Daniel Edgerly Zanes (born November 8, 1961) is an American rock, folk, and children's musician. He was a member of the 1980s band the Del Fuegos, the frontman of the group Dan Zanes and Friends, and currently performs with his wife, Claudia Eliaza Zanes, as Dan + Claudia.

Early life and education

Zanes's father was a teacher, as well as a poet and writer. He is brother to fellow musician and former bandmate Warren Zanes.

Zanes grew up in New Hampshire. He became interested in music as a young child, and recalls being introduced to the music of American folk musician Lead Belly at age seven, after getting his first library card. Other early music inspiration included Woody Guthrie, Ella Jenkins, and Pete Seeger. He attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts for two years. As noted by Variety in 2004, "what makes Zanes and Friends such a treasure is that they exist outside the corporate structure. There’s no attempt to cross-promote or create a consumer. All that matters is having fun".

The second album, Family Dance (2001) is composed of dance songs from a wide variety of musical traditions and features Loudon Wainwright III and Rosanne Cash. The third recording, the more mellow Night Time! (2002), features collaborations with Aimee Mann, Lou Reed, John Doe, Dar Williams, and other established musicians.

In 2003, he played himself on Dragon Tales Let's Start a Band on TV film. The fourth album in the family series is House Party (2003),

In 2017, Zanes released Lead Belly, Baby!, a cover album of Lead Belly's music, through Smithsonian Folkways in cooperation with the Lead Belly estate. Other contributing artists to the album included Billy Bragg, Chuck D, Aloe Blacc, Valerie June, Memphis Jelks, Tamar-kali, and Sonia de los Santos.

Personal life

In 1987, Zanes married Paula Greif, the director of the video for the Del Fuegos song, I Still Want You. After the dissolution of The Del Fuegos, the couple moved to "a small town in the Catskill Mountains". In 2011, Zanes co-founded Constructive White Conversations, an antiracist organization focused on white people.

In 2016, Zanes met Claudia Eliaza; the two married in 2018. In 2019, the couple moved from Brooklyn to Baltimore. The couple are Christians, and currently are members of a Black Baptist church in Baltimore.

  • Little Nut Tree (2011)
  • Turn Turn Turn (2013) with Elizabeth Mitchell
  • Get Loose and Get Together!: The Best of Dan Zanes (2014)
  • Lead Belly, Baby! (2017), Smithsonian Folkways
  • Night Train 57 (2018) with Claudia Eliaza and Yuriana Sobrino

Traditional music albums

  • Sea Music (2003)
  • including "Oh Shenandoah", "Sloop John B", "The John B. Sails", and "Deep Blue Sea"
  • Parades and Panoramas: 25 Songs Collected by Carl Sandburg for the American Songbag (2004)
  • including "The Midnight Train", "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum", and "Lord Lovel"

With Claudia Eliaza Zanes

  • Let Love Be Your Guide (2021), Smithsonian Folkways

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|2007

|Grammy Awards

|Best Musical Album for Children

|Catch That Train! (2006)

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|2009

|8th Annual Independent Music Awards

|Best Children's Music Album

|¡Nueva York! (2008)

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Filmography

  • 2003 — Let's Start a Band: A Dragon Tales Music Special
  • 2008 – Revolutionary Road
  • 2009 – Wonderful World – Sweeny

References

  • Goose Music
  • Audio interview with Marc Maron