BIOGRAPHY

California native Dana D has been playing in bands since the early 1960s. His big early influences came from Southern California surf music acts — Dick Dale, the Ventures, the Beach Boys, and Jan and Dean. Once the British Invasion landed, Dana started exploring other music genres that informed the music of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Cream, namely American blues, jazz, and rock and roll by such artists as Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Willie Dixon, and Jimmy Reed. 

During his college years in Reno, Dana spent his nights playing in gambling cabarets and gaming industry events, honing his performance skills while experiencing the psychedelic guitar-oriented music of Cream, Buffalo Springfield, Santana, Jimi Hendrix, and Jethro Tull. After college, Dana moved to Colorado during the emergence of country rock. Bob Dylan, the Byrds, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Poco, and the Eagles all played a role in shaping Dana’s understanding of harmonies and composition.

Using Denver as a home base, Dana toured for two years with two bands: Blue Light Special, a southern rock-oriented band, and Lipstik, a modern hard rock band. While traveling through Texas, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Arizona, he continued to hone his performance skills. For several years to follow, Dana immersed himself in the corporate world to pursue a career in a real estate-oriented business, where he developed sales and business management skills.

When Dana moved back to his native California, he continued to pursue his corporate interests and started a family. As a result, he put his musical interests on a back burner. 

But for people who play a lot of music, the desire to continue making it never goes away. Dana picked up his guitar again and joined a regionally successful blues band, Greg Barker and Highway 61, as slide guitarist. This return to live performance led to appearances at several blues festivals in northern California. But the demands generated by the band’s success came into conflict with his role as a father and corporate executive, and he once again retreated from performing musically.

After raising a family through college years, Dana has returned to performing as a solo singer-songwriter. He performs original songs along with a number of his uniquely spun cover tunes. His guitar-dominant approach complements a strong vocal capacity, while his rapport with the audience makes for an intimate entertainment experience.