Album Notes

"Danny Tate is a radio friendly shoe-in for us here at WKZE! If I were to recieve a record from Danny and a record from Dave Matthews, Dave's would be gathering dust as we kept Danny's in heavy rotation!" ~ Tim Schaefer, Music Director WKZE

"Only an artist of rare talent, intelligence, and instinct could achieve the kind of lasting success that Tate has enjoyed." ~ Vincent Jeffries, All Music Guide

FORMER VIRGIN RECORDING ARTIST:
Born in Beaumont, Texas, the son of a Southern Baptist music minister, Danny Tate grew up in a musical household. When he was seven, his family moved to Camden, Arkansas, where he seemed destined to follow in the tradition of gospel music. Building on this foundation Tate was lured away by the sounds heard on the local AM radio station that played everything from the soul music of Aretha Franklin and James Brown, the country songs of George Jones and Patsy Cline to Delta Blues, Rock n' Roll and all the hits of that day. Before embarking on a career as a successful songwriter he spent four years at a small university studying theory and composition under one of the most successful symphonic wind composers of our day, William Francis McBeth.

After receiving his degree, John Daniel Tate headed for Nashville where he honed his craft as a tunesmith under the tutelage of legends such as Harlan Howard ("I Fall to Pieces") and Dean Kaye ("That's Life"). He first struck pay dirt when a friend followed pop star Rick Springfield to the bathroom at the Palace in Hollywood and gave him a tape of one of Tate's songs. Springfield recorded it and it went on to become the first single off his next record and the Top 5 hit "Affair of the Heart". Being primarily a pop/rock songwriter, Tate headed for Hollywood where things began to really take off. Acts from the Smithereens, Jeff Healey, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Billy Ray Cyrus, The Oak Ridge Boys to Patti LaBelle, Tim McGraw, Russ Taff, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and the popular Australian band Diesel recorded his songs and many were hits on various formats. Between 1995-2002 he has had three #1's and four top 10's on rock radio.

In 1991, he landed his own record deal with Charisma/Virgin Records and recorded two albums receiving critical acclaim. His own recording of "Dreamin" became a AAA radio hit and was featured in the movie How To Make An American Quilt. Many of his songs have appeared in motion pictures and television. His reputation as a hit songwriter holds him in high demand and esteem among his colleagues.

His pursuits now encompass composing for film, television and national commercials, a natural extension considering his background. You can hear the influence of Ry Cooder, Daniel Lanois and Vangelis permeating his work helping to create his own distinct Americana sound.

Destination X represents the culmination of his musical and lyrical vision. Tate proclaims, "This is by far the best record I've made. I actually like listening to it." The listener will learn a lot about the writer with his struggles between the spirit and the flesh. This will be the first in a chronicle of recordings that will carry the listener along Tate's pilgrimage. Maybe he's a minister after all-for a rock 'n roll congregation that meets in road houses. Hmm...sounds familiar.