Dan Hornsby
| Dan Hornsby | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Isaac Daniel Hornsby |
| Born | February 1, 1900 |
| Origin | Atlanta, Georgia, US |
| Died | May 18, 1951 (aged 51) |
| Genres | Folk, pop, jazz, Americana |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, producer, musician, recording artist |
| Instruments | vocals, trumpet, piano |
| Years active | 1919–1951 |
| Labels | Columbia Records, Bluebird Records |
| Notable instruments | |
| multiple octave voice, piano and trumpet | |
Issac Daniel Hornsby (1 February 1900 – 18 May 1951) was an American singer songwriter, musician, producer and arranger, studio engineer, band leader & band member. Discovered talent as A&R man with Columbia Records, and radio personality.
His father Joseph Todd Hornsby was a contractor and a part-time Baptist minister.
Dan Hornsby was born in Atlanta and attended North Georgia College. Later, at the age of 19 he worked as a painter with the W.E. Browne Decorating Co. in Columbus, Georgia when he met Louise Wise of Little Rock, Arkansas. She sang and danced in a roadshow and they met at the hotel, which Hornsby was painting. They married and had five children. His oldest son, Joseph T., was a former US Marine pilot who married, Dorothea also a US Marine. Joe then retired from military as a captain to work for FAA US Federal government. They had children and a daughter Nikki Hornsby, who also became a full-time artist - singer, songwriter, musician, producer, arranger, and founder of CJP-NHRecords.
After the marriage Louise quit the stage, but Dan drifted towards show business although he did not have any formal musical training. However, he enjoyed playing trumpet and singing with various dance bands in Atlanta in the 1920s. Hornsby formed his basic group Dan Hornsby Quartet: Perry Bechtel (banjo, guitar and bariton), Taylor Flanagan (piano and high tenor), Sterlin Melvin (guitar and bass guitar) and Dan Hornsby (lead singer and arranger).
The Atlanta Baking Company asked Hornsby to do a show on WSM Radio in Atlanta. The group name was changed to Bamby Baker Boys and Hornsby became the first commercial performer of the WSB radio station, which started airing in 1922. His pleasant disposition and sense of humor earned him a nickname "Cheerful Dan" "the man with the two octave voice". He discovered a great deal of American music talent like Bessie Smith and many others of that time for Columbia. He was an engineer as well as producer of recorded music in Atlanta for Columbia Records as well as singer songwriter and musician.
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