In the fall of 1984, my friend set me up on a blind date and a group of us took a ride to the Colorado mountain town of Evergreen to check out a hoppin’ bar called The Little Bear.They were debuting a brand new band called Chris Daniels & The Kings. I didn’t fall in love with my date that night but I DID fall in love with the band!
Who would’ve thought that band started out as a back-up band that was abandoned by their lead singer, Russell Smith (former front man for the Amazing Rhythm Aces). Saddened at the thought of their back-up band breaking up, they decided to do “one last show” at the Blue Note on March 14, 1984, in Boulder, Colorado. Chris Daniels took lead vocals, they grabbed some friends who played horns, and had the crowd on their feet and chanting for more. That was the night that Chris Daniels & The Kings were born and they’ve never looked back.
They produced their first album in 1985 and over the next 40 years they would go on to release 17 more studio albums, perform in Europe 21 times and play for three U.S. Presidents, the Queen of Holland, and at festivals and concerts from Rome to New York City and venues from Los Angeles to Switzerland. And, on August 9, 2024, Chris Daniels & The Kings with Freddi Gowdy released their 19th studio album, 40: Blues With Horns Volume II.
The last 40 years have been filled with highs and lows for bandleader, Chris Daniels. In 2009, Chris was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and given less than a 15% chance of survival, but thanks to a bone marrow transplant from his sister, Chris is still here with us and making music. Freddi Gowdy was a founding member of the Freddi Henchi Band who were deemed “Colorado’s Princes Of Funk” and teamed up with Chris Daniels & The Kings in 2010. Both Chris and Freddi are cancer survivors and both have been inducted into The Colorado Music Hall of Fame. Chris was also nominated for a Grammy award for his work with Al Jarreau on the album Jumpin’ Jazz Kids. Chris also has a master’s degree and has been an Assistant Professor of Music Business at CU Denver since 2001.
Over the last four decades, Chris and his band have played on stage with many major artists, including Garth Brooks, Bonnie Raitt, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, BB King, Joe Walsh, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, John Oates, The Lumineers, Uncle Kracker, Blues Traveler, The Neville Brothers and the list goes on.
Through the almost 30 years that I lived in New York, it was Chris’ voice that represented home for me. His voice soothed my homesickness. I never went one day without listening to a Chris Daniels song and during my time in New York, I kept in contact with Chris through email and my friends in Denver would mail me new Kings music whenever it was released.
In 2010, when I heard the news about Chris being diagnosed with leukemia, I was so afraid I’d never see him, hug him or hear him play again. But Chris pulled through, and when I returned to Colorado to care for my elderly parents, one of the first things I did was go see Chris Daniels & The Kings at The Little Bear and I got my hug!
In April of 2024, Chris Daniels & The Kings featuring Freddi Gowdy took the stage at the Boulder Theater with a long list of Colorado Music Royalty to celebrate their 40 years, including Sam Bush, Hazel Miller, Erica Brown, Rick Roberts, Kenny Passarelli and many others!
So, over the past 40 years, Chris Daniels and I have come full circle. We started out as guitarist and groupie and 40 years later we’re longtime friends and I’m still their Number One Fan! It’s true, music really does bring people together!
WATCH the NEW VIDEO:
Find out more about Chris Daniels & The Kings AND buy official merch at their website & FOLLOW them on social media via the links below:
ChrisDaniels.com
LISTEN to the new album here:
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