Dan Reynolds (musician)

Dan Reynolds

Reynolds at 2013 Ilosaarirock.
Background information
Birth name Daniel Coulter Reynolds
Born July 14, 1987
Origin Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Genres Alternative rock, indie rock
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter
Instruments Vocals, keyboards, synthesizer, organ, piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, Taiko drum
Years active 2008–present
Labels Interscope
Associated acts Imagine Dragons, Egyptian
Website imaginedragonsmusic.com

Daniel Coulter "Dan" Reynolds (born July 14, 1987) is an American musician, best known as the frontman of the Las Vegas-based rock band Imagine Dragons. He has also released an EP titled Egyptian - EP[1] as a duo with his wife, Aja Volkman (of Nico Vega) under the moniker Egyptian.[2] He is also a recipient of the Songwriters Hall of Fame Hal David Starlight Award.[3][4]

Early life

Reynolds, seventh of nine children, was born on July 14, 1987 in Las Vegas, the son of Christene M. (born Callister) and Ronald Reynolds, a lawyer and author.[5] Both are natives of Nevada, and Dan is a 4th generation Nevadan.[6] He earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 2005.[7][8] When Reynolds, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was 19 years old he volunteered full-time as a missionary in Nebraska for two years.[9][10][11][12] He wrote the song "I Bet My Life" celebrating and reflecting on his enduring relationship with his parents.[13]

Career

Imagine Dragons (2008–present)

Reynolds was reluctant to become a professional musician partially because his bandmate, Wayne Sermon told him: "Don't do music because you want to do music--do music if you have to do music."[14] After beginning school at BYU, Reynolds found that he could not "do anything else" and committed fully to a professional music career. In Utah, Reynolds met and recruited Wayne Sermon and drummer Andrew Tolman to form Imagine Dragons.[15] With Reynolds singing lead, Imagine Dragons won BYU's "Battle of the Bands" and other local competitions.[16] Bassist Ben McKee joined the band in Las Vegas and drummer Daniel Platzman, also a friend of Wayne's from Berklee College of Music, finalized the group. The band relocated to Las Vegas performing and honing their craft nearly nightly as a lounge act.[17][18][9] There they caught their first big break when Train's frontman fell sick just prior to the Bite of Las Vegas Festival 2010. Imagine Dragons were called to fill in and performed to a crowd of more than 26,000 people.[19] In November 2011 they signed with Interscope Records and began working with Grammy award winning producer Alex da Kid.[20]

Imagine Dragons released debut album Night Visions and first single "It's Time" in September 2012. Night Visions charted in the top ten albums in the U.S. in 2012, 2013, and 2014.[21] It won a Billboard Music Award for Top Rock Album and was nominated for a Juno Award for International Album of the Year.[22] Second single "Radioactive" reached #3 Billboard Hot 100. "Radioactive" also set the all-time record for the longest reign at the top of the Billboard Rock Songs chart, with 23 consecutive weeks and the all-time record for longest run on the Billboard Hot 100, with 87 weeks.[23] Rolling Stone called it "the biggest rock hit of the year".[24][25] It is the best-selling rock song in digital history with sales of more than 7.5 million copies in the United States.[26] Third single "Demons" reached #6 Billboard Hot 100 and is the eighth best-selling rock song in digital history with sales in excess of 4 million copies in the United States. Imagine Dragons were nominated in two Grammy Award categories including Record of the Year but won only Best Rock Performance. They also won two AMAs for Favorite Alternative Artist, a Teen Choice Award for Choice Rock Group, a World Music Award for World's Best Rock Act, and a Billboard Music Award for Top Rock Artist. Imagine Dragons made their major festival headlining debut at Made In America Music Festival (2014) and also drew large crowds and positive reviews at festivals such as Lollapalooza Brazil (2014).[27][28]

Imagine Dragons released sophomore album Smoke + Mirrors in February 2015. Smoke + Mirrors debuted atop the Billboard 200, UK Albums Chart, and Canadian Albums Chart.[29][30] It features singles "I Bet My Life" and "Shots" both of which have charted on the Billboard Hot 100.[31][32]

Egyptian and Family (2010-present)

Invited to perform an opening set for Nico Vega, Reynolds met Aja Volkman, the lead singer of Nico Vega, in 2010. He invited her to help him finish some demos he was working on.[33][34][35][36] The two began a collaborative process which they titled Egyptian.[34] They recorded, produced, and released independently a four track eponymous EP digitally.[37][38] They later married on March 5, 2011, and have a daughter, Arrow.

They have performed this material once at the M Resort in Las Vegas.[39]

Discography

Year Song(s) Artist Album Role
2011 All Tracks Egyptian Egyptian - EP Co-writer, Producer, Performer[40]
2013 "Stranger" X Ambassadors Love Songs Drug Songs Co-writer, Producer[41]
2014 "Nothing Quite Like Home" G. Love & Special Sauce featuring Ben Harper Sugar Co-writer[42][43]
"I Believe (Get Over Yourself)"
"I'm On Fire"		 Nico Vega Lead To Light Co-writer, Producer[44][45]

Awards and nominations

Songwriters Hall of Fame

Philanthropic contributions

Since 2013, Imagine Dragons along with the family of Tyler Robinson, have supported The Tyler Robinson Foundation, helping young people battling cancer.[46][47] Imagine Dragons have also partnered with Do The Write Thing: National Campaign to Stop Violence,[48] Amnesty International's "Bringing Human Rights Home",[49] and Crackle's "Playing It Forward" (S1 E2).[50]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Egyptian - EP by Egyptian". Itunes.apple.com. 2011-04-18. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  2. ↑ Darby, Heidi. "Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds and Nico Vega's Aja Volkman-Reynolds' Weirdly Perfect Romance - Los Angeles Music - West Coast Sound". Blogs.laweekly.com. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds to be Honored With Hal David Starlight Award | News". BMI.com. 2014-04-16. Retrieved 2015-02-19.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Brian Mansfield, Special for USA TODAY (2014-04-15). "Songwriters Hall honoring Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds". Usatoday.com. Retrieved 2015-02-19.
  5. ↑ "Marco Callister Obituary: View Marco Callister's Obituary by Las Vegas Review-Journal". Obits.reviewjournal.com. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  6. ↑ "Imagine Dragons Prove "It’s Time" With Live Show At The Red Bull Sound Space At KROQ « The World Famous KROQ". Kroq.cbslocal.com. 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  7. ↑ Bryan Wendell. "Imagine Dragons lead singer Dan Reynolds is an Eagle Scout". Boy Scouts of America. Retrieved 2014-12-31.
  8. ↑ archive. "Eagle Scout honors received - Las Vegas Sun News". Lasvegassun.com. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1
  10. ↑ "Dan Reynolds: It’s Time is a song I wrote at a low point in my life". Metro. Associated Newspaper Ltd. February 5, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  11. ↑ Tom Lanham (October 4, 2012). "Imagine Dragons on musical mission". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Cover Sneak Peek: 5 Reasons Imagine Dragons Aren't Your Typical Rock Stars". Billboard. 2015-02-12. Retrieved 2015-02-19.
  13. ↑ "Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds on I Bet My Life". Billboard. 2014-12-09. Retrieved 2015-02-19.
  14. ↑ "Audio-Files - Imagine Dragons". BYUtv. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  15. ↑ "Local band, 'Imagine Dragons' signs with Interscope Records".
  16. ↑ Burger, David (20 March 2013). "Born in Utah, Imagine Dragons is coming home". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2013-07-27.
  17. ↑ "Imagine Dragons Talk New Album 'Smoke + Mirrors' and Las Vegas Beginnings". Vegasmagazine.com. Retrieved 2015-02-19.
  18. ↑ "The Weekly chat: The Killers' Dave Keuning and Imagine Dragons' Wayne Sermon-together". Las Vegas Weekly. 2013-10-24. Retrieved 2015-02-19.
  19. ↑ ""Imagine Dragons gets a Bite of the spotlight" by Off the Record". Las Vegas Weekly. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
  20. ↑
  21. ↑ "Spotify reveals 2013's most-streamed artists". Usatoday.com. 2013-12-14. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  22. ↑ "Justin Timberlake Is Top Winner at Billboard Music Awards". Billboard. Retrieved 2015-02-19.
  23. ↑ "Imagine Dragons' 'Radioactive' Breaks Record For Longest Hot 100 Run". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  24. ↑ Andy Greene (2013-05-08). "Imagine Dragons Go 'Radioactive' on the Charts | Music News". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  25. ↑ Steve Knopper (2012-09-12). "On the Charts: Imagine Dragons' Big Debut | Music News". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  26. ↑ Grein, Paul (2013-08-28). "Week Ending Aug. 25, 2013. Songs: Robin & Marvin | Chart Watch - Yahoo Music". Music.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  27. ↑ "Made in America Los Angeles 2014: Imagine Dragons, Kendrick Lamar, Afrojack Rock Day 1". Billboard. Retrieved 2015-02-19.
  28. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/articles/events/festivals/6041368/lollapalooza-brazil-2014-phoenix-arcade-fire-lorde-rock-sao-paulo
  29. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6480541/imagine-dragons-no-1-billboard-200-chart
  30. ↑ http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/imagine-dragons-claim-first-uk-number-1-album-with-smoke-plus-mirrors__8164/
  31. ↑ "Song of the Week: Imagine Dragons' 'I Bet My Life'". Usatoday.com. 2014-10-27. Retrieved 2015-02-19.
  32. ↑ "Imagine Dragons - I Bet My Life (Audio)". YouTube. 2014-10-26. Retrieved 2015-02-19.
  33. ↑
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Darby, Heidi. "Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds and Nico Vega's Aja Volkman-Reynolds' Weirdly Perfect Romance - Los Angeles Music - West Coast Sound". Blogs.laweekly.com. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
  35. ↑ "I'll Wait For You by Egyptian @ M Resort in Las Vegas". YouTube. 2011-07-03. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
  36. ↑ Darby, Heidi. "The 11 Feature - Egyptian: A Modern Rock Romance". Lifeabove11.com. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
  37. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Egyptian - EP by Egyptian". Itunes.apple.com. 2011-04-18. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
  38. ↑ "Egyptian (featuring Dan Reynolds and Aja Volkman) Fade". YouTube. 2011-11-15. Retrieved 2013-03-04.
  39. ↑ "Colorblind by Egyptian @ M Resort in Las Vegas". YouTube. 2011-07-05. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
  40. ↑ Darby, Heidi (2013-10-03). "Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds and Nico Vega's Aja Volkman-Reynolds' Weirdly Perfect Romance | West Coast Sound | Los Angeles | Los Angeles News and Events". LA Weekly. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  41. ↑ "Stranger - X Ambassadors | Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. 2013-05-07. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  42. ↑ "Nothing Quite Like Home - G. Love & Special Sauce | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  43. ↑ "G. Love and Special Sauce Premiere 'Nothing Quite Like Home' - Video". Rolling Stone. 2014-01-23. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  44. ↑ "Lead to Light - Nico Vega | Credits". AllMusic. 2014-07-22. Retrieved 2015-02-19.
  45. ↑ "Nico Vega Premieres Hook-Filled New LP 'Lead to Light' (Listen)". Billboard. Retrieved 2015-02-19.
  46. ↑ Alison Moore (2014-02-27). "Utah teen's life and legacy inspires Imagine Dragons to create foundation". Deseret News. Retrieved 2015-02-19.
  47. ↑ "Local kids meet Imagine Dragons | FOX31 Denver". Kdvr.com. 2014-03-17. Retrieved 2015-02-19.
  48. ↑ "Imagine Dragons Meet & Greet Benefit — Do The Write Thing: Help Stop the Violence (National Campaign to Stop Violence)". Dtwt.org. Retrieved 2015-02-19.
  49. ↑ "Imagine Dragons, The Flaming Lips to Play Amnesty International Benefit Show". Billboard. 2014-01-08. Retrieved 2015-02-19.
  50. ↑ "Watch Playing It Forward Online Free". Crackle. Retrieved 2015-02-19.

External links

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