Bill Danoff | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | William Thomas Danoff |
Born | Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S. | May 7, 1946
Occupation(s) | Songwriter, singer |
Website | billdanoff |
William Thomas Danoff (born May 7, 1946) is an American songwriter and singer. [1] He is known for "Afternoon Delight", which he wrote and performed as a member of the Starland Vocal Band, and for writing multiple hits for John Denver, including "Take Me Home, Country Roads". [2]
Danoff is a 1964 graduate of Cathedral High School in Springfield, Massachusetts, and of Georgetown University. [3] [4]
On the strength of their track record as songwriters, Danoff and Taffy Nivert recorded several albums before forming the Starland Vocal Band with local musicians Jon Carroll and Margot Chapman. The group recorded "Afternoon Delight" which became a hit in July 1976, reaching #1 on the Hot 100 on July 10. The Starland Vocal Band Show replaced Rhoda as a half-hour weekly series that same summer. Danoff and Nivert also worked with director Robert Altman and producer Jerry Weintraub on the film Nashville , doing research with screenwriter Joan Tewkesbury. [5]
Danoff and his then-wife Taffy Nivert wrote "I Guess He'd Rather Be in Colorado" and "Take Me Home, Country Roads," both of which were hits for John Denver. "Take Me Home, Country Roads" is an official state song of West Virginia. [6] 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. [7]
Danoff also worked with Emmylou Harris, co-authoring "Boulder to Birmingham" (one of Harris' better-known compositions). This track was recorded by The Walker Brothers in 1975 and The Hollies in 1976, and became a Top 10 hit in New Zealand. 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.
Danoff taught a songwriters course in 2007 and a music industry seminar (with Walter Egan) in 2008 at his alma mater Georgetown University.
Danoff married Taffy Nivert in 1972. [8] 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, who auditioned for The Voice season 10.
Fat City
John Denver with Bill Danoff - Taffy Nivert
Bill & Taffy
Starland Vocal Band
Bill Danoff
John Denver with Fat City
Bill & Taffy
Starland Vocal Band
Starland Vocal Band was an American pop band, known for "Afternoon Delight", one of the biggest-selling singles of 1976.
"Take Me Home, Country Roads", also known simply as "Country Roads", is a song written by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert and John Denver. It was released as a single performed by Denver on April 12, 1971, peaking at number two on Billboard's US Hot 100 singles for the week ending August 28, 1971. The song was a success on its initial release and was certified Gold by the RIAA on August 18, 1971, and Platinum on April 10, 2017. The song became one of John Denver's most popular songs. It has continued to sell, with over 1.8 million digital copies sold in the United States.
"Afternoon Delight" is a song recorded by Starland Vocal Band. It was written by band member Bill Danoff. In the US, it became a #1 single on July 10, 1976, and earned a gold record.
Mary Catherine "Taffy" Nivert is an American songwriter and singer. She is best known for co-writing "Take Me Home, Country Roads", which was popularized by John Denver, and for being a member of the Starland Vocal Band.
The Cellar Door was a 163-seat music club located at 34th & M Street NW in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. from 1964 through January 7, 1982. It occupied the location of a former music club called The Shadows.
The Genius Hits the Road is a 1960 album by Ray Charles. The concept album focuses on songs written about various parts of the United States. It peaked at number nine on the pop album charts and produced a US #1 single, "Georgia on My Mind".
Poems, Prayers & Promises is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter John Denver, released on April 6, 1971 by RCA Records. The album was recorded in New York City, and produced by Milton Okun and Susan Ruskin. Poems, Prayers & Promises was Denver's commercial breakthrough, and contains several of his most popular songs, such as "Poems, Prayers, and Promises", "My Sweet Lady", "I Guess He'd Rather Be in Colorado", "Sunshine on My Shoulders", and "Take Me Home, Country Roads", which would become one of Denver's signature songs. "The Box", which concludes the album, is a poem by Kendrew Lascelles illustrating the futility of war.
Windsong is the ninth studio album recorded by American singer-songwriter John Denver, which was released in September 1975. Denver's popularity was at its peak by this time.
How Can I Unlove You is an album by country music singer Lynn Anderson, released in 1971.
Maryland Route 117 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The highway runs 12.40 miles (19.96 km) from MD 28 near Dawsonville east to West Diamond Avenue next to MD 355 in Gaithersburg. MD 117 is an L-shaped highway that connects the rural western Montgomery County communities of Dawsonville and Boyds with Germantown, Gaithersburg, and Interstate 270 (I-270) in the suburban central part of the county. The highway also provides access to Seneca Creek State Park, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and several commuter rail stations along MARC's Brunswick Line, which the highway parallels. MD 117 was the inspiration for the 1971 hit song "Take Me Home, Country Roads".
Rocky Mountain High is the sixth studio album released by American singer-songwriter John Denver in September 1972. It was his first US Top 10 album, propelled by the title single, and in addition reached no. 11 in the UK and no. 1 in Canada. The album's cover photograph was taken at Slaughterhouse Falls, Rio Grande Trail, Aspen, Colorado.
Spirit is the eleventh studio album by John Denver. It was released in August, 1976. After the full-blown success of Windsong and its accompanying hit singles, this album began a downward chart trend for the singer, although he continued to have hits on the adult contemporary charts. "Baby, You Look Good to Me Tonight" reached #65 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, as well as reaching the Top 40 on the U.S. and Canadian Country and AC charts.
Mary is the debut solo album by Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary. It was the most successful of the five solo albums she recorded between 1971 and 1978.
Rockin' in the Country is the sixth studio album by American country music singer Daryle Singletary. It was released June 9, 2009 via E1 Music. The album includes the non-charting single "Love You with the Lights On", as well as two cover versions: "How Can I Believe in You", previously recorded by Vern Gosdin on his 1984 album There Is a Season, and "Take Me Home, Country Roads", originally recorded by John Denver.
In the Dark is the second international album release by the reggae singing group Toots and the Maytals, issued in Jamaica and in the United Kingdom on Dragon Records, DRLS 5004, a subsidiary label owned by Chris Blackwell. It was released in September 1974.
The Award Winning Country Gentlemen is an album by the progressive bluegrass band Country Gentlemen, recorded in 1972. This album features the 2nd classic lineup of the band with Charlie Waller, Doyle Lawson, Bill Emerson and Bill Yates on bass.
Live In Japan is a live album by the progressive bluegrass band Country Gentlemen, recorded in 1970 during their concert in Japan.
A Little Bit of Country is the ninth studio album by Australian group the Seekers. The album was released in April 1980 and features vocals by Cheryl Webb. The album peaked at number 84 in Australia.
Starland Vocal Band is the self-titled debut album by American pop band Starland Vocal Band. It was released in January 1976 by John Denver's label, Windsong Records.
The Rocky Mountain Collection is a greatest hits album by the American folk singer John Denver.