Dann Huff

Last updated

Dann Huff
Birth nameDann Lee Huff
Born (1960-11-15) November 15, 1960 (age 63)
Origin Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. [1]
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Record producer
  • songwriter
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active1976–present
Formerly of

Dann Lee Huff (born November 15, 1960) is an American record producer, studio musician and songwriter. [3] For his work as a producer in the country music genre, he has won several awards, including the Musician of the Year award in 2001, 2004, and 2016 at the Country Music Association Awards and the Producer of the Year award in 2006 and 2009 at the Academy of Country Music. [4] He is the father of American singer and songwriter Ashlyne Huff, a member of Giant and White Heart and brother of drummer David Huff.

Contents

Career

Huff grew up in Nashville and attended Brentwood Academy. [5] His father, Ronn Huff, was an arranger, composer and conductor who wrote orchestrations for film and television and was the pops conductor for the Nashville Symphony. [6] [7] Huff began his career as part of the original Christian rock band White Heart in which he played with his brother David Huff, [8] [9] and later in the melodic hard rock band Giant. He has since then been active as a session guitarist and producer in both rock music and country music with his first guitar recording debut for Ron Haffkine and Kyle Lehning. In the 1980s, Huff played guitar on albums for Michael Jackson, Amy Grant, Scritti Politti, Whitesnake, Roger Hodgson, Steven Curtis Chapman, Doro Pesch, Juice Newton, Michael W. Smith, Whitecross, Peter Cetera and George Benson, [10] Whitney Houston's debut album Whitney Houston , Barbra Streisand, [11] Kenny Rogers, [12] Warren Hill and more. [13] [14] Since the 1990s, Huff has been working as a producer for various bands and artists, touring with Hank Williams, Jr, some of which include Faith Hill, Megadeth, Rebecca St. James, Rascal Flatts [15] and Lonestar. [16]

The songs Huff has played on include Whitesnake's 1987 US radio version of "Here I Go Again" [17] and Michael W. Smith's Go West Young Man . [18]

In 2012, Taylor Swift produced three songs with Huff and Nathan Chapman for her fourth studio album, Red . [19]

Collaborations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Foster</span> Canadian record producer and songwriter

David Walter Foster is a Canadian record producer, film composer, and music executive. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. Foster's career began as a keyboardist for the pop group Skylark in the early 1970s before focusing largely on composing and production. Often in tandem with songwriter Diane Warren, Foster has contributed to material for prominent music industry artists in various genres since then, and is credited with production on over 40 pop hits on the Billboard Hot 100. He has also chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016.

Michael Baird is an American drummer. He has played drums for Airborne, Vasco Rossi, Billy Idol, Hall and Oates, Pointer Sisters, Donna Summer, Riverdogs, Animotion, Richard Marx, Wang Chung, Michael Bolton, Rick Springfield, Eddie Money, Kenny Loggins, Yumi Matsutoya, Juice Newton, and Prism. He was a touring drummer for Journey on their tour for the Raised on Radio album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Jackson Jr.</span> Musical artist

Paul Milton Jackson Jr. is an American fusion/urban jazz composer, arranger, producer and guitarist.

Neil Stubenhaus is an American bass guitarist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dean Parks</span> American guitarist and record producer

Weldon Dean Parks is an American session guitarist and record producer from Fort Worth, Texas. Parks has one Grammy nomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abraham Laboriel</span> Mexican-American bassist (born 1947)

Abraham Laboriel López is a Mexican-American bassist who has played on over 4,000 recordings and soundtracks. Guitar Player magazine called him "the most widely used session bassist of our time". Laboriel is the father of drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. and of producer, songwriter, and film composer Mateo Laboriel.

William Frank Reichenbach Jr. is an American jazz trombonist and composer. He is the son of Bill Reichenbach, who was the drummer for Charlie Byrd from 1962 to 1973. He is best known as a session musician for television, films, cartoons, and commercials. He primarily specializes in playing the bass trombone, however, he is also proficient in playing other instruments such as the tenor trombone, contrabass trombone, euphonium, and tuba.

Terry Lee McMillan was an American country music singer, harmonica player, and percussionist. In 1973, he became a member of Eddy Raven's band in Nashville, and worked with Raven until 1974. McMillan then started working with Chet Atkins, playing harmonica with his touring show. Later, he toured with Jerry Reed and Jeannie C. Riley before becoming a very in-demand session musician. In the 1970s, McMillan appeared on many albums, including the recordings of Mickey Newbury and Gary Stewart. He was also featured many times on Trinity Broadcasting in the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Hey</span> American musician

Jerry Hey is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, horn arranger, string arranger, orchestrator and session musician who has played on hundreds of commercial recordings, including Michael Jackson's Thriller, Rock with You, "Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough", "Workin’ Day and Night" and the flugelhorn solo on Dan Fogelberg's hit "Longer". Additionally, he has performed with artists such as George Benson, Nik Kershaw, Al Jarreau, Barbra Streisand, Donna Summer, Earth, Wind & Fire, Whitney Houston, Frank Sinatra, George Duke, Lionel Richie, Rufus and Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole, Aretha Franklin, Patti Austin, Toshiki Kadomatsu, Yumi Matsutoya, among many others.

Daniel Martin Shea is an American record producer and composer who has worked with numerous artists including Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez, Janet Jackson, Santana, Barbra Streisand, Jessica Simpson. Sara Evans, Rob Thomas, Marc Anthony, Boyz II Men, Martina McBride, Kenny G, Ricky Martin, Bono, Mary J. Blige, R. Kelly, Robin Thicke, Toni Braxton, Babyface, Natalie Cole, Phil Collins, Luther Vandross, Michael Bolton, Lady Antebellum, Jim Brickman, Plácido Domingo, Grover Washington Jr., Al Jarreau, Kenny Loggins, Dusty Springfield, Daryl Hall, Boney James, New Kids on the Block, Rissi Palmer, Christina Milian, Jordan Pruitt, Thalía, Savage Garden, Clarence Clemons, and more. As producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, Dan Shea's albums have sold over 150 million copies worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Landau</span> American musician

Michael Christopher Landau is an American musician, audio engineer, and record producer. He is a session musician and guitarist who has played on many albums since the early 1980s with Boz Scaggs, Minoru Niihara, Joni Mitchell, Rod Stewart, Seal, Michael Jackson, James Taylor, Helen Watson, Luis Miguel, Richard Marx, Steve Perry, Pink Floyd, Phil Collins on "Two Hearts" and "Loco in Acapulco", Roger Daltrey, Stevie Nicks, Glenn Frey, Eros Ramazzotti, Whitney Houston, and Miles Davis. Landau, along with fellow session guitarists Dean Parks, Steve Lukather, Michael Thompson and Dann Huff, played on many of the major label releases recorded in Los Angeles from the 1980s–1990s. He has released music with several record labels, including Ulftone Music and Tone Center Records, a member of Shrapnel Label Group.

Dan Higgins is an American saxophone and woodwind player. He has worked with such artists as John Williams, Seth MacFarlane, Aerosmith, Stevie Wonder, Neil Diamond, Al Jarreau, Maroon 5, Kenny Loggins, Barry Manilow, Elton John, Go West, The Temptations, Lionel Richie, Joe Cocker, Luis Miguel, Lisa Stansfield, and Eros Ramazzotti. He has over 800 motion picture soundtracks to his credit. He is also known as the saxophone sound of Bleeding Gums Murphy from The Simpsons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Williams (jazz musician)</span> American musician, producer, composer, and arranger

Lawrence Lowell Williams is an American record producer, composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist. He is proficient on the keyboards, saxophone, flute, and clarinet. Williams began his musical career in the 1970s, and has since established himself as a prominent figure in the music industry. He regularly toured and recorded with Al Jarreau for over 3 decades and also was a musician on Michael Jackson's albums Off The Wall, Thriller, and Bad.

Billy Joe Walker Jr. was an American songwriter, record producer and recording artist. He composed singles for Eddie Rabbitt, including "I Wanna Dance with You", "That's Why I Fell in Love with You" and "B-B-B-Burnin' Up with Love". He produced the first three albums of Bryan White, and for Pam Tillis, Collin Raye and Travis Tritt. He was also a session musician who played guitar. Between 1987 and 1994, he recorded seven solo albums, all for major labels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Sax</span> Musical artist

Doug Sax was an American mastering engineer from Los Angeles, California. He mastered three of The Doors' albums, including their 1967 debut; six of Pink Floyd's albums, including The Wall; Ray Charles' multiple-Grammy winner Genius Loves Company in 2004, and Bob Dylan's 36th studio album Shadows in the Night in 2015.

William S. Schnee is an American musician, music producer, and audio engineer. Schnee has been nominated 11 times for the Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical Grammy Award and worked on a multitude of other Grammy nominated and awarded albums. He has won two Grammys, an Emmy for Outstanding Sound for a Television Special, and a Dove Award. In a 45+ year career of very diverse artists, Schnee has received over 135 gold and platinum records and has recorded/mixed over 50 top twenty singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Rhodes (musician)</span> American bass player (1953–2023)

Michael Rhodes was an American bass player, known for his session work and touring in support of other artists, and his collaborations in bands and ensembles.

Joe Chemay is an American bassist and background singer, known for his recording session work.

Paul William Leim is an American drummer and recording session musician based in Nashville.

Carlos Vega was a Cuban-born Los Angeles-based session drummer best known for his performances with James Taylor. As a part of the L.A. studio scene from the late 1970s through the 1990s, Vega contributed to a wide variety of music during the rise and popularity of the California singer-songwriter movement.

References

  1. Dillon, Charlotte. "Dann Huff biography". AllMusic . Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  2. Dunkerley, Beville (June 11, 2014). "Dann Huff on Faith, Keith and Rock-Infused Country". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  3. "Producer Profile: Dann Huff". Rolling Stone. June 11, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  4. "Winner". Academy of Country Music. Retrieved December 16, 2016. Enter Dann Huff in the search field.
  5. "Eagles" Brentwood Academy Yearbook. Nashville: Brentwood Academy. 1978.
  6. Bostick, Alan (January 23, 2000). "Manchester at ease with orchestra". The Tennessean. p. 10F. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  7. Oermann, Rober K. (May 25, 1983). "Tree signs Ronn Huff To Key Post". The Tennessean. p. 1D. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  8. Rosenthal, Traja (March 14, 1987). "White Heart Beats". Lodi News-Sentinel . Lodi, California, USA. p. 5. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  9. Cusic, Don (2009). Encyclopedia of contemporary Christian music: pop, rock, and worship. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 461. ISBN   978-0-313-34425-1.
  10. "20 20 by George Benson @ARTISTdirect". ARTISTdirect. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  11. "Emotion by Barbra Streisand @ARTISTdirect". ARTISTdirect. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  12. "What About Me by Kenny Rogers @ARTISTdirect". ARTISTdirect. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  13. Songs and Albums on which Dann Huff played on
  14. Biography of Giant/Dan Huff on Allmusic.com
  15. Tucker, Ken (April 15, 2006). "Hitting the high notes". Billboard . e5 Global Media. p. 38. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  16. "Lonely Grill - Lonestar - Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  17. Prown, Pete; Newquist, HP (1997). Legends of rock guitar: The essential reference of rock's greatest guitarists. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 211. ISBN   0-7935-4042-9.
  18. "1990 album: Go West Young Man". Artist Direct. Archived from the original on April 7, 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
  19. "Red - Taylor Swift | Credits". AllMusic.
  20. "Lead Me On - Amy Grant | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  21. "Jesus Freak - dc Talk | AllMusic". AllMusic.