Bruce McDaniel is an American musician, composer, producer and recording engineer, currently living in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

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Bruce McDaniel was born in Boston, Massachusetts of Mexican and Scottish/American parents on 23 September 1962 and grew up in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. He was raised by musical parents who met while attending the Juilliard School

Juilliard School

The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...

 of Music. He had an early start in NYC's underground punk rock

Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 scene as lead guitarist for the Sic F*cks with Tish Bellomo

Tish Bellomo

Tish Bellomo, along with sister Snooky Bellomo, was a member of rock group Blondie. The sisters sang back-up at early Blondie gigs at Max's Kansas City and CBGB, and went on to form another band called the Drop-Outs. In 1977, their friend Russell Wolinsky invited them to join a band he was forming...

 and Snooky Bellomo, a band who, despite the inability to have their name said on the radio, parlayed their comedy-punk spectacle to a feature in Playboy

Playboy

Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...

 Magazine and movie appearances, including 1982's Alone in the Dark

Alone in the Dark (1982 film)

Alone in the Dark is a 1982 slasher film directed by Jack Sholder. It was the director's debut film and was the first motion picture to be released by New Line Cinema. The film's tagline is: "They're out... for blood! Don't let them find you--"-Plot:...

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After the dissolution of the late '70s punk scene, McDaniel laid low for much of the '80s, recording jingles and demos. A group of these demos, recorded under the name Life of Riley (featuring Peter Engisch and Perry Gartner) were picked up by Grammy

Grammy Award

A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...

-award nominated producer Paul Wickliffe, who produced an album's worth of material for the group, only to have the arrangement (and the group) dissolve under contract disputes. Several of these tracks can be heard on the McDaniel/Gartner collection Ongepotchket.

Through the '90s, he served as guitarist and bassist for R&B singer Vaneese Thomas, daughter of soul icon Rufus Thomas

Rufus Thomas

Rufus Thomas, Jr. was an American rhythm and blues, funk and soul singer and comedian fromMemphis, Tennessee, who recorded on Sun Records in the...

, known for her 1987 top 20 hits "Let's Talk It Over" and "(I Wanna Get) Close To You". McDaniel was ultimately elevated to the role of musical director of her touring band, a job which he still holds.

The '90s also saw the formation of McDaniel's band Nine Men's Morris and their first release Monster In My Stomach on Segue Records. McDaniel provided the songs, guitars and lead vocals, and was joined by Gartner on drums and bassist Donald Kyle. The follow-up album, It's A Wonderful Life, was released in 2004 to excellent reviews, with the title cut being featured on MTV

MTV

MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

's show Made

Made (TV series)

MTV's MADE is a self-improvement reality television series broadcast on MTV. The series follows teens who have a goal and want to be "made" into things like singers, athletes, dancers, skateboarders, etc. The teens are joined by a "Made Coach", an expert in their chosen field, who tries to help...

.

In 2000, McDaniel extended his musical horizons by composing a ballet, Alice in Wonderland, set on the East Coast Youth Ballet. The ballet was performed in 2001 and 2002 at the Rich Forum and Palace Theater in Stamford, Connecticut

Stamford, Connecticut

Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...

 to sold-out houses and rave reviews.

McDaniel has also performed/recorded with Gil Parris

Gil Parris

Gil Parris is an American Grammy-nominated rock, blues, jazz and pop guitarist. He graduated from Ardsley High School. After briefly attending the Berklee School of Music, Parris left to tour Europe as part of a musical troupe performing Jesus Christ Superstar before becoming a recording artist...

, Valerie Capers

Valerie Capers

Valerie Capers is an American jazz pianist and composer, born in New York City. She was the first blind graduate of the Juilliard School.-Discography:...

, Carla Thomas

Carla Thomas

Carla Thomas is an American singer, who is often referred to as the Queen of Memphis Soul. She is the daughter of Rufus Thomas.-Childhood:...

, Paul Shaffer

Paul Shaffer

Paul Allen Wood Shaffer, CM is a Canadian musician, actor, voice actor, author, comedian, and composer who has been David Letterman's sidekick since 1982.-Early years:...

, Randy Brecker

Randy Brecker

Randal "Randy" Brecker is an American trumpeter and flugelhornist. He is a highly sought after performer in the genres of jazz, rock, and R&B, and has performed or recorded with Stanley Turrentine, Billy Cobham, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Sandip Burman, Charles Mingus, Blood, Sweat & Tears,...

, Shawn Pelton

Shawn Pelton

Shawn Pelton is a New York City-based studio and session drummer. Pelton has worked with the Backstreet Boys, Sheryl Crow, Shawn Colvin, Bruce Springsteen, Celine Dion and Billy Joel...

, Sid McGinnis

Sid McGinnis

Sid McGinnis is an American musician and guitarist, best known for his work on the CBS Television show, Late Show with David Letterman, as part of the CBS Orchestra....

, Kirk Whalum

Kirk Whalum

Kirk Whalum is an American smooth jazz saxophonist and songwriter. He toured as Whitney Houston's opening act for several years. Whalum has also recorded a series of well received solo albums and film soundtracks, with music ranging from pop to R&B to smooth jazz...

, Jill Sobule

Jill Sobule

Jill Sobule is an American singer-songwriter best known for the 1995 single "I Kissed a Girl", and "Supermodel" from the soundtrack of the 1995 film Clueless...

, Nick Moroch, Paul Adamy, Shelton Becton, Chieli Minucci

Chieli Minucci

Chieli Minucci is an American contemporary jazz guitarist, composer, music producer, and arranger of Italian descent.Minucci was born in New York City and is primarily known as the leader of the Grammy-nominated contemporary jazz group Special EFX...

, Philippe Saisse

Philippe Saisse

Philippe Saisse is a French Grammy Award-nominated Smooth Jazz and New Age music keyboardist, producer and arranger.He was born in Marseille and raised in Paris. After studying at the Conservatoire de Paris he won a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music. He became the protege of Gary Burton...

, Eileen Ivers

Eileen Ivers

Eileen Ivers is an Irish-American musician.Eileen Ivers was born in New York City of Irish-born parents and grew up in the Bronx. She spent summers in Ireland and took up the fiddle at the age of nine. Her teacher was the Irish fiddler Martin Mulvihill. She toured with Mick Moloney's band The...

, Tommy Mandel

Tommy Mandel

Tommy Mandel is a keyboardist who is most famous for playing with Bryan Adams, from 1981 to 1998, starting with Bryan Adams's album You Want It You Got It.He also has played with Dire Straits and others....

, Napoleon Murphy Brock

Napoleon Murphy Brock

Napoleon Murphy Brock is an American singer, saxophonist and flute player who is best known for his work with Frank Zappa in the 1970s, including the albums One Size Fits All, Roxy and Elsewhere, and Bongo Fury...

, Mike Keneally

Mike Keneally

Michael Joseph Keneally is an American guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and composer. Allmusic says: "With his wide-ranging talents and ability to be creative in almost any musical situation, Keneally is the leading progressive rock genius of the post-Zappa era."Born on Long Island, New York, he...

, Wycliffe Gordon

Wycliffe Gordon

Wycliffe Gordon is a jazz trombonist. He also plays didgeridoo, trumpet, tuba, piano and sings.In 1995, he re-orchestrated the theme song for NPR's All Things Considered...

, David Spinozza

David Spinozza

David Spinozza is an American musician , who worked with former Beatles Paul McCartney and John Lennon during the 1970s, and had a long collaboration with singer-songwriter James Taylor, producing Taylor's album Walking Man....

, Bernie Williams

Bernie Williams

Bernabé Williams Figueroa Jr. is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and Puerto Rican musician.-Early life:...

, and the Ed Palermo Big Band

Ed Palermo Big Band

The Ed Palermo Big Band is a big band that has been active for nearly 30 years playing the compositions and arrangements of their leader and namesake Ed Palermo. They are best known for the arrangements of the music of Frank Zappa that Palermo has prepared for them...

, among others.

As of December 2006, he is the lead vocalist and guitar player for Nine Men's Morris, and can be seen performing the music of Frank Zappa

Frank Zappa

Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...

 with the Ed Palermo Big Band

Ed Palermo Big Band

The Ed Palermo Big Band is a big band that has been active for nearly 30 years playing the compositions and arrangements of their leader and namesake Ed Palermo. They are best known for the arrangements of the music of Frank Zappa that Palermo has prepared for them...

.

In 2008 he composed the score for the film School Play, which won the Best Documentary Film award at the Big Apple Film Festival in NYC.

In late 2008 he produced the album Eddy Loves Frank for the Ed Palermo Big Band

Ed Palermo Big Band

The Ed Palermo Big Band is a big band that has been active for nearly 30 years playing the compositions and arrangements of their leader and namesake Ed Palermo. They are best known for the arrangements of the music of Frank Zappa that Palermo has prepared for them...

, which was released in spring of 2009. Eddy Loves Frank spent 10 weeks in the CMJ Jazz charts top 20, peaking at #5.

In 2010 and 2011, McDaniel provided the music for Climate Week NYC.

As of 2009, the reformed Sic F*cks have been performing sporadically in and around New York City with McDaniel on guitar. In November 2011, they performed in Hamilton, Ontario with guests J.P. Patterson of The Dictators

The Dictators

The Dictators are an American punk rock band formed in New York City in 1973. Critic John Dougan said that they were "one of the finest and most influential proto-punk bands to walk the earth." The Dictators are represented in the "Punk Wing" of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in Cleveland, Ohio...

, Albert Bouchard

Albert Bouchard

Albert Bouchard and grew up in Clayton, New York. He is a drummer, guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a founding member of Blue Öyster Cult and a driving force through the band's first decade...

 of Blue Oyster Cult

Blue Öyster Cult

Blue Öyster Cult, often abbreviated BÖC, is an American rock band, most of whose members first came together in Long Island, NY in 1967 as the band Soft White Underbelly...

 and Gord Lewis from Teenage Head

Teenage Head (band)

Teenage Head is a Canadian rock group from Hamilton, Ontario and was one of the most popular Canadian punk rock bands during the early 1980s....

.

Other

• Ongepotchket - 1997
• Mile 23 (Dana Edelman) - 2005
• Strength (Gil Parris
  Gil Parris
  Gil Parris is an American Grammy-nominated rock, blues, jazz and pop guitarist. He graduated from Ardsley High School. After briefly attending the Berklee School of Music, Parris left to tour Europe as part of a musical troupe performing Jesus Christ Superstar before becoming a recording artist...
  
  ) - 2006
• Eddy Loves Frank (Ed Palermo Big Band
  Ed Palermo Big Band
  The Ed Palermo Big Band is a big band that has been active for nearly 30 years playing the compositions and arrangements of their leader and namesake Ed Palermo. They are best known for the arrangements of the music of Frank Zappa that Palermo has prepared for them...
  
  ) - 2009
• Soul Sister Vol. 1 (Vaneese Thomas) - 2009

External links

• NineMensMorris.net, official website of the Nine Men's Morris band
• palermobigband.com, official website of the Ed Palermo Big Band
• seguerecords.com, official website of Segue Records
• schoolplaythemovie.com, official website of School Play
• [ allmusic.com], Bruce McDaniel page on allmusic.com
• imdb.com, Bruce McDaniel page on imdb.com