Dann Huff
He may not be a household name, but American session guitarist and producer Dann Huff has appeared on some music’s biggest music artists albums, from Shania Twain and Whitesnake to Michael Jackson, Michael Bolton and George Benson.
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His work as producer particularly on the country scene has seen him forge a prolific working relationship with our very own country rock king Keith Urban.
Yet, before his transition into studio work, Huff started out in Christian rock group White Heart with whom he learned his trade.
“It was the ultimate training session,” he tells Musical Musings.
“You got to play, and as there was no internet back then, you got to do it pretty much under the radar.
“We were making records on a hundredth of the budget that the big LA bands had.”
“But we didn’t know the difference.”
A lot of Huff’s session work came through word of mouth.
“It’s a very small group of musicians that seem to do most of it in any particular time,” he said.
“It was based on the hits that I had played on, and the sounds that people heard.
“It was always do ‘that thing that you do’. It was, we heard this hit, this hit like that,
“They would say, ‘we want a piece of that in what you do’.”
One of Huff’s most memorable sessions was working with another country legend, Glen Campbell, who himself had started his career as a session musician back in the sixties.
“I grew up in the ’60s and I used to buy his records when I was a kid,” he said.
“Just to be around him, and getting to be with Glen and just talk was very special.
“He was always interested in whatever guitar players were playing on his records.
“I was just in awe of the man.”
Huff has firmly ensconced himself into the American country music scene, particularly in Nashville the capital of county music.
Yet Huff believes every genre influences one another, and believes that country music today is closer to the sounds usually heard on mainstream rock records.
“People listen to what’s successful,” he said.
“You can hear some traditional stuff, but a lot of it, sounds just like rock music with a little bit of twang or inflexion.
“It’s basically arena music.
“It’s the big sound, with big power chords.
“And the one thing that never leaves the music are the melodies and the rhythm.”
Music news
Nineties hit makers The Wallflowers led by Jakob Dylan, son of Bob Dylan, have announced their first ever Australian tour for this December.
The group is well-known to Australian audiences for their 1997 hit, One Headlight.
Canadian post-grunge rockers Nickelback have announced their new studio album Everything Under The Sun, the group’s eleventh to date, is set for release on October 30.
The group’s last album was 2022’s Get Rollin’.
To celebrate 60 years of The Monkees, the group’s drummer Micky Dolenz has announced an Australian tour for May next year.
Fifty years ago, Dancing Queen by ABBA was number in many countries across the globe including Australia, The US and UK.
This week, 50 years later, it returns to the number one spot in the UK in the physical singles chart, outselling the new single by Madonna and Kylie Minogue.
The Australian Recording Industry Association this week announced that all songs that are AI-generated have been banned from Australia’s music charts.
ARIA said the new code would help “promote the human nature of artistry”.
Music trivia
Released in 1982, what is the best-selling album of all time, having sold over 70 million copies worldwide? Answer below.
From the diaries - Keith Urban, August 2003
It is a cool winter’s Melbourne day when I arrive at the upmarket Como Hotel which sits adjacent to the Channel 10 television studios in South Yarra, to interview country star Keith Urban.
Currently Keith is midway through a US tour, but during a break in his touring schedule, has flown over to Australia for a week to do promo for his upcoming Australian tour scheduled for later in the year.
By the time I interview him, he’s in the country for a couple more days before flying back to resume the US tour.
Busy schedule indeed. We are introduced and move to a quiet spot in an empty restaurant to conduct the interview.
Keith looks fit and healthy and considering his tight schedule, is relaxed and happy to talk music and touring.
He tells me he has been listening to Richard Clapton’s music of late and would love to write a song with him.
He also said he had a busy year aside from the touring, he had got to fit in working with Garth Brooks and producer Dann Huff.
Keith shared a personal moment with me and said hewas single but not enjoying it, and would love to meet a woman.
He also showed me a couple of new tattoos he got recently. He also told me about his current album and what fans could expect from the upcoming Australian tour.
After our chat was over, he was escorted to his next interview at ABC Radio, then later on, he would be on live TV for another interview.
This Week’s Global Music Charts No.1
The US: Choosin' Texas — Ella Langley
AUS: Animal – Katseye
UK: Rein Me In – Sam Fender and Olivia Dean
Fun fact
The Sugar Hill Gang’s 1979 single Rapper's Delight — became the first rap song to be played on the radio and the first rap song become a Top 40 chart hit.
Originally 15-minutes long, it was edited down to six and a half minutes and its commercial success, led to rap being launched into to the mainstream masses.
Trivia answer: Michael Jackson’s Thriller.