Dan Thornhill grew up in a musical household, his dad Keith fronted the award winning Liverpool based band West Virginia which also included his uncle Arthur on bass, and his grandma sung occasionally with the Joe Loss Orchestra. Dan was born in 1986 and growing up through the 1990s the only music he really knew was Country music. When he was at school his dad would often take him on tour during the school holidays; he would sleep in the van and go to all the gigs. He told me “I didn’t talk to anyone at the gigs; I was supershy at that age and would never go on stage with the band”.
Although he was brought up on Country music, as a teenager rock music was always another of his loves. At school, people were listening to many different styles of music and his friends were more into rock music. Country music wasn’t popular at his school and he was the only one there with a Country background.
Many of the bands he liked played power chords which are easier to learn and play. Power chords have been used in some of the most epic guitar riffs of all-time and can be heard in songs like Iron Man (Black Sabbath), Hit Me With Your Best Shot (Pat Benatar) and Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana). This would allow Dan to put more into his showmanship on stage. Adopting this technique helped him to get into a band quicker and he told me it was fun to do as well. Learning guitar at an early age helped him to get ready for a band in his teenage years.He joined a band with some school friends when he was 15 so they could jam together but some of them quickly dropped out leaving just Dan and Mike. They really enjoyed playing and decided to try and find the right people with the same passion to put a proper band together. They quickly found two other people and after playing a few shows together everything jelled. The band, which was formed in 2001, was called Someone Else, with the original members being Caz, Mike, Langy and Dan. Dan played rhythm guitar and was one of two singers. He can play some lead guitar but felt he could put on a better show by concentrating on singing and considers himself a singer/songwriter who can play.
From the outset, the band played punk rock and pop punk which is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop. He told me Green Day is definitely his biggest inspiration, “I have an unhealthy obsession with that band. Before I got involved with Country music everyone knew me as Dan Greenday” Other bands that inspired him at that time include Blink 182, Bowling For Soup, New Found Glory and Sum 41.
Original material was always important although they did play some covers but Dan always felt it was rewarding to play something different and unique. They quickly recorded their first CD album called Now Entering Kent.
Initially, the band played local gigs close to Shrewsbury where they all lived including The Ministry, a music venue that championed local acts and it is there that they quickly built up a strong fan base. They soon started travelling further afield and when they got a gig in Manchester they booked a coach for friends and family. Dan’s dad Keith had always understood his passion for music and he was really happy that Dan was getting to do what I loved, the music however wasn’t really for him (Keith), he liked some of it but didn’t really listen to it. He knew that was what Dan wanted to do and was 100% on board with it. There were a number of changes in lineup over the years and at one time in the mid 2000s they played as a trio for a while. Dan left the band in 2004 and a new guitarist brought about a change in music style from pop punk, to melodic rock but it wasn’t long before Dan came back on board.
By 2020, although they were still rehearsing every week, gigs were in decline and Dan was finding it very tiring to continue playing while also working full time at an HMV record store in Shrewsbury. When the bass player announced he was going to leave the other band members decided that rather than go through the process of finding a suitable replacement and teaching him their material they would give the band a break. Someone Else haven’t broken up and they will probably return for some reunion gigs in the future but for Dan, Country music now takes priority. All their recorded material is available online. The final line up was Dan Thornhill (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Robert Simmons (lead guitar and vocals), David Middleton (bass guitar and vocals) and Philip Jones (drums).
With the demise of the band, Dan knew that he definitely wanted to carry on singing. His early ambition to play music remained unchanged. Country was always one of his early passions and for a while he had wanted to do Country but up until now there had never been the time or opportunity. During covid he was made redundant when the HMV store where he worked closed so he had to decide whether to look for another ‘ordinary’ job or to try and fulfil his long held dream to be a Country singer. As his dad and uncle were so well established on the Country scene by then working as the Thornhills Duo, he didn’t want to embarrass them but he really wanted to give it a go.
Before launching any new career he booked a room in a pub in Shrewsbury for his ‘first solo show’ with an invited audience of 20 family and friends in the summer of 2021. Despite the obvious trepidation, the show went very well but it was weird he told me, “I played in a band for 20 years and I had never been as nervous as I was that night. It felt like I had never been on stage before. I did a couple of songs acoustically but did have Country tracks ready. It went so well that it gave me the impetus to continue with my dream. My dad came and helped me to set everything up. Prior to the gig my uncle taught me about sound levels etc. He does all the setting up at Thornhills gigs”. Dan used some of his redundancy money to pay for any gear he needed to get going. He had some kit left over from the band but much of it was big and bulky. Solo acts need smaller and more compact equipment.
He realised it would take a while to establish himself on the Country circuit. His uncle Arthur helped get a few bookings. He told me “I have really learnt so much from my dad and uncle seeing them play hundreds of times and watching how they do it. Watching their on stage presence is now pretty much what I do. I tell the jokes and interact with people and I learnt a lot of that from those guys”. After his first solo gig he practiced every day at home and learnt all the songs he intended to sing. He knew it was going to be a big change and was determined to get it right.
His first solo gig was a memorial night in Liverpool for one of his dad’s best friends Johnny Van. He did a half hour slot which went very well. He had his first gig in his own right at the same venue at the end of October 2021. After about seven gigs he began to lose the nerves and his presentation became more natural as his confidence built up.
Dan prefers traditional Country to modern Country, artists like Johnny Cash, George Jones and Buck Owens; this is the kind of music he was brought up with. He likes some modern artists like Luke Combs but feels that some modern Country isn’t really Country and he can’t get enthusiastic about it. Dan has told the agents he works with that he is a Country act not a line dance act so he only takes bookings at venues where his style of Country would be suited. Having said that, Dan has been very well received in Country clubs where there is line dancing. He likes to sing a mixture of songs and will cater for all styles of dancing.
In his days fronting the band he was a prolific songwriter, writing most of the bands material. Now that Country music has taken has taken over his life in a good way he hasn’t had time to do any writing and currently doesn’t include any original songs in his show. The long term plan is definitely to write a solo album of story songs but it is going to be years away.
Dan does get to do a few gigs with his dad, uncle and cousin Wayne T as the Thornhill Family Band. As a young boy he was always too shy to join West Virginia on stage but now he loves performing with his family. At present they do about 5 gigs a year but are happy to travel to clubs and festivals if they are all free at the same time and they would like to do more. The drawback is most clubs can’t afford to pay for a band. “The shows are great do” he told me “and I am very happy to do them.”
Research by Nick Catford.