This week DeBraun Thomas features a singer songwriter who’s been a mainstay in Lexington for nearly twenty years.
Egon Danielson is a singer/songwriter who grew up in Rockford, Illinois. Danielson started singing at a young age but got his start as a stage worker on many shows that came through Rockford. His association with the local band Cheap Trick led to him meeting musicians such as Leon Russell and Johnny Winter. Danielson says working on stage and being around musicians he listened to influenced him the in wanting to play music.
“I was 15-16 years old and got to haul their equipment around and just work the stage and see how things went, how things worked and how these people were like and I found without fail that those people were 99% really good people, really friendly and open made me feel comfortable and also just pushed me to do that."
Danielson moved to Lexington in 1995 and became a fixture in the local music scene playing solo gigs at places such as High on Rose. In 2010 Danielson released the album Raven and the Bluebird which was produced by Minneapolis based Andy Dee and features Michael Bland from the New Power Generation on drums. Danielson has a duo called Soulbilly with another local musician, Fred Sexton who plays pedal steel guitar. Danielson says his music can be classified as Americana, but it is the name of his duo that he feels encompasses all that he does.
“That’s why I came up with the term SoulBilly at one time because it’s, I thought it was a good description of what I do because the element of soul is in the spirit behind the music and the kind of old school country and hillbilly sound is on the surface”
Egon Danielson is playing with Soulbilly on February 22nd at Willie’s Locally Known. Danielson’s album Raven and the Bluebird along with upcoming dates are available at egondanielson.com.