possibly only know you as a producer and not as a performing artist and a session musician?
[ Dann ] Pleasantly surprising. Once you build up the courage to do something and get it to the point where you say, this is what I mean to say, then it is the chasm. You throw it out there and anybody who’ s gonna listen to it won’ t know your emotional attachment to it. So, there’ s a little leap of faith there. There’ s that great unknown. It’ s not a record that’ s meant to impress you. It’ s a record that’ s meant to engage you through composition.
[ WM ] Compared to all of the major artists that you’ ve produced over the years, hit albums and everything else. What was it like producing this Dann Huff, guy?
[ Dann ] I didn’ t have anybody to talk to( laughing), I had no opposition. It was just, what do I think? And sometimes that’ s the scariest question in life. But once I got into it, it felt natural like it was meant to be. I say that because the compositions really drove everything. I wasn’ t writing songs to support solos. It wasn’ t that daunting at all, other than, you know, sitting in a room by yourself. You’ re usually your own worst critic. And because you kind of know your limitations.
[ WM ] With everything that you’ ve accomplished in your incredible music career. Do you feel like with this album, creating it at this time in your life, raised the bar for you?
[ Dann ] Yes, in the one sense. I would say, it created more awareness about, the limited time on this earth we all have. But when you start viewing it from this perch, this age, and from this perspective of my career, I’ ve had a lot of commercial success. I think that’ s it’ s been really helpful because I love music, and I can truly say I love this record.
[ WM ] Dann, with everything you have accomplished, a lot of people at this point in time would rest on their laurels. Instead, you chose to go back and do what brought you into this business.
[ Dann ] Yeah, with this new album and with the compositions and music, you try to bring something new to the table. I’ ve never felt comfortable having platinum or gold plaques in my studio where I work, because whatever you did yesterday is yesterday, right? Nobody owns this language of music, and I think it’ s a dangerous place to be in if you’ re saying, this is who I was. Respect me.
[ WM ] When we spoke before you mentioned that local Nashville session musician Tom Bukovac encouraged you to record this new music, but it sounded like the seed was already there?
56 July 2025 Subscribe for Free...