Danny Barnes was born in Temple, Texas, about an hour north of Austin. His mother Johnnie's folks were from Tennessee and his father Jack was from Alabama. Jack Barnes sold farm equipment and Johnnie was a homemaker. They played Flatt and Scruggs, Bill Monroe and Ernest Tubb records around the house. Barnes now lives in the small town of Port Hadlock, Washington, in the shadows of the Olympic National Forest, about two hours northwest of Seattle.

Barnes was a founding member of the Bad Livers, an Austin, Texas-based trio who combined elements of bluegrass, hard country and old time music with the energy of punk. During the '90s, the Bad Livers recorded six critically acclaimed albums of predominately original music, most of which was authored by Barnes, and performed over 1,000 shows worldwide.

In 2001 Barnes, noted jazz/folk guitarist and composer Bill Frisell, bassist Keith Lowe and violinist Jon Parry, teamed up and recorded Barnes solo debut Things I Done Wrong. In June 2002, Nonesuch Records released The Willies, a critically acclaimed Barnes/Frisell instrumental collaboration that explored the byways of American folk music.

In October 2002, Barnes collaborated with Jim Carroll (Basketball Diaries) on The Marriage of Heaven and Hell based on the writings of William Blake.

Dirt on the Angel, a sonic passport throughout the diverse ports of American music, is Barnes most recent project revealing his keen development as a songwriter. The dusty title track recalls the detail and economy of Kris Kristofferson at the top of his game. Dirt on the Angel flourishes through playful sequencing that includes a few stops along the food chain. Barnes likes to use grub as a metaphor, which he does in "Keep my Skillet Good and Greasy," "Peanut Butter is a Man's Best Friend" and "Popcorn and Wine." Guests include Darol Anger, Dirk Powell, Chuck Leawell and Bill Frisell. "We set out to try and cover all of recorded music in America," Barnes says. "There's harmonies and rhythms from the late 1800s to things that are cut and paste, sort of post-modern production."

http://www.dannybarnes.com/