Dana Key was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Christian rock

Christian rock

Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...

 guitarist

Guitarist

A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

, singer, and producer

Record producer

A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

 who was co-founder of the Christian rock

Contemporary Christian music

Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...

 group DeGarmo and Key

DeGarmo and Key

DeGarmo & Key was a Christian Rock group that started professionally in 1978. The primary members were Eddie DeGarmo and Dana Key. Eddie played keyboards and sang background vocals , while Dana played lead guitar and did the majority of the lead vocals. Other members included Tommy Cathey on bass...

 with keyboardist Eddie DeGarmo

Eddie DeGarmo

Eddie DeGarmo is an American Contemporary Christian music recording artist, keyboardist, producer and singer. Became best friends with guitarist/lead vocalist Dana Key since the first grade, DeGarmo co-founded the Christian rock group DeGarmo and Key in 1978...

, best friends since the first grade. Key was a direct descendant

Kinship

Kinship is a relationship between any entities that share a genealogical origin, through either biological, cultural, or historical descent. And descent groups, lineages, etc. are treated in their own subsections....

 (great-great-great-great-great-great grandson) of Francis Scott Key

Francis Scott Key

Francis Scott Key was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet, from Georgetown, who wrote the lyrics to the United States' national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner".-Life:...

, the author of The Star-Spangled Banner

The Star-Spangled Banner

"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...

.

DeGarmo and Key toured the world, headlining and opening with other major Christian Rock bands including Servant, Petra

Petra (band)

Petra is a music group regarded as a pioneer of the Christian rock and contemporary Christian music genres. Formed in 1972, the band took its name from the Greek word for "rock"...

, Joe English

Joe English

Joe English is an American musician who, during the 1970s, played drums in Paul McCartney's band Wings and in the Southern Rock/Jazz group Sea Level, among others....

, Amy Grant

Amy Grant

Amy Lee Grant is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, media personality and actress, best known for her Christian music. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop"...

, Resurrection Band

Resurrection Band

Resurrection Band, also known as Rez Band or REZ, was a Christian rock band formed in 1972. They were part of the Jesus People USA Christian community in Chicago and most of its members have continued in that community to this day. Known for their blend of blues-rock and hard rock, Resurrection...

, Jesse Dixon, Mylon LeFevre and Broken Heart

Mylon LeFevre

Mylon LeFevre is an American Christian music singer, who was the leader of the Grammy Award-winning band Mylon and Broken Heart. He is a member of the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame. He currently travels around the United States, ministering, teaching and singing...

, and dc Talk

Dc Talk

DC Talk , is a Grammy-winning Christian rock music trio. The group was formed in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1987 by Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait, and Kevin Max Smith. They have released five major studio albums together: DC Talk , Nu Thang , Free at Last , Jesus Freak , and Supernatural...

 (who were both an opening act and members of D&K's roadie crew). Dana released two solo albums as well.

Following retirement, Dana served as the head of Ardent Records

Ardent Records

Ardent Records, often shortened to "Ardent," is a Memphis record label founded by John Fry in 1959. Ardent of the 1960s and 1970s featured pop music acts and was distributed by Stax Records from 1972 until 1975. It is best remembered today for Big Star, whose first two albums, released in 1972...

, and hosted a TV show, featuring new, younger, Christian bands. Dana had been serving as the pastor of a small church in Cordova, Tennessee

Cordova, Tennessee

Cordova is a community in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States. Cordova lies on Memphis' northeast side, north of Germantown, and northwest of Collierville....

, The Love of Christ Church (tlc).

Dana Key died due to a ruptured blood clot on Sunday, June 6, 2010 at age 56, according to CCM Magazine's website.

Discography