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Danny and the Champions of the World | |
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Background information | |
Origin | London, England |
Genres | Heartland rock, folk rock, soul, alt country |
Years active | 2007-present |
Labels | Loose |
Members | Danny George Wilson (Vocals & Guitar) Paul Lush (Guitar) Joe Bennett (Bass) Steve Brookes (Drums) Thomas Collison (Keyboards) Henry Senior Jnr (Pedal steel) |
Past members | Rosalie Deighton 'Free Jazz' Geoff Widdowson Robin Bennett Chris Clarke Trevor Moss & Hannah-Lou Garo Nahoulaklan |
Website | dannyandthechamps |
Danny and the Champions of the World are a heartland rock and soul band. Formed in London during the summer of 2007 by Danny George Wilson, the band have since released seven studio albums and two live albums. The band's name is an allusion to the novel Danny, the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl.
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.
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 in 2008. Critics and fans noted a distinct departure from the music of Grand Drive, instead noting a more alt-country sound.
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. Danny & the Champions of the World recorded the album whilst on tour with The Magic Numbers and Drive-By Truckers. Streets of Our Time was met with much critical acclaim and shifted the band to a more rock, less folk 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 heartland rock sound influenced by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, was produced by Tony Poole and Danny Wilson, and mixed by Ted Hutt at his King Size Studios based in Los Angeles, California, 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-inch EP for Record Store Day 2011, alongside fellow contributors The Magic Numbers, Willie Nile and Billy Franks.
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 poker 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 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.
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen is an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", he has released 21 studio albums during a career spanning six decades, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Springsteen is a pioneer of heartland rock, combining a commercially successful rock sound with poetic and socially conscious lyrics reflecting the issues of working class American life. He is known for his descriptive lyrics and energetic concerts, which sometimes last over four hours.
Born in the U.S.A. is the seventh studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 4, 1984, by Columbia Records. Produced by Springsteen, Jon Landau, Steven Van Zandt, and Chuck Plotkin, the album was recorded in New York City with the E Street Band over two years between January 1982 and March 1984. Some of the songs originated from the same demo tape that yielded Springsteen's previous album, the solo effort Nebraska (1982), while others were written after that album's release. The sessions yielded between 70 and 90 songs; some were released as B-sides, some later saw release on compilation albums, while others remain unreleased.
The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle is the second studio album by the American rock singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen. It was recorded by Springsteen with the E Street Band at 914 Sound Studios in Blauvelt, New York, and released on November 5, 1973, by Columbia Records. It includes the song "Rosalita ", the band's most-used set-closing song through 1985.
"4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)", often known just as "Sandy", is a 1973 song by Bruce Springsteen, originally appearing as the second song on his album The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle. It was released as a single from the album in Germany.
Darkness on the Edge of Town is the fourth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 2, 1978, by Columbia Records. The album was recorded after a series of legal disputes between Springsteen and his former manager Mike Appel, during sessions in New York City with the E Street Band from June 1977 to March 1978. Springsteen and Jon Landau served as producers, with assistance from bandmate Steven Van Zandt.
Born to Run is the third studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on August 25, 1975, by Columbia Records. Co-produced by Springsteen with his manager Mike Appel and the producer Jon Landau, its recording took place in New York. The album marked Springsteen's effort to break into the mainstream following the commercial failures of his first two albums. Springsteen sought to emulate Phil Spector's Wall of Sound production, leading to prolonged sessions with the E Street Band lasting from January 1974 to July 1975; six months alone were spent working on the title track.
The River is the fifth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released as a double album on October 17, 1980, by Columbia Records. The album was Springsteen's attempt at making a record that captured the E Street Band's live sound. Co-produced by Springsteen, his manager Jon Landau, and bandmate Steven Van Zandt, the recording sessions lasted 18 months in New York City from March 1979 to August 1980. Springsteen originally planned to release a single LP, The Ties That Bind, in late 1979, before deciding it did not fit his vision and scrapped it. Over 50 songs were recorded; outtakes saw release as B-sides and later on compilation albums.
Daniel Paul Federici was an American musician, best known as a founding member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, where he was its organist, accordionist and glockenspiel player. Federici appeared on ten of Springsteen's studio albums.
Tracks is a four-disc box set by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released in 1998 containing 66 songs. This box set mostly consists of never-before-released songs recorded during the sessions for his many albums, but also includes a number of single B-sides, as well as demos and alternate versions of already-released material.
18 Tracks is an album by Bruce Springsteen, released in 1999. All but three selections had been on the boxed set Tracks, released six months before. This single album was intended to capture more casual fans, and thus was oriented towards the shorter, more pop-oriented selections from Springsteen's vault.
The E Street Band is an American rock band that has been the primary backing band for rock musician Bruce Springsteen since 1972. In 2014, the E Street Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For the bulk of Springsteen's recording and performing career, the band included guitarists Steven Van Zandt, Nils Lofgren, and Patti Scialfa, keyboardists Danny Federici and Roy Bittan, bassist Garry Tallent, drummer Max Weinberg and saxophonist Clarence Clemons.
Ernest Carter is an American drummer. He has toured and recorded with, among others, Bruce Springsteen, David Sancious, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes and Paul Butterfield. During his time with Springsteen, he played the drums on the song "Born to Run".
"Fire" is a song written by Bruce Springsteen in 1977 which had its highest profile as a 1978 single release by the Pointer Sisters. The song was later released by Robert Gordon and Springsteen himself.
"Hungry Heart" is a rock song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen on his fifth album, The River. It was released as the album's lead single in 1980 and became Springsteen's first big hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart peaking at number five.
"Bobby Jean" is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen, from his 1984 album Born in the U.S.A. Although not released as a single, it reached number 36 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
"The River" is a song written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen, accompanied by the E Street Band, in 1979. The title track of his fifth album, it was a hit single in parts of Europe in 1981; reaching No.24 in Ireland, No. 25 in the Netherlands, and the top 10 in both Sweden and Norway. Its B-side was either "Independence Day" or "Ramrod", depending on the country of release.
"Be True" is a song by Bruce Springsteen. It was recorded on July 18, 1979 at The Power Station in New York in one of the early recording sessions for Bruce Springsteen's album The River. It was not released on the album, but in 1981 it was released as the B-side to the single release of "Fade Away", a song taken from The River album. According to Springsteen, "Be True" was left off The River album in favor of the song "Crush on You", a decision he has a hard time understanding in retrospect. Springsteen was already second guessing his decision to exclude "Be True" from The River before the album was even released.
Magic Tour Highlights is an EP by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, which consists of four live audio tracks and their accompanying videos, and was released for digital download on July 15, 2008. The performances were recorded during the 2008 Magic Tour, and feature guest musicians, as well as Danny Federici's last performance with the group.
Wrecking Ball is the seventeenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on March 6, 2012, on Columbia Records. It was named best album of 2012 by Rolling Stone and along with the album's first single, "We Take Care of Our Own", was nominated for three Grammy Awards.
Letter to You is the twentieth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen. Released in October 2020, it was Springsteen's first new studio album with the E Street Band to be released since 2014's High Hopes. Letter to You was met with widespread critical acclaim; critics responded favorably to the album's treatment of issues of aging and death. The album was a commercial success, topping several international sales charts and was Springsteen's 21st top-10 album in the United States. Since touring was not possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the album was promoted with an online radio station, music videos, and a custom Twitter emoji.