Biography and Endorsements

Daniel Glass is an award-winning drummer, author, historian and educator. He is widely recognized as one of today's foremost authorities on classic American drumming. A member of the pioneering swing group Royal Crown Revue since 1994, Daniel has recorded and performed all over the world with many top artists. He has published three books, including the multi-award winning Commandments of Early Rhythm and Blues Drumming, and is a regular contributor to publications like Modern Drummer magazine. As an educator, Daniel has performed clinics and master classes globally, appearing at many of the world's top drumming festivals. His acclaimed drum history clinics focus on the evolution of the drum set and the impact that this unique instrument has had on American popular music.

Daniel grew up in Honolulu, Hawai’i, and began playing drums at the age of eight. He graduated from Punahou School in Honolulu, (fellow alumni include President Barack Obama, America Online founder Steve Case and E-Bay founder Pierre Omidyar), and obtained a bachelor’s degree (Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa), from Brandeis University in Boston. In 1991, Daniel moved to Los Angeles to continue his musical training at the Dick Grove School of Music. Upon graduation, Daniel worked as a freelance musician in Los Angeles, recording for a variety of independent labels and touring with jazz singer Barbara Morrison and veteran blues guitarist Debbie Davies. He has been a student of master teacher Freddie Gruber since 1992.

In 1994, Daniel brought his abilities to L.A. swing phenomenon Royal Crown Revue, the group that single handedly inspired today’s “Retro-Swing"” resurgence by combining 1940s sound and style with modern raw power. As the result of an extremely successful stint as the original house band at the Derby Club in Los Angeles, super-producer Ted Templeman (of Van Halen and Doobie Bros. fame) signed the group to Warner Brothers Records in 1995. RCR’s releases, Mugzy’s Move (1996), Caught in the Act (1997), The Contender (1998 - on which Daniel co-wrote 5 tracks), Walk on Fire (1999) and Passport to Australia (2001) - have sold well over 500,000 units. RCR’s 2004 release, Greetings from Hollywood, was produced by Daniel. Check out Daniel's complete discography.

Touring highlights with RCR include a headlining spot on the Van’s Warped Tours ‘97 and ‘99 (with stops in Europe, Australia and Japan), a spot on the 1998 Playboy Jazz Festival, and national tours with The B-52’s, The Pretenders, and KISS. The band performed with Bette Midler at the 1998 Billboard Music Awards, and was featured in the nation’s top jazz festivals (including Concord, Saratoga, Newport and JVC Lincoln Center). In September of 1999, RCR headlined two sold out performances with the 110 piece Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. In 2005, the band headlined the Tantsy festival in Moscow, and in 2010 they played a State Department sponsored tour of Egypt. These days, RCR regularly tours the festival circuit in Europe, Australia and Japan. Check out Daniel's complete tour itinerary.

With RCR, Daniel has kept busy in the world of TV and film. The group’s music has been featured in everything from Jim Carrey’s The Mask, to countless TV shows, movie trailers, ad campaigns, Olympic gymnastic routines, even the Miss America Pageant. RCR also wrote, recorded and performed the “Dubba, Dubba WB” theme for the WB Network’s ‘98/’99 season. Live TV appearances have included Gene Simmons Family Jewels, Buffy, The Vampire Slayer, Conan O’Brien, The Today Show, The Roseanne Show, Viva Variety (Comedy Central), Tales from the Crypt (HBO), MTV’s Rock-n-Jock B-Ball Jam and Swing Alive, (a national PBS special that featured Daniel in a drum-battle with Count Basie/Frank Sinatra drummer Gregg Field; see video). Recently, RCR’s music has been heard in the films Something’s Gotta Give, The Cat in the Hat, The Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing and Charm School, Joe Kid on A Stingray, and the television shows Malcolm in the Middle and Wonder Falls. Check out Daniel's complete discography.

Outside of RCR, Daniel has performed and recorded with a variety of artists, including legendary KISS front man Gene Simmons, Bette Midler, jazz legends Freddy Cole, Al Viola, and Page Cavanaugh, Mike Ness (of Social Distortion), Johnny Boyd (of Indigo Swing), rockabilly legend Robert Gordon, ska/reggae guitar great Earnest Ranglin, Unknown Hinson, the Michael Andrew Swing Orchestra, the Industrial Jazz Group and Mora’s Modern Rhythmists. He has been profiled numerous times in Modern Drummer magazine (including the cover story, Dec. ‘98), and has been featured in DRUM!, Classic Drummer, Stick It, and Drummerdude magazines.

In 2002, Daniel released his debut CD as a leader. The Daniel Glass Trio’s Something Colorful was the flagship release for VeryTall Music, a label that Daniel co-founded. The DGT has toured internationally, with a 2002 European tour, and an appearance at the Havana International Jazz Festival in Cuba. A second VeryTall release - vibraphonist Eldad Tarmu’s Exotic Tales (also produced by Daniel) – came out in 2004, and Introducing the Rhythm Club All Stars was released in 2008 (see more). All three of these releases were produced by Daniel, who has also held down production duties for Japan's biggest swing act, The Travellers. In 2002, Daniel released an instructional DVD, Principles of Swing Time.

In addition to his work as musician and producer, Daniel is an oft-published writer, clinician and music historian. He has published three books: The Ultimate History of Rock’n’Roll Drumming: 1948-2000 (2005), The RCR Drum Transcription Book (2002), and the award-winning Commandments of Early Rhythm and Blues Drumming (2008, Alfred Publishing).Winner of the 2009 DRUM Magazine reader's poll for Book of the Year, this book/ CD package combines drum history with instruction, interviews of legendary players and never before seen photos and other memorabilia (see more).

Since July, 2008, Daniel has written a monthly column in DRUM magazine entitled "A Moment in History." Other recent features include a five-part series for Modern Drummer entitled “Nouveau Retro” (July-Oct. 2009), as well as an in depth interview with the drummers of Sun Records (Modern Drummer, August, 2008). Daniel has also published articles on music/drumming history in The Encyclopedia of Percussion (2nd Edition), DRUM Magazine, Classic Drummer, Stick It Magazine and the MusicHound Swing Essential Album Guide. Daniel has done swing-oriented programming for online radio giant SonicNet/Mtvi, and for the Delta Airlines in-flight radio network.

Since 2003, Daniel has begun teaching the history and tradition of the drums. His engaging clinic performance brings to life the roots of the drum set, and focuses on the relationship between drumming and popular American music styles like early jazz, swing, rhythm and blues, rockabilly and early rock’n’roll. The clinic has wowed audiences from Arizona to Australia and offers what swing drumming legend Louie Bellson calls a “delightful and refreshing approach” to keeping alive the history and traditions of drumming. Daniel has presented his clinic at some of the biggest drum shows in the world, including the 2010 Modern Drummer Festival, the 2009 PASIC Convention (Indianapolis), The 16th Annual Chicago Show and the Hollywood Custom and Vintage Drum Show. In his capacity as an educator, Daniel is a member of the Vic Firth Education Team, as well as the Professional Drum Teachers Guild.

EQUIPMENT

Daniel proudly endorses Drum Workshop (drums, pedals, hardware), Bosphorus Cymbals, Vic Firth Drumsticks and Brushes, Aquarian Drumheads, Revolution Drum Accessories, Power Wrist Builder practice sticks, Phatfoot Harnesses, and Diggit Stick Weights. (More Info).