Danger in the Air
Encyclopedia
Danger in the Air was a regional bluegrass
band based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area from the mid 1980s until 1990. It is best known as the band in which Robin Lynn Macy
performed while simultaneously founding the up-start, all-female group the Dixie Chicks
in 1989.
The band was founded by Drew Garrett (bass) and Andy Owens (mandolin) in mid 1985. Both musicians were established bluegrass musicians. The original group also included Robin Macy on guitar and vocals. James McKinney joined the group early in 1986 on banjo
. Stephan Dudash (5-string viola
) was a late addition. As a five-piece, the band won first place at several regional competitions and placed fourth in the national SPBGMA band contest in Nashville.
Danger in the Air released two cassettes—a self-titled recording and Airtight.
After the band dissolved, due in part to Macy's commitments to the fledgling The Dixie Chicks, McKinney moved to Nashville in 1990 where he continued to perform using the band's name. After dropping the name in 2003, he and his wife performed as the James & Angela McKinney Band. He now lives in Atlanta.
Garrett eventually moved to Colorado where he worked as a sound engineer and producer.
Owens remains active in bluegrass circles, although some may have forgotten that he introduced Macy to the Erwin sisters and recorded their three-track demo. <> His Andy Owens Project released several CDs and he recorded and toured with Druha Trava in 2007.
Dudash continues to record and perform. He released Mango Django in 2004.
Macy eventually left the Chicks over a dispute in musical direction. She eventually moved to Kansas where she is the owner of the Bartlett Arboretum in Belle Plaine. She teaches mathematics at the Wichita Collegiate School in Wichita.
Danger in the Air
Drew Garrett, Bass; Robin Lynn Macy, Guitar, Vocals; Andy Owens, Mandolin, Vocals; James McKinney, Banjo; and Stephan Dudash, Viola, Vocals.
Tracks
1. Bluegrass Show (Jim Messina)
2. The Letter (W. Thompson (The Box Tops))
3. Sweetheart of the Pines (Emmylou Harris)
4. Salt Creek (Traditional)
5. Big Train (from Memphis) (John Fogerty)
6. Minor Swing
(Reinhardt/Grappelli)
7. Danger in the Air (Steve Hartz)
8. Train 45 (Traditional)
Tracks
1. In The Pines (Jimmy Davis/Bill Monroe)
2. Love Light (Stephan Dudash)
3. It Don't Matter (Robin Macy)
4. Revel in the Glory (Andy Owens)
5. Storm Out on the Sea (Robin Macy/Mary Neal Northcut)
6. In Despair (Joe Ahr)
7. I'm a Believer (Neil Diamond)
8. Kiss Me Once (Robin Macy)
9. Bounce (James McKinney)
10. My Baby Thinks He's a Train (Leroy Preston)
11. Prisoner Without Love (Stephan Dudash)
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
band based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area from the mid 1980s until 1990. It is best known as the band in which Robin Lynn Macy
Robin Lynn Macy
Robin Lynn Macy is an American musician, teacher, and gardener, who is best known as a founding member of the female country group the Dixie Chicks....
performed while simultaneously founding the up-start, all-female group the Dixie Chicks
Dixie Chicks
The Dixie Chicks are an American country band which has also successfully crossed over into other genres. The band is composed of founding members Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Erwin Robison, and lead singer Natalie Maines...
in 1989.
The band was founded by Drew Garrett (bass) and Andy Owens (mandolin) in mid 1985. Both musicians were established bluegrass musicians. The original group also included Robin Macy on guitar and vocals. James McKinney joined the group early in 1986 on banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
. Stephan Dudash (5-string viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
) was a late addition. As a five-piece, the band won first place at several regional competitions and placed fourth in the national SPBGMA band contest in Nashville.
Danger in the Air released two cassettes—a self-titled recording and Airtight.
After the band dissolved, due in part to Macy's commitments to the fledgling The Dixie Chicks, McKinney moved to Nashville in 1990 where he continued to perform using the band's name. After dropping the name in 2003, he and his wife performed as the James & Angela McKinney Band. He now lives in Atlanta.
Garrett eventually moved to Colorado where he worked as a sound engineer and producer.
Owens remains active in bluegrass circles, although some may have forgotten that he introduced Macy to the Erwin sisters and recorded their three-track demo. <> His Andy Owens Project released several CDs and he recorded and toured with Druha Trava in 2007.
Dudash continues to record and perform. He released Mango Django in 2004.
Macy eventually left the Chicks over a dispute in musical direction. She eventually moved to Kansas where she is the owner of the Bartlett Arboretum in Belle Plaine. She teaches mathematics at the Wichita Collegiate School in Wichita.
Danger in the Air
Drew Garrett, Bass; Robin Lynn Macy, Guitar, Vocals; Andy Owens, Mandolin, Vocals; James McKinney, Banjo; and Stephan Dudash, Viola, Vocals.
Discography
- Danger in the Air (1988)
- Self-released Cassette
- Produced and arranged by Danger in the Air
- Recorded at TMPS Studios, Austin, Texas, by Larry Seyer
- Drew Garrett, Bass; James McKinney, Banjo; Andy Owens, Mandolin; Robin Lynn Macy, Guitar; Stephan Dudash, Fiddle.
Tracks
1. Bluegrass Show (Jim Messina)
2. The Letter (W. Thompson (The Box Tops))
3. Sweetheart of the Pines (Emmylou Harris)
4. Salt Creek (Traditional)
5. Big Train (from Memphis) (John Fogerty)
6. Minor Swing
Minor Swing (song)
"Minor Swing" is a popular Gypsy jazz tune by Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli. It was first recorded by The Quintet of the Hot Club of France in 1937...
(Reinhardt/Grappelli)
7. Danger in the Air (Steve Hartz)
8. Train 45 (Traditional)
- Airtight (1990)
- Self-released Cassette
- Produced and arranged by Danger in the Air
- Recorded at Omega Audio, Dallas, Texas, by Bil VornDick, assisted by Philip Barrett
- Drew Garrett, Bass; James McKinney, Banjo; Andy Owens, Mandolin; Robin Lynn Macy, Guitar; Stephan Dudash, Fiddle.
Tracks
1. In The Pines (Jimmy Davis/Bill Monroe)
2. Love Light (Stephan Dudash)
3. It Don't Matter (Robin Macy)
4. Revel in the Glory (Andy Owens)
5. Storm Out on the Sea (Robin Macy/Mary Neal Northcut)
6. In Despair (Joe Ahr)
7. I'm a Believer (Neil Diamond)
8. Kiss Me Once (Robin Macy)
9. Bounce (James McKinney)
10. My Baby Thinks He's a Train (Leroy Preston)
11. Prisoner Without Love (Stephan Dudash)
External links
- http://www.dixie-chicks.com/danger.shtml
- "Dixie Chicks." Contemporary Musicians. Ed. Angela M. Pilchak. Vol. 49. Gale Group, Inc., 2005. eNotes.com. 2006. 20 Dec, 2007 dixie-chicks-biography
- http://www.soundsrightrecording.com/about.htm
- http://www.jamesandangelamckinney.com/
- http://www.discoverbluegrass.com/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsId=72
- http://cdbaby.com/cd/dudash
- http://www.andyowens.com/