 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Lynn McDaniel was born in 1960 in Houston, Texas, and has had a love for music since she was a child. Her earliest memories are of singing traditional hymns in church beginning at age 3 or 4. Lynn would sing the melody line as her mother sang harmony next to her. That early recognition of chordal progressions and relative sounds set the pattern for a great love and appreciation of music. Although Lynn's
paternal grandfather was a music teacher and songwriter, he lived in
Alabama and she lived in Texas, so she did not get to study with him.
When she visited him in the summers, though, Lynn shared his joy of
music and loved his "fa-so-la" singing. Her first memory of hearing
bluegrass music was on the Andy Griffith Show in the early 60s.
Appearing on the show as "The Darlin's," the real-life Dillard Family
riveted her attention.
Other musical influences in Lynn's life were her cousins, Leilani and Steve. As children, Steve played guitar while the girls sang "House of the Rising Sun". Over and over and over. :=) Steve has since gone on to form the Cool Water Band, a very successful country band in the Tomball area. Leilani and Lynn also shared a love for choral music throughout the 70s, singing acapella together at every opportunity. It was Leilani who taught Lynn to sing harmony. During those Junior High and High School years, Lynn listened to Linda Ronstadt, Dan Fogelberg, the Gatlin Brothers, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, among many others. From pop-rock to classic rock, country to bluegrass, choral music to broadway shows, Lynn loved music. In high school and college, Lynn performed with a choral group and a pop choir, as well as performing in musicals such as "The King and I," "Bye-Bye Birdie," "Godspell," and "Man of La Mancha". In 1984, Lynn moved to Bryan. She began her career in advertising and marketing, and tried to balance work, family and performing. In 1987, she discovered the local community theatre StageCenter, where she earned the part of "Pegeen" in "Mame." From there, Lynn has performed in and directed several shows with StageCenter ("Rain," "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe," "A Streetcar Named Desire,") The Theatre Company--formerly known as 'magination Station--("Fiddler on the Roof," "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," "The Ugly Duckling,") and the Navasota Theatre Alliance ("Don't Dress for Dinner," "Mr. Roberts," "Father Knows Best.") In 1992, Lynn started singing with a country/oldies band, with whom she performed for three years, and with whom she wrote about 13 country songs. During this time, she also wrote jingles for Popabilities, Neatherlin Homes and the Bossier Car Dealership. Lynn met Gary Potter and the members of Brazos Country Grass in March of 2002 at KEOS Radio Station, where she asked if she could sing harmony while they were practicing. After hearing her harmony on "Rocky Top," Gary asked if she'd like to join the group. Since that time, Lynn has been having the time of her life singing, learning new bluegrass songs and enjoying the company of wonderful new friends. On a family note, Lynn is the mother of two sons. Her oldest, Robby, currently works at WalMart in Bryan. Her younger son, Erik, works at Outback Steakhouse in College Station and wants to pursue a career in restaurant management.
 |
