Daily Inspiration: Meet JD Danner

I grew up in a very musical family. My father who was from Sicily sang opera and my mother to this day at 88 years old, plays classical piano. My grandmother, who I am named after, played piano and ukulele. She taught me at the age of 5 years old how to play old tunes on the ukulele. One of my favorites was, “Five Foot Two, Eyes Of Blue.”At 7 years old I started piano lessons but I always wanted to play the drums so for my “get well” gift after having my tonsils removed, I asked for a drum set. Years later, in my first band, I was the drummer. I was actually painfully shy as a child, but I loved being on stage. When I was in the first grade, the lunchroom doubled as the auditorium and though I was too shy to talk to the other kids, when I saw the stage and a microphone I convinced the lunch lady, who was my mother’s friend, to let me sing for the kids in the cafeteria.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has been fulfilling but peppered with various challenges including the inevitable moments of disappointment and rejection. However, there are also moments of magic. My passion for music keeps me on this journey of magic and madness.

There have been many times I have wanted to give up but every time I got close to walking away, something would happen to convince me to keep going. The music always calls me back… When a fan writes to let me know that one of my songs got them through a tough time or that they chose one of my songs for their wedding song, that is beyond priceless and inspiring.

As a member of the LGBTQ community, I tour nationally to play at Pride events along with touring nationally and overseas to perform at military bases for our military men and women and their families. One of my proudest moments was being invited to perform my song, “Thanks To The Brave” at a Veteran’s Day half-time show for the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.

So in starting my music career much later than most, I have always hoped I could be an inspiration to those women who think it’s too late to follow a dream, even if it is a dream from their childhood.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I am excited about a new show I put together called, “Life In A Song” The JD Danner Story. This is a biopic concert in which I will perform my original songs to tell the story of my journey in life and in music. I will share some of my most pivotal moments – the triumphs and the struggles.

This is a show of raw emotion,  powerful music and some of my never before told intimate stories. I describe it as, “everything you want to know about JD Danner but were afraid to ask!”  Everyone has their own unique story and I am excited to be telling mine in this show which will be debuting on October 14th, 2022 at the wonderfully artistic venue, Arts Garage in Delray Beach, Florida.

My plan is to take this show on the road with the intention to inspire others to “dare to dream” no matter what obstacles get in the way and to “never say never” about it being too late to follow a dream!  Anyone you has ever feared failure and rejection needs to see this show!

For every disappointment, there is a great opportunity around the corner. One important piece of advice I would share is – you should check your emails often and always answer your phone! Opportunity doesn’t always knock twice… You never know when that email or call is gonna come along bringing the next great experience. Leave no opportunity unexplored, even if it seems unlikely or out of your realm.