Danny McNamara | |
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Danny McNamara on stage with Embrace
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Background information | |
Birth name | Daniel Anthony McNamara |
Born |
Halifax, West Yorkshire, England |
31 December 1970
Genres | Rock, Britpop |
Occupation(s) | Singer |
Associated acts | Embrace |
Daniel "Danny" Anthony McNamara (31 December 1970 in Halifax) is the lead singer of English band Embrace.
McNamara and his brother Richard (guitarist) grew up in the village of Bailiff Bridge, Brighouse in West Yorkshire, England.
Aged 11, he passed his 11+ exam and gained entry to Hipperholme Grammar School. When he left school, he studied psychology at Manchester University, but eventually quit to concentrate on the band, and having become tired of commuting.
Embrace are an English rock band from West Yorkshire. To date they have released six studio albums, one singles album and one b-sides compilation. The band consists of brothers singer Danny McNamara and guitarist Richard McNamara, bassist Steve Firth, keyboardist Mickey Dale and drummer Mike Heaton. The group has released six studio albums: The Good Will Out (1998) which went to number 1; Drawn from Memory (2000); If You've Never Been (2001); Out of Nothing (2004) which also went to number 1; This New Day (2006) which went to number one spawning their most successful single to date "Natures Law", which just missed the top spot by a few hundred copies. Their sixth, and most recent album self-titled Embrace was released on 28 April 2014 and went top 5 marking a return after 8 years.
Embrace have received critical and commercial acclaim at home where they have picked up several awards and nominations including the best new band award at the NME Brat Awards, and in the US where the band were on the cover of Billboard magazine, and in Thailand where their single "You're Not Alone" stayed at number 1 for six weeks becoming the biggest selling single of that year. Secret gigs by the band so far have involved playing on beaches and forests, and in a staged break in of the Big Brother TV series house.
After number of 'secret gigs', Embrace had 5 gigs in Scotland in February 2014, prior to a tour of England during April/May 2014. They are due to appear at the 'T in the Park Festival' in July 2014 and 'V Festival' in August 2014. [1]
McNamara suffers from the hearing condition, tinnitus, and supported a campaign for the condition. He has also recently written about suffering from PTSD.