Biography
Dan Baird first gained notice during the 1980s as lead singer and guitarist for the Georgia Satellites, a band that revived rootsy boogie rock, then sustained a solo path marked by energetic, heartfelt Southern rock & roll.
Born December 12, 1953, in San Diego, California, and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, he began playing guitar in his teens and performed with several local groups. By December 1980 he had assembled the Georgia Satellites, whose lineup eventually stabilized with Baird and Rick Richards sharing vocals and guitar, Rick Price on bass, and Mauro Magellan on drums. The quartet cultivated a bar-band style that echoed the three-chord punch of AC/DC, the Faces, and the Rolling Stones while adding a distinct Dixie-fried undertow. Their first recording, the independent six-song EP Keep the Faith, appeared in 1985.
That release secured a deal with Elektra and led to the group’s self-titled major-label debut the following year. Although the album took time to gain traction, it reached platinum-certified status by the summer of 1987, propelled by the number-five hit single “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” and the additional popular track and video “Battleship Chains.” Two further Satellites albums followed in the late 1980s—Open All Night in 1988 and In the Land of Salvation and Sin in 1989—yet neither duplicated the debut’s commercial impact, and the band dissolved at the start of the 1990s.
Baird quickly launched a solo career with 1991’s Love Songs for the Hearing Impaired, issued on Rick Rubin’s Def American imprint. The record yielded the well-received single and video “I Love You Period,” suggesting renewed commercial momentum. A lengthy hiatus preceded the 1996 release of Buffalo Nickel, which faded quickly amid inadequate promotion; that same year the Georgia Satellites reunited without Baird. Baird then concentrated on production and guest appearances, contributing to Fred Haring’s This Grand Parade, Will Hoge’s Carousel, and Chris Knight’s Pretty Good Guy. During the Buffalo Nickel tour he formed the Yayhoos with Eric Ambel, Terry Anderson, and Keith Christopher; the band issued Fear Not the Obvious in 2001 and Put the Hammer Down in 2006. In 2001 he also released Redneck Savant with his short-lived group the Sofa Kings, and early 2003 brought Out of Mothballs, a set of previously unreleased material.
Baird introduced Dan Baird & Homemade Sin in 2005 with the Jerkin’ Crocus album Feels So Good. A live recording appeared before year’s end, and the band maintained a steady output that included the studio albums Dan Baird & Homemade Sin in 2008, Circus Life in 2013, and Get Loud in 2015, plus numerous live sets captured primarily in Sweden and the U.K., territories where the group cultivated a devoted audience. Another side project, the Bluefields, debuted in 2013, uniting Baird with Warner Hodges of Jason and the Scorchers, Joe Blanton of the Royal Court of China, and Brad Pemberton of Iodine and the Cardinals. In early 2017 Baird issued the fully self-performed solo album SoLow.
Born December 12, 1953, in San Diego, California, and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, he began playing guitar in his teens and performed with several local groups. By December 1980 he had assembled the Georgia Satellites, whose lineup eventually stabilized with Baird and Rick Richards sharing vocals and guitar, Rick Price on bass, and Mauro Magellan on drums. The quartet cultivated a bar-band style that echoed the three-chord punch of AC/DC, the Faces, and the Rolling Stones while adding a distinct Dixie-fried undertow. Their first recording, the independent six-song EP Keep the Faith, appeared in 1985.
That release secured a deal with Elektra and led to the group’s self-titled major-label debut the following year. Although the album took time to gain traction, it reached platinum-certified status by the summer of 1987, propelled by the number-five hit single “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” and the additional popular track and video “Battleship Chains.” Two further Satellites albums followed in the late 1980s—Open All Night in 1988 and In the Land of Salvation and Sin in 1989—yet neither duplicated the debut’s commercial impact, and the band dissolved at the start of the 1990s.
Baird quickly launched a solo career with 1991’s Love Songs for the Hearing Impaired, issued on Rick Rubin’s Def American imprint. The record yielded the well-received single and video “I Love You Period,” suggesting renewed commercial momentum. A lengthy hiatus preceded the 1996 release of Buffalo Nickel, which faded quickly amid inadequate promotion; that same year the Georgia Satellites reunited without Baird. Baird then concentrated on production and guest appearances, contributing to Fred Haring’s This Grand Parade, Will Hoge’s Carousel, and Chris Knight’s Pretty Good Guy. During the Buffalo Nickel tour he formed the Yayhoos with Eric Ambel, Terry Anderson, and Keith Christopher; the band issued Fear Not the Obvious in 2001 and Put the Hammer Down in 2006. In 2001 he also released Redneck Savant with his short-lived group the Sofa Kings, and early 2003 brought Out of Mothballs, a set of previously unreleased material.
Baird introduced Dan Baird & Homemade Sin in 2005 with the Jerkin’ Crocus album Feels So Good. A live recording appeared before year’s end, and the band maintained a steady output that included the studio albums Dan Baird & Homemade Sin in 2008, Circus Life in 2013, and Get Loud in 2015, plus numerous live sets captured primarily in Sweden and the U.K., territories where the group cultivated a devoted audience. Another side project, the Bluefields, debuted in 2013, uniting Baird with Warner Hodges of Jason and the Scorchers, Joe Blanton of the Royal Court of China, and Brad Pemberton of Iodine and the Cardinals. In early 2017 Baird issued the fully self-performed solo album SoLow.
Albums
