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Danny Davis & The Nashville Brass
And business has been better than usual lately for Danny Davis & his Nashville Brass�having returned �home� to Music City�after spending several seasons with his brass at various theaters in Branson, Mo. Today, the famous bandleader and his Nashville brass are a regular part of every show at Nashville�s new Stardust Theatre near Opryland�where he shares the spotlight with Boots Randolph�and he�s probably the happiest camper in town! �It almost seems unbelievable to me,� Davis admits, that I can stay at home all year long and still be a part of this great opportunity, which is practically happening in my own backyard!� However, Nashville has not always been home to Davis�who was born as George Nowlan in a suburb of Boston called Dorchester, Massachusetts. He was raised in Randolph. And he was awarded a scholarship to the New England Conservatory of Music�where he intended to study�but within a matter of weeks found himself accepting a job to go on-the-road with Gene Krupa. He later worked in the Brass section of such well-known big bands as Art Mooney, Bob Crosby, Hal McIntire, and Freddy Martin. He also sang with such bands as Vincent Lopez, Blue Barron and Sammy Kaye. Before moving to Nashville in 1968, Davis also spent several years as a record label exec at both MGM and RCA�during which time he discovered Herman�s Hermits, produced six consecutive #1 singles on Connie Francis�and enjoyed phenomenal success on his own vocal recording of �The Object Of My Affection�. But he wasn�t satisfied. It still wasn�t his �big dream�. It wasn�t Country Brass.
And that was exactly what Davis wanted to do�what he felt would work�and what he really believed could happen. In fact, he felt so strongly about the idea that he fought with label heads about it for over 6 years. They laughed. They scoffed. They said, �No, no, no, country people hate horns.� So, Davis moved on. He accepted a job in Nashville at RCA�where he worked as assistant to label chief, Chet Atkins�and he tried to cram the idea in the back of his cranium. But it wouldn�t go away. It kept tugging at him till Davis finally confronted Chet about doing what he wanted to call �Country Brass�. Chet liked it. Chet said, �do it.�
But he also said, �I think you should call it �Nashville Brass�,��and within weeks there was another runaway success story written in Music City�thanks to the world�s foremost country guitar picker and a Yankee named George! That was 1969. And it was summertime�August to be exact�when �The Nashville Brass Play The Nashville Sound� was released as their first album on RCA. Three months later the label couldn�t keep up with the orders! Later that same year, the group won a Grammy for their version of �Kawliga�. They went on to win six consecutive CMA awards for �Best Instrumental Group of the Year�; paved the way for country entertainers on the strip in Vegas; were front runners in combining country with symphony orchestras; appeared frequently on network TV shows; toured Denmark, Sweden, Australia and Saudi Arabia; played for the inauguration of two Presidents (Nixon and Reagan); entertained for numerous Governors; performed for the prestigious Swan Ball in Nashville; were bestowed with the Mayor�s Metronome award, which was presented to them on behalf of the city of Nashville; and Danny was even elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the Nashville Chamber of Commerce. Now, he�s back where he belongs�in Music City USA�doing what he�s always done best as the bandleader of his famous Nashville Brass. And somehow, it almost seems hard to imagine today�as fans constantly flock to see them entertain at the Stardust�that there might never have been such a thing as the Nashville Brass. Not if Davis hadn�t believed in his �dream�. And not if he�d done what the big-wigs really wanted him to do. Roll over and play dead.
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