James McKinney (musician)
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James McKinney was a member of the bluegrass group Danger in the Air, a well-known regional bluegrass band based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Among its members was founding member of the Dixie Chicks, Robin Lynn Macy.
From a young age, McKinney began performing and competing. He won the South U.S. Banjo Championship at the age of 15. He moved to Nashville where he played with Opryland’s “Bluegrass Show” and started a career as a studio musician. He made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry at 19. In 1982, he won the National Banjo Championship in Winfield, Kansas. In two other years' competitions, he rated third place.
He relocated to the Dallas area in the 1980s where he joined Danger in the Air. When the band dissolved, McKinney moved to Nashville in 1990 where he continued to perform using the band's name. He and his wife now perform as the James & Angela McKinney Band.
