' (Crazy Horse album ...

. Danny & the Champions of the World recorded the album whilst on tour with

The Magic Numbers The Magic Numbers are an English pop rock band consisting of two brother-and-sister pairs, from Hanwell in west London. The group was formed in 2002, releasing their debut album titled '' The Magic Numbers'' on 13 June 2005. Their follow-up al ...

and

Drive-By Truckers Drive-By Truckers are an American rock band based in Athens, Georgia. Two of five current members ( Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley) are originally from The Shoals region of northern Alabama and met as roommates at the University of North Alab ...

. ''Streets of Our Time'' was met with much critical acclaim and shifted the band to a more

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

, less

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

sound. In February 2011 Danny Wilson signed a worldwide publishing/production deal with Southern Crossroads Music and went into the studio to record the band's third album, ''Hearts & Arrows''. The album, marked by a distinct

sound influenced by Bruce Springsteen and the

E Street Band The E Street Band is an American rock band, and has been musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. For the bulk of Springsteen's recording and performing caree ...

, was produced by Tony Poole and Danny Wilson, and mixed by

Ted Hutt Ted Hutt is a British Grammy Award-winning record producer, musician, and songwriter, residing in Los Angeles, California, United States. He was the original guitar player and one of the founding members for The Promise, The Great Unwashed, Gods ...

at his King Size Studios based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, United States. The album was released on SO Records in July 2011, and was preceded by a single, ''You Don't Know (My Heart Is In The Right Place)''. Danny Wilson recorded ''Tougher Than The Rest'' for a limited edition Bruce Springsteen tribute 7" EP for Record Store Day 2011, alongside fellow contributors

Willie Nile Willie Nile (born Robert Noonan; June 7, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter. In 1980, Nile released his self-titled debut album. His early career was interrupted by various problems, but he eventually returned to recording and performing i ...

and

Billy Franks Billy may refer to: * Billy (name), a name (and list of people with the name) Animals * Billy (dog), a dog breed * Billy (pigeon), awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945 * Billy (pygmy hippo), a pet of U.S. President Calvin Coolidge * Billy, a young ...

. Danny and the Champions of the World released their fourth studio album ''Stay True'' on Loose Music in September 2013. It was recorded at North London's Reservoir Studios. The core band were joined by Rosalie Deighton, Melvin Duffy, Trevor Moss & Hannah-Lou and ''Dreaming Spires Robin & Joe Bennett. The album took a more soulful and improvisational feel. Wilson noted, "the musicians all stood around the microphones in the same room - booze flowing, smoke filling the air, it was like a polka night but with banjos! Generally it felt like we were making something special, I just booked the studio and the guys heard the songs for the first time on the studio floor." In 2014, the band released their first live album, ''Live Champs!''. In summer 2015, their fifth studio album, ''What Kind of Love'', was released. On 3 February 2016, Danny and the Champions of the World dominated the inaugural UK Americana Awards, winning UK Artist of the Year, UK Album of the Year for ''What Kind of Love'' and UK Song of the Year for ''Clear Water.'' In August 2017, the band released their sixth studio album, ''Brilliant Light'', available in both double- and triple-LP formats, the latter featuring an additional album of

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to inst ...

tracks. Danny is instrumental in the London movement "Neckerchief Rock" alongside Radio London DJ Robert Elms, they regularly put on events at local pubs and venues.

Discography

Albums

*''Danny and the Champions of the World'' (2008,

) *''Streets Of Our Time'' (2010,

) *''Hearts & Arrows'' (2011, SO Records) *''Stay True'' (2013,

) *''Live Champs!'' (2014,

) *''What Kind Of Love'' (2015,

) *''Brilliant Light'' (2017,

)

Singles

*"Restless Feet" (2010,

) *"You Don't Know (My Heart is in the Right Place)" (2011, SO Records)

References

https://www.list.co.uk/event/1661496-an-evening-of-music-and-chat-with-robert-elms-and-danny-george-wilson-celebrating-neckerchief-rock/

External links

Danny and the Champions of the World
{{Authority control Musical groups from London British folk rock groups