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About this Songwriter
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Minnesota has long been considered a crossroads of many musical styles.
Maybe that explains why it’s hard to pin a musical label on Jeff Dayton.
Growing up in the suburban Minneapolis mix of folk, blues, classical, pop
and country radio, Jeff emerged with a love for all of them. His first
guitar was a string-less ukulele at age 5 he used to “air” perform all the
hits. Jeff’s dad George Dayton was a semi-pro guitarist and his mom Patty
played piano and sang, so the house was always full of music. By the time
the Beatles and Beach Boys came along, Jeff was hooked too and begged his
mom to buy his first real guitar at age 9. He soon added drums, banjo
and piano and had his first band “the Emperors” on local TV when they were
still in grade school.
In between his school hours, baseball, swimming, hockey and football
practice, Jeff constantly played guitar and began writing songs in high
school. “You won’t get to hear those songs, thankfully,” Jeff grins.
Nonetheless, early on he know what it meant to “have your name in
parentheses” where the songwriters got credit on records.
College introduced him to both jazz and classical performing. At Southwest
MN State, Jeff studied cello with True Sackrison, a prodigious contemporary
of Leonard Rose at the Curtis Institute. It’s also where he joined the Jazz
Ensemble and got his ears into the genre’s greats. The jazz road would also
earn him the guitar job in the University of MN #1 Jazz Ensemble with Dr.
Frank Bencriscutto and encourage his interest in jazz arranging with ace
arranger Lance Strickland. It was while at the U of M that Jeff got to work
with jazz legends Dizzy Gillespie, Thad Jones and Phil Woods, and gave him
his first international tour to Mexico City to perform for then-President
Lopez Portillo.
After paying dues in the steady-working club bands in the upper Midwest,
including a notable year with the KO Band (which included Bob Dylan sideman
Kevin Odegard and Prince drummer Bobby Z), Jeff headed west for Arizona. “I
meant to wind up in Austin or LA but the music opportunities and November
weather were so good in Scottsdale, I had to stay,” Jeff says. The Dayton-Privett
Band, High Noon and the Jeff Dayton Band soon followed. Before the end of
the decade, Jeff’s bands had won nearly every possible award the market had
to give, including the Wrangler Country Showdown and Marlboro Talent Roundup
as well as New Times’ Best of the Best Award. In addition, Jeff had landed
his first #1 record at powerhouse KNIX-FM and earned a platinum songwriting
award for a George Strait cut.
Thanks to a chance meeting when Jeff was opening for Merle Haggard, the
Judds and Alabama, Jeff met superstar Glen Campbell. By coincidence, Glen
was a guest at Jeff’s gig the next night in Scottsdale where they staged an
impromptu jam session for the thrilled private audience. A couple of days
later, Glen called to make the Jeff Dayton Band his touring group and Jeff
his bandleader.
The next 15 years were an incredible mix of worldwide tours, TV and record
dates, celebrity events and a mentorship Jeff is still grateful for. “I
learned something from Glen every day. What he taught me as a player,
singer, writer, artist and entertainer shows up in my work all the time.
He’s so good a guitar player; he can play 36 holes of golf and then pick up
an axe and whip most guys on their best days all warmed up.” While Glen’s
musical director, Jeff conducted many symphony orchestras and even Les
Brown’s Band of Renown. Highlights included shows at the White House, NBC’s
Today Show and the Grand Ole Opry stage. “Glen’s gig was a constant who’s
who of people we got to play music with: Gene Autry, Willie Nelson, Bob
Hope, Vince Gill and dozens more.”
With the encouragement of his wife Kasindra, Jeff and his family relocated
to Nashville in 2000 to allow Jeff to step up his writing and producing
career. Early in 2002, at the same time Glen wanted to “cut back” on touring
and reduce his band to a smaller group, Jeff wanted to focus more on
songwriting and producing on Music Row. That mutual timing saw Jeff leave
Glen’s show in April of that year.
Almost immediately after Jeff’s final gig with Glen, Jeff was called to fill
in on guitar with Lee Greenwood’s band. For the rest of 2002 he was an
almost constant member of Lee’s tour.
At the top of 2003, his phone rang again with an offer to join Kenny
Chesney’s band for an amazing two months on the huge Margaritas and
Senoritas tour. From his first night in front of 16,000 in Madison, WI, Jeff
knew he was in for a “large” time. Jeff adds, “Kenny’s tour is the best-run
show I’ve ever been part of. From the huge sold-out arenas to the awesome
crew and band, I loved every minute of it.”
With Chesney, Jeff appeared on Late Night w/ Conan O’Brien and was in the
live video “Live Those Songs Again” and Kenny’s documentary “Road Case.” One
of Jeff’s favorite benefits of the Chesney tour was songwriting with Eddie
Montgomery (Montgomery/Gentry) and his hit writer/keyboardist Eddie
Kilgallon.
Jeff returned as a full-time member of Lee Greenwood’s band and continues
with Lee today. “I have never known a more supportive artist than Lee. He
works harder at his career than guys half his age and is always hungry to
raise the bar. That drive inspires me even more.” Jeff and Lee are currently
writing for Lee’s next CD on Curb Records.
Jeff’s family live in Tennessee. His wife Kasindra is a successful loan
officer and busy mom. Even without the music biz, they have a full life with
three young children, a son Brenner and twins Kenna and Kessler, plus Jeff’s
teenage daughter Carrie. Their son Brenner is the 2005 Nashville Ambassador
Child for March of Dimes. Jeff adds, “All of the kids are musical and I love
that, but I don’t encourage them to go into music. If they want it, they’ll
find their way there. I subscribe to Earl Scruggs’ method: he tuned a guitar
and left it on the bed and told his boys ‘don’t touch that!’ Of course, they
all became stellar musicians! “
Jeff Dayton has had “an awesome musical life so far. All I’ve ever wanted
out of this was to grow as a player and writer and a person, create
something real and valuable and to share that with others.” It looks like he
already has a wealth to give away.
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Jeff Dayton
Guitarist, Songwriter,
Producer, Father, Husband, etc, etc...
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