William Thomas Danoff (born May 7, 1946) is an American

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

and singer. He is known for “

Afternoon Delight "Afternoon Delight" is a hit song recorded by Starland Vocal Band, known for its close harmony and sexually suggestive wordplay. It was written by Bill Danoff, one of the members of the band. "Afternoon Delight" charted well in New Zealand, pea ...

", which he wrote and performed as a member of the

Starland Vocal Band Starland Vocal Band was an American pop band, known for " Afternoon Delight", one of the biggest-selling singles of 1976. Career The group began as Fat City, a husband/wife duo of Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert. Danoff and Nivert co-wrote the s ...

, and for writing multiple hits for

John Denver Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, activist, and humanitarian whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singe ...

, including "

Take Me Home, Country Roads "Take Me Home, Country Roads", also known simply as "Country Roads", is a song written by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert and John Denver about West Virginia. It was released as a single performed by Denver on April 12, 1971, peaking at number two ...

Early life and education

Danoff is a graduate of Cathedral High School in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, th ...

, and of

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private research university in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll in 1789 as Georgetown College, the university has grown to comprise eleven undergraduate and graduate ...

Career

Starland Vocal Band

On the strength of their track record as songwriters, Danoff and Taffy Nivert recorded several

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

s before forming the

with local musicians Jon Carroll and Margot Chapman. The group recorded "

" which became a hit in July 1976, reaching #1 on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

on July 10. The ''Starland Vocal Band Show'' replaced ''

Rhoda ''Rhoda'' is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns starring Valerie Harper that originally aired on CBS for five seasons from September 9, 1974, to December 9, 1978. It was the first spin-off of ''The Mary Tyl ...

'' as a half-hour weekly series that same summer. Danoff and Nivert also worked with director

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New ...

and producer Jerry Weintraub on the

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...

'', doing research with screenwriter Joan Tewkesbury.

Songwriting

Danoff and his then-wife

Taffy Nivert Mary Catherine "Taffy" Nivert-Danoff (born October 25, 1944) is an American songwriter and singer. She is best known for being a member of the Starland Vocal Band. Biography Mary Catherine Nivert was born 25 October 1944 in Washington, D.C. She ...

wrote "I Guess He'd Rather Be in Colorado" and "

," both of which were

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album s ...

for

. "Take Me Home, Country Roads" is an official state song of

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...

. Danoff has stated he had never been in West Virginia before co-writing the song, having written it in a house in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. He had even briefly considered using "Massachusetts" rather than "West Virginia", as both four-syllable state names would have fit the song's meter. Denver recorded about a dozen Danoff compositions from 1972 through the end of his career. Danoff also worked with

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, includin ...

, co-authoring "

Boulder to Birmingham "Boulder to Birmingham" is a song written by Emmylou Harris and Bill Danoff which first appeared on Harris's 1975 album ''Pieces of the Sky.'' It has served as something of a signature tune for the artist and recounts her feelings of grief in the ye ...

" (one of Harris' better-known compositions). This track was recorded by

The Walker Brothers The Walker Brothers were an American pop group of the 1960s and 1970s which included Noel Scott Engel (eventually known professionally as Scott Walker), John Walker (born John Joseph Maus, but using the name Walker since his teens) and Gary Le ...

in 1975 and

The Hollies The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke and Graham Nash founded the band ...

in 1976, and became a Top 10 hit in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

. In 1982, Danoff and fellow Starland Vocal Band member Jon Carroll wrote "Who Knows How To Make Love Stay", a Top 40 Canadian hit for

Doug and the Slugs Doug and the Slugs are a Canadian pop music group formed in 1977 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The band enjoyed a number of Canadian top 40 hits in the 1980s, most notably "Too Bad" (1980), "Who Knows How To Make Love Stay" (1982), "Making It W ...

. Danoff taught a songwriters course in 2007 and a music industry seminar (with Walter Egan) in 2008 at his alma mater

Personal life

Danoff married

in 1972. Both were part of the Starland Vocal Band; they divorced after the band’s breakup in 1981. Danoff has three children: two daughters and a son,

Owen Owen may refer to: Origin: The name Owen is of Irish and Welsh origin. Its meanings range from noble, youthful, and well-born. Gender: Owen is historically the masculine form of the name. Popular feminine variations include Eowyn and Owena. ...

, who auditioned for '' The Voice'' season 10.

Discography

;Albums Fat City * ''Reincarnation'' (ABC, 1969) * ''Welcome To Fat City'' (Paramount, 1971) John Denver with Bill Danoff - Taffy Nivert * ''Victory Is Peace'' (Tomorrow Entertainment ER-7209-LP, 1972)Theme music for

1972 Winter Olympics The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially the and commonly known as Sapporo 1972 ( ja, 札幌1972), was a winter multi-sport event held from February 3 to 13, 1972, in Sapporo, Japan. It was the first Winter Olympic Games to take place outside Euro ...

. Limited edition (200 copies) one-sided promo LP with six tracks. Bill & Taffy * ''Pass It On'' (RCA, 1973) * ''Aces'' (RCA, 1974) Starland Vocal Band * Five albums; details at SVB page Bill Danoff * ''Souvenir'' (Watch Your Head, 1990) * ''I Guess He'd Rather Be In Colorado'' (Watch Your Head, 2002) * ''Blasted In The Basement'' (Oasis, 2007) ;Singles John Denver with Fat City * "Take Me Home, Country Roads" / "Poems, Prayers And Promises" (RCA, 1971) Bill & Taffy * "Pass It On" / "Didn't I Try" (RCA UK, 1973) * " Maybe" / "How Lucky Can You Be" (RCA Germany, 1974) * "Maybe" (stereo) / "Maybe" (mono) (RCA promo, 1974) Starland Vocal Band * Ten singles; details at SVB page ;Appearances * ''Capital Acoustics: Contemporary & Traditional Folk Music of the Washington DC Area'' (Institute of Musical Traditions, 1991), "Trying To Live In Time" * ''The 8th Annual World Folk Music Association Benefit Concert'' (

World Folk Music Association The World Folk Music Association is a non-profit organization formed in 1983 by folk singer/songwriter Tom Paxton and Dick Cerri, a radio host from Washington D. C. The first chairman of the board was Paxton and Cerri served as president. Paxton ...

, 1993), "Potter's Wheel" * ''Jon Carroll and Love Returns at the Barns at Wolf Trap'' (FestivaLink, 2007, Internet release), "Blasted In The Basement"

References

External links

Official website
* Billboard biography {{DEFAULTSORT:Danoff, Bill 1946 births Living people American male singers Grammy Award winners Songwriters from Massachusetts Musicians from Springfield, Massachusetts American people of Bulgarian descent Singers from Massachusetts American male songwriters Starland Vocal Band members