Daniel Smith "Danny" Chauncey (born June 19, 1956) is an American rockguitarist. He is best known for being a member of the Southern rock band 38 Special.[1]
He grew up listening to classical music,[1] but however, his musical interests changed when he heard the song "Twist and Shout" by The Beatles.[1] He was then interested in learning to play the guitar, getting his first guitar when he was eight years old.[1] He also learned to play the French horn in high school.[1] Also in high school, he played with several rock bands.[1]
In the early-mid-1970s, Chauncey was a member of the Bay Area rock group Mistress,[1] where he plays lead and rhythm guitar.[3] In 1977 the group recorded a self-titled album for RSO Records.[1][3] The album was released two years later, shortly before Mistress disbanded.[1][3]
While in Billy Satellite, he was a studio musician for Taxxi, an English band that played Euro-tech music.[1][5] He recorded three albums with Taxxi from 1982 to 1985, including States of Emergency, Foreign Tongue, and Expose.[5]
In 1987 after the break up of Billy Satellite, Chauncey joined 38 Special, staying with them through 2019.[1] Chauncey says, "We really hit it off so it felt natural. I was allowed to contribute songwriting from the beginning as 'I Wanna Go Back' was a hit on the charts for Eddie Money around the same time that I joined, so the guys knew I was a capable songwriter."[1]
He recorded many albums with 38 Special, providing vocals and keyboards in addition to guitar.[5] He is also the engineer and producer for some of their albums.[5]
After he left 38 Special, he started playing live shows with Gregg Allman and Friends.[1]
