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Artist
Danny Knicely
12+ albums
about
Born in 1975 in the Shenandoah Valley near Harrisonburg, Virginia, Danny was surrounded by music from his earliest days. His grandfather, A. O. Knicely, played old time guitar, mandolin, and fiddle as leader of the Knicely Family Band. Danny's dad played bass and banjo in A.O.K.’s band; he also led his own country and bluegrass band, Dominion Express. Danny's mom had two groups: Heartland, a country and gospel band, as well as a large dance troupe, the Massanutten Mountain Cloggers. At seven, Danny got his first instrument, a uke. Unfortunately, his father tried tuning it like a mandolin and broke half the strings. A year later, a cousin gave him a cassette that Danny treasures to this day. It was taped from old Django Reinhardt 78s played on a windup Victrola. That guitar tape ignited Danny's lifelong musical eclecticism. At 13, Danny was playing upright and electric bass in his middleschool band. Constantly jamming with family members, he soon picked up guitar playing from an uncle. By 14 he turned professional, joining his mom’s Heartland band as bassist and baritone harmony singer. They played festivals, fairs, churches and clubs throughout the Shenandoah Valley. A great Virginia bluegrass fiddler, Spike Stroop, heard Danny and took him on as rhythm guitarist for fiddle contests and festivals. Jamming all night long at major traditional gatherings like Galax and Mt. Airy exposed Danny to the fine points of other guitar music: Oklahoma cowboy swing, Django-style picking,
