Daniel John Baird (born December 12, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and producer.[1] He is best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist from the 1980s rock band The Georgia Satellites. Baird formed The Georgia Satellites in 1980 and left the band in 1990 to pursue a solo career.[2] He is often credited as one of the pioneers in cowpunk and alt-country music, which combines elements of rock music, country music, outlaw country, and punk rock.[3]
Baird was born in San Diego, California, United States.[1] When he was about three, his family moved to Seattle, Washington, for about a year, then to Atlanta, Georgia.[4] His father was a telecommunications engineer for U.S. Navy nuclear submarines and his mother was a housewife who worked odd jobs after their divorce.[5]
Career
Baird released his first solo album, Love Songs for the Hearing Impaired, in October 1992, produced by Brendan O'Brien with Executive Producer Rick Rubin, who founded Def American Recordings.[1] A review in Rolling Stone magazine praised its combination of foot-stomping redneck rock and slyly intelligent lyrics:
"This is how bluesed-up macho rock ought to be served: sizzling hot and extra lean, seasoned with a sneaky sense of humor. On his solo debut, Love Songs for the Hearing Impaired, the former Georgia Satellites frontman commands attention like a smart bar-stool bard. Dan Baird spins ribald white-trash tales to familiar Chuck Berry-derived boogie, yet the guitars emit a stinging immediacy. Retro it's not – really."
"I Love You Period",[6] a single from the album, charted on October 10, 1992 and peaked at #26 on the Billboard Hot 100. "The One I Am" charted on January 23, 1993 and peaked at #13 on Billboard's chart for Album Rock Tracks.
In 2005, Baird began touring with his band Homemade Sin, which today features two ex-members of The Georgia Satellites, Baird and drummer Mauro Magellan. Former member of The Georgia Satellites bassist Keith Christopher was replaced during 2014 by Micke Nilsson. Homemade Sin also includes guitarist Warner E. Hodges, who tours and records with Jason & the Scorchers (a cowpunk originating band as well).[7]
Homemade Sin performs a mixture of Baird's solo material in addition to the hits and fan favorites from his years with The Georgia Satellites. To achieve a similar classic tube amplifier sound with Homemade Sin, Baird relies heavily on a vintage setup very similar to what was used during his tenure with The Georgia Satellites. Creating confusion for some fans, there is a reformed version of The Georgia Satellites featuring original guitarist Rick Richards and bassist Rick Price, who joined the group to replace original bassist Keith Christopher, who left the band prior to their fame.
Of their album Screamer, one critic declared, "Dan Baird and Homemade Sin prove once again that they’re one of the last true rock and roll bands carrying the flag first hoisted by Chuck Berry, and they’ll continue to wave it regardless of whatever the flavor of the month happens to be, and no matter how tattered it looks."[8]
He has recorded with other artists, including The Yayhoos and Will Hoge. Baird was one of the original members of Hoge's band before leaving to pursue individual ventures. Baird has also performed as a member of the country music band Trent Summar & the New Row Mob.
Baird also was in saxophonist Bobby Keys' band The Suffering Bastards. He also plays with the band The Bluefields, an American rock band that also includes Warner E. Hodges and Joe Blanton (Royal Court of China).
Besides The Georgia Satellites, Baird has worked on various musical projects[which?] and is a record producer. Baird owns numerous vintage guitars and amplifiers. His favorite guitar is an original Fender Esquire which belonged to Steve Marriott, who was the lead singer of English bands Small Faces and Humble Pie. With The Georgia Satellites, Baird worked with producer Ian McLagan, who was also a member of Small Faces. Baird is married and does not drink alcohol. During tours, Baird can often be found exercising in hotel gyms. According to Baird's blog on MySpace, he met Neil Young in a hotel gym locker room late one night. This provided Baird with an opportunity to make amends for his ineptness during a noisy backstage meeting the night before. The two discussed guitars and amplifiers, and Young complimented Baird on his music.[5]
On November 2, 2019, Baird announced on his website that he is retiring from touring. "I won’t quit making music, but it’ll be in my basement, at my home, where I can walk my dog, go to the gym 4 times a week, shave on Friday and go to sleep with my sweetie beside me every night."[9]
Personal life
In 2017, Baird was forced to cancel the remainder of a tour with his band Homemade Sin and take the rest of the year off to battle an inherited form of leukemia.[10]
Redneck Savant (2001) [as Dan Baird and the Sofa Kings]
Out of Mothballs (2003)
SoLow (2017)
with The Yayhoos
Fear Not the Obvious (2001)
Put the Hammer Down (2006)
As Dan Baird and Homemade Sin
Feels So Good [Live] (2005)
Dan Baird and Homemade Sin: Live #2 (2005)
Fresh Out of Georgia LIVE Like a Satellite (Greatest Hits Live) [2CD] (2007)
Dan Baird and Homemade Sin (2008)
Viva Nashvegas! [Live DVD] (2012)
Circus Life (2013)
Dr. Dixie's Rollin' Bones [LP only] (2013)
Get Loud (2015)
Sweden Rock 2016 [CD/DVD] (2016)
Rollercoaster (2017)
Screamer (2018)
Battleship Chains - Live [2CD/DVD] (2019)
with The Mystic Knights of the Sea
Cadillac Ranch / Johnny 99 (2006)
with The Bluefields
Pure (2012)
Ramshackle (2013)
Under High Cotton (2014)
Day in the Sun (2020)
Bootlegs & unofficial releases
Redneck Punk (2005)
Live at the Borderline London (2007)
Related Research Articles
Cowpunk is a subgenre of punk rock that began in the United Kingdom and Southern California in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It combines punk rock or new wave with country, folk, and blues in its sound, lyrical subject matter, attitude, and style. Examples include Social Distortion, The Gun Club, The Long Ryders, Dash Rip Rock, Violent Femmes, The Blasters, Mojo Nixon, Meat Puppets, The Beat Farmers, Rubber Rodeo, Rank and File, and Jason and the Scorchers. Many of the musicians in this scene subsequently became associated with alternative country, roots rock or Americana.
Benjamin Lev Kweller is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.
Jimmy Herring is an American guitarist, known as the lead guitarist for the band Widespread Panic since 2006. He is a founding member of Aquarium Rescue Unit and Jazz Is Dead and has played with The Allman Brothers Band, Project Z, Derek Trucks Band, Phil Lesh and Friends, and The Dead.
The Georgia Satellites are an American Southern rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. They achieved mainstream success with their 1986 self-titled debut album, featuring their best-known single "Keep Your Hands to Yourself", which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Two more albums followed – Open All Night (1988) and the band's last to feature original material In the Land of Salvation and Sin (1989) – before they went on hiatus in 1990.
Drivin N Cryin is an American Southern rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
The Yayhoos are an American country rock group led by Eric "Rosco" Ambel with Dan Baird. They were called "the Traveling Wilbury's of Now Americana" and "the rig-rock supergroup from heck".
Joseph Leonard Bonamassa is an American blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. He started his career at age twelve, when he opened for B.B. King. Since 2000, Bonamassa has released fifteen solo albums through his independent record label J&R Adventures, of which eleven have reached No. 1 on the Billboard Blues chart.
Rosie Flores is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She currently resides in Austin, Texas, where August 31 was declared Rosie Flores Day by the Austin City Council in 2006.
Bob "Slim" Dunlap is an American rock musician. He is a Minnesota-based guitarist and singer-songwriter who is best known as a member of The Replacements from 1987 to 1991, replacing original lead guitarist Bob Stinson. Dunlap also recorded two solo albums in the mid-1990s.
Todd "Dammit" Kerns is a Canadian rock musician who has worked with several bands, most notably The Age of Electric. He is currently the bass guitarist and backing vocalist for Slash in the band Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators. He's also the lead vocalist for the band Blackbird Angels, which he co-founded with Tracii Guns.
"Keep Your Hands to Yourself" is the debut single by American Southern rock group the Georgia Satellites. The song was written by the band's lead singer, Dan Baird, and was released in November 1986. The single reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 during the week of February 21, 1987.
Terry Randall Anderson is an American musician.
Eric "Roscoe" Ambel is an American guitarist and record producer.
Jason & the Scorchers, originally Jason & the Nashville Scorchers, are a cowpunk band that formed in 1981 and are led by singer-songwriter Jason Ringenberg.
The Western Sizzlers are an American rock band established in 2013 by ex Georgia Satellites manager Kevin Jennings and guitarist/singer of the Satellites, Rick Richards.
Love Songs for the Hearing Impaired is the debut solo album by Dan Baird, the former lead singer of the Georgia Satellites. It was released in 1992 on the Def American label, and was produced by Brendan O'Brien.
In the Land of Salvation and Sin is the third studio album by U.S. southern-rock band The Georgia Satellites, released in 1989 on Elektra Records. It was produced by Joe Hardy, who had previously produced recordings by ZZ Top and Steve Earle, and who was known for his traditional style. AllMusic's Thom Jurek gave the album 3 out of 5 stars, describing it as "...the band's most consistent and innovative recording." As of 2022, this is the most recent studio album to contain original material by The Georgia Satellites, although they did record eight new songs on their next album Shaken Not Stirred (1996).
The Fabulous Knobs is an American rock band formed in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1978. They were one of the key players in the North Carolina music scene during the 1980s, frequently performing at venues in downtown Raleigh. One contemporary reviewer noted, "With skin-tight rhythms and spare, jangling guitar lines, The Fabulous Knobs play punchy dance music that vacillates between R&B and new wave".
Warner E. Hodges is an American rock guitarist best known for his service in Jason & the Scorchers. His longtime bandmate, Jason Ringenberg, called Hodges "the only guitarist in the world who can really bridge the gap between James Burton and Angus Young."
Buffalo Nickel is an album by the American musician Dan Baird, released in 1996. The first single was "Younger Face". Baird supported the album with a North American tour.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
