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Dan’s love of music and musical endeavors started at a very young age probably due to the fact that his mother was a professional singer/performer. She was always cranking up the stereo and rehearsing popular music of her day. Dan's earliest memories were from playing mom's records and 8-tracks of artists such as Earth, Wind and Fire, Elton John, Hall and Oats, Glady's Night, Stevie Wonder, Chicago and Chaka Kahn (Rufus) to name a few, which always seemed to move Dan in a special way. At the very young age of 3, Dan began his musical endeavors when his Great Grandmother who was also a performer/singer, left him her Wurlitzer piano. Immediately, Dan climbed up onto the bench and started playing the keys trying to make some kind of melody. It wasn’t long after and his mother bought him some lessons. He stuck with the lessons for a short while but always gravitated towards learning his favorite song’s from listening and picking out the parts by ear. He would love to sit down and figure out the "cool"songs he liked rather than play the “silly” kids songs the teacher was making him learn. Although Dan has never learned to read music, he has an un-canny ability to hear rather complex songs and pick out each part without needing sheet music.
His first actual performance was in the 4th grade at his elementary school in Menasha Wisconsin where he performed a medley of songs at the annual talent show. He had put toghether, all on his own, an arrangement from multiple songs he strung together from other artists mixed with melodies he "wrote" that blended one into the other. After completing his arrangement and much to his surprise, the crowd went crazy and gave him a standing ovation.
Later, at the age of 9, his parents purchased him an acoustic guitar for Christmas. His best friend at the time also had a guitar and they were always trying to 1-up each others chops! Another friend of the family, who played guitar very well offered Dan some free lessons. Of course he couldn’t refuse to learn from a pro. Again, his ability to pick up and play by ear surpassed his desire for lessons. Throughout highschool, Dan stuck with the guitar mainly because the girls in school thought it was cool and “dug” dudes who played guitars  . Another instrument Dan took on during his grade and middle school years was the alto sax. He played in the school band for 4 years but never stuck with it. As an adult, he also took an interest in bass guitar and persued the instrument for several years playing with various bands as well as taking some private lessons from an instructor at the Atlanta Institute of Music. The roots of his funk influences shined through as Dan loves to play the funk riffs/slap and pop styles.
It was in the mid 90’s after a kidney and pancreas transplant that Dan received an inheritance from his Grandmother which he used to set up his 1st residential based recording studio in Ellenwood, GA. Because of his health situation, he thought it would be good to be able to stay at home and do what he loved. Even with a small budget, he was able to put together a very nice space where people could feel comfortable and leave with a quality product. Dan grew in the knowledge of music production, engineering and midi sequencing using hardware and software based applications.
As time passed, Dan grew more eager to up-grade his studio. After moving to a new location, his focus was to design and construction a total pro studio from the ground up. He actually worked on the design and layout of the rooms for several weeks paying attention to other professional studio designs from much research. After coming up with the perfect floorplan for his spaces, he studied books and networked with other pro designers on how to actually build and construct a studio like the pro’s. He cut no corners when doing so and countless hours were spent meticulously making sure every detail was performed correctly.
Paying attention to every detail has paid off and Dan is proud to offer his clients a very nice place where his personal efforts shine through that you are sure to enjoy as well during your recording sessions.
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