Dann Huff
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dann Huff | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | November 15, 1960 USA |
| Genre(s) | Hard rock, Glam metal, Country, Country pop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, Singer, Producer, Songwriter, Guitarist |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, Drums |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Label(s) | Epic, Frontiers |
| Associated acts | Whiteheart, Giant |
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Dann Huff (born 1960) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter and producer. His brother, David Huff, is also a musician and accomplished drummer, and together they made up the core of the 80's rock band Giant. Since then, he has found work as a session guitarist, in both rock and country music.
[edit] Biography
Dann was born and raised in a musically gifted Christian family. His father, Ronn Huff, was a conductor and arranger. From an early age, Dann accompanied his father to sessions. It was at the age of 9 that he started playing what would become his primary instrument -- the guitar. He took a few lessons, even classical, but played mostly by ear. When he was 13, a session guitarist by the name of John Darnall taught him his first scale, and that set him on a course for the rest of his life.
In high school, Dann met fellow guitarist Gordon Kennedy and started playing together. They were part of a little band that played at school assemblies and such. When he was 16, he started playing on artist's demos in Nashville. He then moved to Los Angeles where he played and recorded for an impressive list of artists. When he was 20, he formed the Christian band Whiteheart together with his brother David. The band was rounded out by Mark Gershmehl on keyboards, Billy Smiley on keyboards/guitar, Gary Lunn on bass and Steve Green handling lead vocals. WhiteHeart was one of the pioneer bands when Christian rock took off in the 80's.
After two albums, Dann left Whiteheart to pursue session work, while David lasted an additional album. One of Dann's most notable session products is the memorable lead guitar on "Danger Zone", the Kenny Loggins hit from the soundtrack to the motion picture Top Gun. Dann and David would collaborate again to form the hard rock band Giant. Despite scoring a massive hit with the single "I'll See You In My Dreams", the band was never a commercial success. When Time to Burn (their 2nd album, followed by III) released in 1992, their 80's style was quickly swallowed up by the arrival of grunge music scene. In the early 90's, Dann went back to his session work recording with several artists over a vast spectrum of genres.
Dann has also produced albums for successful artists like Faith Hill, Wynonna, LeAnn Rimes, Megadeth, Rebecca St. James, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, Peter Cetera and others.
[edit] Guitars and equipment
Dann Huff used many electric and acoustic guitars during his career as a session musician. He mostly runs his Tyler Classic signature model built by Los Angeles boutique luthier James Tyler through a stack of different amps and effect pedals. Huff's gear setup also includes a variety of Fender Stratocasters & Telecasters, a Tom Anderson Classic T and a Tyler Ultimate Weapon with dual humbuckers, active mid-boost circuitry and a recessed Floyd Rose Original locking tremolo bridge.
