<back - DANNY GATTON - Born in a suburb of Washington DC in 1945, guitarist Danny Gatton culled such a cavalcade of joyful ideas from those six-strings, that 10 years after his death his legacy is stronger than ever. After years of 60's Nashville studio work, his under-publicized bands like Danny & The Fat Boys began tempting lots of ears around DC. Their 1975 album 'American Music’ provided glimpses of the breadth of Gatton’s talents, but the the full glory really gets revealed on Redneck Jazz Explosion's albums from 1979, also featuring pedal steel wiz Buddy Emmons. Danny Gatton has too many influences to fully enumerate in this profile.

Some would be Charlie Christian, Chet Atkins, Merle Travis, Jimmy Bryant, Scotty Moore, Albert King and Cliff Gallup --Gene Vincent's guitarist, are among the most obvious artists that come to mind. Longtime guitar buddy Roy Buchanan had turned Danny Gatton onto the telecaster in the 1960's. He took to it like a bird to flight. By the 80's, Gatton was handling lead guitar chores for Rockabilly revivalist Robert Gordon. A dream team, Gatton's adrenalin-inducing fretwork would perfectly complement Gordon’s throaty ravings. 'The Humbler' was a posthumous release of a 1983 Gatton/Gordon show. Danny Gatton's 1988 solo debut 'Unfinished Business' was a cornucopia of riches, ranging from Ray Charles 'Georgia on My Mind' to Jackie Gleason’s 'Melancholy Serenade'. Those Blues also figured in the picture: Lappin’ it Up draws the listener in with its multi-toned brilliance, while the dark-edged Notcho Blues is pure tension and drama. But the two ultimate triumphs are Nit Pickin' and the soaring Sky King in tribute to King Curtis. Next up was 1988's 'Elmira St'.  Elmira St. Boogie and Funky Mama throb with non-stop excitement, plus 2 of the best pieces Danny Gatton ever wrote appear: 'Blues Newbourg' and Pretty Blue. 1992’s Crusin Deuces was equally adventurous, except vocals now figured in the mix. 'Sun Medley' with Delbert McClinton, Buddy Holly's 'It Doesn’t Matter Anymore' (sung by Rodney Crowell), and an atomic-charged version of Bill Haley's '13 Women', rock! On Oct 4, 1994, Danny Gatton entered the garage at his farm and shot himself, leaving kin and friends in shock. The last 2 years of his life were extremely creative ones, with 1993's New York Stories, featuring Gatton in a modern Jazz setting, along with horn men Roy Hargrove, Bobby Watson, and Joshua Redman. Six months prior to his passing, Danny Gatton recorded Relentless with Hammond B-3 wiz Joey De Francesco. Referred as 'The Humbler' by Amos Garrett, Danny Gatton is acknowledged as one of the 50 most influential guitarists of all-time by Guitar Player Magazine. -GT/  MP3- Elmira St. Boogie |