Music
Press
Musicians who take the solo road are like poker players. With some, it shows they really don't have that good of a hand...or, as in the case of Danny Rhodes on his new CD, Cairo to Cottonwood, they'll dazzle you with every turn of the card.
It's almost as if Rhodes is giving his doctorate thesis on this disc... the guy is as skilled and gifted a guitarist as you will ever hear. - Verde Valley News
Cairo to Cottonwood's front porch blues style and feel gives a real sense of the artist to the listener. As undoubtedly one of the coolest cats to ever pick up a guitar in Arizona, the beret-sporting Louisianan's style sums up the life, culture and flavor of the American experience. - Flagstaff Live
"Danny Rhodes is a legendary figure on the Louisiana music scene despite his current Arizona address. He worked
with the seminal north Louisiana band 5x5, with Texoid along with Kenny Bill Stinson, has written songs for Etta
James, and toured with Dolly Parton. His blistering guitar work and crafty songwriting embodies the best of
Louisiana's unique musical tradition.” - Louisiana Folklife Festival
A baker's dozen of sharp blues tunes make up Welcome to the Night. All but one are originals composed by leader Danny Rhodes and his guitar playing, along with deft horn work by some pals, give each plenty of pep. Rhodes has a fine whiskey-soaked voice for the material and
even hams it up where appropriate(e.g. the comical "Two Tons of Love"). Lyrically it's all wine, women and song, but when it comes to the blues, the tried-and-true topics are hard to top.
-Thomas Bond
- Arizona Republic (Phoenix)
"Danny Rhodes and the Messengers took the stage with force and rocked the house through midnight and beyond. Many people were dancing while others stood in mute amazement of the pure rock 'n' roll energy spilling off the stage. Their performance was truly stunning whether they were playing a smokin' blues original or leading the crowd through an almost gospel arrangement of "Auld Lang Syne". The entire 1000 seat theatre was fired up. During the course of the night, it was astounding to see a constant stream of people flowing into the Orpheum. Danny Rhodes and the
Messengers were perfect...." - Flagstaff Live
Discography
Home Cookin'
Welcome to the Night
Cairo to Cottonwood
The first 2 CD's were recorded with a band (the Messengers), the third CD is an acoustic project. You can check out tracks from all CD's on www.dannyrhodes.com.
Photos
Bio
Danny has played in all 50 states, Canada, Japan, and Europe with a wide variety of artists, including Charlie Rich, Mel McDaniel, and Brenda Lee. With these artists and with his own bands, he has performed on Austin City Limits, the Grand Ole Opry, HBO, and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. In the late 70’s, Danny spent two years in Austin, TX and shared bills with Stevie Ray Vaughn and the Neville Brothers, among others.
While living in Nashville, TN, he had the opportunity to perform with Dicky Betts, Gregg Allman, Rodney Crowell, Gatemouth Brown, and Dash Crofts, among others. He was also a staff writer for Warner/Chappell (Warner Bros. publishing company). Danny wrote songs for several artists, including Etta James. His song, “Get Funky,” was the first single from Etta’s Stickin’ to My Guns album, released on Island Records.
In 1996, Danny moved to Arizona and formed the Messengers. The band won the 1999 Arizona Battle of the Bands and has opened for the Neville Brothers, the Radiators, Tab Benoit, and Sonny Landreth.
For the past several years, Danny has hosted a blues show at Cliff Castle Casino and has performed with many of the biggest names in Arizona blues, including Big Pete Pearson, Long John Hunter, Bob Blasi, JD Simo, Chuck Hall, Tommy Dukes, Maxine Johnson, Chico Chism, Chris Hiatt, and Hans Olson. In addition, since 1999, Danny has hosted the phenomenally successfully Blues Summit on December 26th featuring Bob Blasi, Troy Perkins, and various guest artists.
Danny just released his first acoustic CD – Cairo to Cottonwood. The CD has been receiving rave reviews and critical acclaim. Danny was recently named Blues Musician of the Year by the Verde Valley’s Kudos Magazine and has been nominated for the Arizona Blues Hall of Fame.
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