Britt Daniel

Britt Daniel

Britt Daniel performing with his band Spoon at the Astor Theatre in 2010

Britt Daniel performing in 2010
Background information
Birth name John Britt Daniel
Born April 14, 1971
Galveston, Texas US
Occupation(s) Singer-Songwriter
Instruments Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards
Years active 1991–present
Labels Merge Records
Peek-A-Boo Records
Matador Records
Elektra Records
Syncretic Records
Associated acts Spoon
Drake Tungsten
Skellington
The Alien Beats
Golden Millennium
Divine Fits
Split Single
Website spoontheband.com

John Britt Daniel (born April 14, 1971)[1] is the co-founder, lead singer and guitarist of the Austin, Texas, rock band Spoon and the co-founder, bassist, and singer of the band Divine Fits.

Early life

Britt Daniel was born in Galveston, Texas and grew up in Temple, Texas, in a household of five children.[2] Daniel is the oldest of three children from his parents' marriage.[3] He also has two younger half siblings. His father, a neurologist, was an aficionado of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and a collector of classic guitars;[2] Daniel has stated he had "a well-rounded musical upbringing."[4] Daniel himself reportedly picked up the guitar in high school after his college-bound girlfriend ended their relationship.[4][5]

Career

Britt Daniel's musical career began in 1988 when he formed his first band The Zygotes. In 1990 Daniel formed his second band, Skellington, while a student at the University of Texas.[2] Skellington included Daniel, Cannon, Mac Stringfellow (bass and vox), and Mike Hurewitz (guitar and vox). After self-releasing two cassette EPs and a cassette LP, the band dissolved in 1992. The following year, Daniel joined a three-piece rockabilly band named The Alien Beats with Brad Shenfeld.[2] During a 1993 Alien Beats recording session, computer-chip designer and percussionist Jim Eno was brought in as a substitute drummer, but he was later added as the permanent drummer.[2] From these recording sessions came the album Cavin' In; however, The Alien Beats disbanded soon after its release.[2]

Spoon

In 1993, he teamed back up with ex-Alien Beats drummer Eno, as well as guitarist Greg Wilson and bassist Andy McGuire, to form Spoon. Spoon has served as Daniel's primary musical focus, though his resume also includes the following side projects:

Drake Tungsten

In the years that followed, Daniel wrote and recorded solo material under the pseudonym Drake Tungsten[6] (Daniel has since abandoned this name and plays solo shows under his own name).

Daniel has not recorded a solo album since self-releasing 1994's Clocking Out is for Suckers under the name Drake Tungsten. However, he has begun setting aside songs for a possible solo album, including "New York Kiss" and "Telephone My Heart,"[7] which he has been performing at solo shows since at least early 2006.[8]

Divine Fits

Recently, Daniel has been involved in a new band called Divine Fits, consisting of members from Spoon, Wolf Parade and New Bomb Turks. The group's debut, A Thing Called Divine Fits, was released on August 28, 2012 through Merge Records. The first single from the album, "My Love Is Real", was released on July 10, 2012.

Collaborations

Discography

Skellington

The Alien Beats

Drake Tungsten

Golden Millennium

Spoon

Divine Fits

Solo recordings

See also

References

  1. "John Britt Daniel - Texas, Birth Index". FamilySearch. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Raoul Hernandez, "Drake Tungsten and his Boy Skellington", Austin Chronicle, January 25, 1999.
  3. Maron, Marc (16 April 2015). "Episode 594 - Britt Daniel / Jon Ronson" (AUDIO PODCAST INTERVIEW). WTF with Marc Maron. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  4. 4.0 4.1 'Sup Magazine, "The Biography of Britt Daniel of Spoon As Told Through Music", December 2005. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  5. Laura Hightower, "Spoon Biography". Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  6. Peek-A-Boo Records Drake Tungsten Bio Page, PeekABooRecords.com. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  7. Sean O'Neal, "Britt Daniel of Spoon," July 19, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2007.
  8. https://archive.org/details/brittdaniel.2006-03-29.matrix.flac16
  9. Peek-A-Boo Records Golden Millennium Bio Page, PeekABooRecords.com. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  10. Origin Systems Inc. Developer Bio, MobyGames.com. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  11. Columbia Records, Stranger Than Fiction Soundtrack, ColumbiaRecords.com. Retrieved October 11, 2007.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Britt Daniel.