First Published in Country Music International – January 1999

Whether waiting tables at Nashville’s fabled Bluebird Café or taking care of Tom T Hall’s animals, there’s no doubt that country newcomer Danni Leigh has Paid her dues.

Growing up in Strasburg, Virginia, not far from the stomping ground of country music legend Patsy Cline, meant a country music career was inevitable for Danni Leigh. Yet this feisty young artist was sidetracked by rock music, Foreigner and the promise of sunshine and instant fame in Florida, before eventually settling for Nashville four years ago.

Once ensconced in Music City, Danni had the usual hard scratching to make a living that most aspiring country singers experience, before she landed the obligatory publishing deal followed by that all important record contract. “I think it's always a struggle,” she says knowingly, “because as a musician, especially if you are a woman, you don't want to get into nine-to-five job or any kind of corporate position. You want to get into waitressing and jobs where you can change your schedule. So you tend to bounce around from job to job: your ultimate reason for being there is to get a writer's or record deal.”

Danni, who rides motorcycles, has worked in construction, animal caring. waitressing and loves to bungee jump, had her debut album, 29 NIGHTS, released last November on Decca, a label noted for its traditional country roster. A throwback to an era that many thought had been lost forever to Nashville country-pop, this hard-edged, honky-tonkin' collection never lets up from first to last.

Danni's vocal has a penetrating quality that grabs you by the ear from the first note of If The Jukebox Took Teardrops. She truly communicates as a vocalist, as the studio band cooks up a solid hillbilly groove behind her. On self-penned songs like Beatin' My Head Against The Wall, Teardrops, Teardrops, Ol' Lonesome and Weren't You The One, her lyrics and vocals convey tons of barroom sass and savvy that set her apart from the pack.

“I'm very excited,” the newcomer enthuses from her manager's Nashville office. “As is everyone in my family. Obviously, they have been with me through the whole process, so we're all pretty thrilled. It's a lot of work, but it's very exciting. You really have to be willing to do whatever's involved in this business; going out on the radio tour, getting to meet everyone. You have to have a lot of perseverance to get through it all.”

Perseverance is something that comes naturally to Danni. That, and singing, which she started in earnest in church at three, belting out solos in the preschool choir. Music was part of growing up with both her parents' families heavily involved in playing and singing. “No one really does it for a living that I can think of right off the top of my head,” she says, “but pretty much everyone on both sides of our family has a lot of musical ability. It seems to be a natural thing; they can just pick up a musical instrument, sing or whatever.”

Danni spent much of her teens busking with local rock bands and performing with Five Of A Kind, the family bluegrass band. “I did play in a couple of pop and rock bands, but none of them really got out of the basement,” she explains. “We weren't that good and thought it was better we stayed down there in the basement. We couldn't get enough songs together that sounded good enough to get out and play. I did a lot of solo stuff, singing at weddings and functions.”

At 19 Danni left the thriving Virginia music community, threw caution to the wind and headed for Orlando, Florida, chasing fame and fortune at Walt Disney World. “I was a kid, a little bit rebellious and I was just ready to get out of town,” she recalls. “I felt there was this huge life out there and I needed to be in it. I'd been watching all these commercials on TV: ‘Come to Florida for a sunny climate and fulfil your dreams.’ Once I got there and started trying to make a living, I felt they'd lied. It was hard—I should have sued them for false advertising!”

She stayed in Florida for just over three years, giving Walt Disney a wide berth as she played local clubs and bars with various bands. She even got the opportunity to get up on stage a few times and sing back-up vocals with Foreigner, and took a part-time job as a bungee-jump instructor on the largest legal jump in America.

In 1994 she felt ready to take on Nashville. More odd jobs followed, including working as an animal caretaker for Tom T Hall and waitressing at the famed Bluebird cafe. “It's a great place, and the opportunities at the Bluebird are incredible,” she says. “I attribute meeting Michael Knox, who is the VP of artist development over at Warner Chappell Publishing, to the Bluebird. He signed me and then became co-producer of the album. So it really does happen.” 

Knox, the son of 1950s rockabilly singer Buddy (Party Doll) Knox, lined up with Mark Wright to produce one of the most refreshing and vibrant albums to come out of the Nashville studios for quite some time. If only country radio will embrace Danni Leigh so that the public at large can discover this talented young artist. Bubbling and full of enthusiasm, she already has sights set on an international career. “I came over to England last February and absolutely fell in love with London,” she says. “I had such a great time, so I'm really excited about the possibility of coming back. I would love to come and do a big tour and play all over. I think it would be great and so much fun.”