McDaniel was born in Laurel, Mississippi and raised on a farm. He learned to play mandolin in high school, playing in local churches and public events. In 1945, he formed his own band, which opened for Hank Williams at a show in New Orleans in 1950.[1] In 1952, he auditioned for Trumpet Records, but was initially turned down for a recording session.[1] After Trumpet label head Lillian McMurry asked him to return with better songwriting material, he wrote "This Crying Heart", modeled after Williams's hit "Your Cheatin' Heart", which convinced McMurry to sign him for a recording contract.[1] He recorded three songs with Jimmy Swan's backing band, including the single "Whoa Boy", which Trumpet issued later in 1952; the song became a regional hit in New Orleans.[1] Following Williams's death, McDaniel wrote a song titled "A Tribute to Hank Williams, My Buddy"; Trumpet released the single with low fidelity mastering, and it did not sell well.[1]
He then moved to Mobile, Alabama and played with Jack Cardwell, a star on local radio and television station WKAB. He became a regular on the "Tom 'N Jack" show, and in 1953 Cardwell's label, King Records, signed him.[1] He recorded several singles for King, the most successful of which was "Drive In".[1] On the strength of his releases on Trumpet and King, he was invited to play on the radio program Louisiana Hayride.[1] He moved to New Orleans in 1954, where he also recorded for Mel-A-Dee Records.
In 1956, he was persuaded by friends Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins to send a demo recording to Sam Phillips, who signed him to his label Sun Records. McDaniel recorded two sessions with Sun, but left the label over a contract dispute. None of the Sun sides were released until Charly Records compiled them decades later.
Following this, he signed with Big Howdy Records and released records under the name Jeff Daniel, but was unable to score a hit record under this name, either. He continued recording into the 1970s.
