Interview with music legend Dan Shafer

 

As lead vocalist for Mercenary on Portrait Records, he worked with Rusty D’Addio of Ronnie James Dio and Richie Blackmore. In the ‘80s he was lead vocalist for the group Orphan on Polygram Records and singer/songwriter with the group Face the Music, working with Jerry Love at Paramount/Famous Music.
In the ‘90s he sang the vocals for: Seagram Wine Cooler for HB&B, working with producer Cheryl Smith, Transformers (Robots in Disguise), Space Marines from Aliens III, and hundreds of television/radio commercials including Revlon, Pizza Hut, Tetley Tea, AT&T, Matchbox, and BC Powder. Additionally, he was the voice for number of voice over’s at SEM&M in New York City.
‘96 brought an exciting turn when he relocated to Nashville, Tennessee to produce for Chuck Howard, Byron Gallimore, Stuart Harris, and John Berry. He continued as a vocalist working with Bucket Colwell of Bad Company, Public Witness and on a host of jingles for Coors Lite and BC Powder.
’98, Dan started a production/development company and produced, arranged and wrote seven songs for the group ‘Salt’ and the album ‘Satisfied’. One of his songs “Get Back” went to #13 on the R&R charts Dec 2001, while the single “Satisfied” made it to #20.
Currently Dan is writing with, and has written with, Kim Trible, Bill Cuomo (“Oh Sherrie” for Steve Perry), Beeb Birtles (Little River Band), Rachel Williams, Brian Williams, Bill & Will Champlin (Sons Of Champlin, the group Chicago), Joie Scott, Hilary Williams, Gary Hannan (Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off, Back When I Knew It All), Hollie Jett, Fidel Fernandez, J.R. Brown, Michael Tait (DC Talk), Brett Cartwright (Foghat), Jane Bach, Andrea Pearson, Elishia Hoffman, Memarie, Bonnie Swayze, Minnie Murphy, Trini Triggs, Lance Miller, Tommy Barns, Tony Stampley, Lisa Shaffer, Trenna Barnes, Stacy Widelitz (“She’s Like The Wind” for Dirty Dancing), Ashley Bowers, and more.
He has also started Rock & Load Music Group, Inc., a company born from the desire to partner celebrity-status music professionals to help educate and mentor emerging artists, musicians, engineers, producers and songwriters while helping to preserve the future of Rock & Roll music through the Rock & Load U, The Rock & Load Show.
Additionally, he has taken his creative talents outside the world of music and into the world of marketing and technology as he brought to life Vie Drive, a concept to partner digital data with a USB, creating an application that brings new revenue streams to any business while offering a revolutionary marketing deliverable.

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