Simply Six: Chris Daniels

1. For many artists, they cite a defining moment for themselves when they knew they wanted to be a singer. For many it was the appearance of Elvis on the Ed Sullivan show, to another generation it was the Beatles’ appearance on Sullivan half a decade later. Is there such a defining moment for you?

For me it was more about guitar first ... I was more like George Harrison -- guitar came first -- and the three players were Spider John Koerner, Dave VanRonk and James Taylor .... as far as singing ... that was probably Dylan ... now I know lots of folk think of Dylan as a bad singer - but go back and listen to his power and phrasing on 'Like A Rolling Stone' -- wow, it is straight punk phrasing -- the Clash learned their phrasing from him -- it's all right there -- the other is the greatest -- the reason we ALL sing the way we do, Louis Armstrong -- check out his phrasing on Dina -- he reduces the whole melody to one note and swings it like a mother - damn, that is the stuff. Last but not least on singing is Kris Kristofferson -- he is the most honest singer -- again not great tech singer -- but it is so damn honest -- like he's getting up from the street where he just got beat up and singing "that sucked but I'm getting up'...... wheee honest!

2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to? Who are some of your favorites?

Well some of the old cats above but I'm thrilled with the new music that is coming up. I teach at the University of Colorado and I have had members from all these great new bands in my classes, folks from Air Dubia and John Common and all these great new bands. Right now I'm listening to a great young horn band called Bop Skizzim.

3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live?

I'm blessed, because there are so many. Getting to sing with Bonnie Raitt, getting to sing with Richie Furay, getting to do a banjo duet with Bela Fleck, getting to sit in with Little Feat, getting to tour with Sonny Landreth or Al Kooper or David Bromberg as their band ... those are all knock outs ... getting to tour the world....but one of my favorite nights was sitting in a little restaurant in Holland on our very first European tour and thinking to myself, man, this all happened because I fell in love with the sound of playing a guitar ... now there are 10 musicians, a record company president and our crew here, just cause I picked up a guitar ... wild, just totally wild. I didn't plan this at all, it wasn't my dream ... I just loved playing the guitar and look where the flip it took me...holly crap!

4. Do you believe music can change the world or is just something to listen to? How much can music influence current events?

I wrote that in a song that turned into a video for VH-1 back in the 80s -- kind of funny and weirdly prophetic -- "Come Back To The Record Store" about people being changed by music -- and we need to get back to that -- but it does -- there is an amazing and true story about one of the Supreme Court Justices hearing Louis Armstrong in Texas when this guy was a kid in the 1920s, and having his mind blown ... here was a man he was being taught by his white friends ... was supposed to be inferior -- and what he heard was pure genius -- it changed his thinking completely -- and he went on to be one of the Justices that ruled on Brown Vs Board of Education that began the ending of segregation in schools -- so yeah, music can change the world.

5. How has technology affected the music industry? How has technology affected your career as a musician?

Oh Jeez -- well I'll give you one fact, because this is what I teach: in 2000/2001 CD sales were around 14 billion dollars a year and one record sold 4 million copies in one week. This year the industry will sell less than half that number and digital sales (never mind all the stuff stolen) will account for more that 50% of all the revenue made from recording sales. So the tech changes are huge, from studios to Youtube to internet possibilities -- it has made entry into the market place much easier BUT it has made being noticed by the market place harder. This year only about 1,500 artists will sell 1,000 "units" or more -- out of 75,000 with records out that have bar codes ... it boggles the mind ... and the odds are better for a lottery win... yet with all that ... there is more music being USED than ever before on the internet, cable, you name it ... for me, I love technology. I teach an online class at CU Denver and it means I can use videos I make podcasts, live chats and all kinds of things that make my online class come ALIVE ! --- it's really fun stuff and you can even find some of those videos for my classes on Youtube!

6. Now for my Barbara Walters question: If you were a pair of shoes what type of shoes would you be?

Oh, that is easy, I would be an old comfortable pair of high-top sneakers, Keds or Vans, kind of raged, but still solid... the kind of shoes that would make you WANT to put them on and head out the door for an adventure, just for the fun of taking them out for a walk-about ... shoes that have seen it all and still really hungary for more.