The singer/songwriter and his band, Chris Daniels and the Kings, first came onto the Denver music scene 30 years ago with concerts at some of The Little Bear in Evergreen and Herman's Hideaway in Denver. This month, they'll play those venues again to celebrate their three decades of relentless tours and multiple album releases.
The rock, jazz, and swing band averages 100 shows a year in the U.S. and Europe.
The past few months have been something of a victory lap for Daniels. He was recently inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame alongside the late concert promoter Barry Fey and folk legend Judy Collins.
His 30th anniversary tour takes the band to The Little Bear March 8 and Herman's Hideaway on March 22. Daniels calls The Little Bear a classic, raucous mountain bar. "The Little Bear’s just the wildest mountain bar that’s ever been. It should be in a movie," he says.
When he's not on stage, Daniels is also a music business professor at the University of Colorado in Denver.
He spoke with Ryan Warner about the early days of Chris Daniels and the Kings, traveling in a band with a grueling touring schedule, teaching, and living life in remission from leukemia.
For more music from Daniels, check out his recent CPR Performance Studio session or relive the band's early days with this video:
