Darren Busby became a fan of Country music long before he left school. He would come home from school and play his father’s records over and over. He soon began singing along with songs, in particular Slim Whitman and Marty Robbins. He told me “I like all types of music but from that age it was always Country music that attracted me, it was head and shoulders above everything else.”
It was quickly apparent to Dale that Darren wanted to be a Country singer and he sung for the first time in public at the club in 1977 when he was 14 and everything snowballed from there. Dale took him under his wing and advised him what he needed to pursue his ambition to become a Country singer. Darren left school in 1979 and quickly did his first full evening gig at the Red Lion in Barton.
He joined some friends in a local band Klass A, as the drummer and singer. The band was short lived but while with them he had learned a few guitar chords and joined his uncle Sean Busby playing bass in Southern Pride. They stayed together until 1987 when he decided to go solo and was eventually seen by agent/promoter, Frank Hambleton after Darren had been recommended to him by Country singer Ricki Sylva. Frank was impressed by Darren and felt the two of them would work well together and he became his manager and friend in 1990. In 1992 Frank was keen Darren should front a band and he already had an existing band in mind. His nephew Phil Baker played in a newly formed punk band with a girl singer which was managed by his son Mark. Frank didn’t think the girl singer was any good and he persuaded the band to switch from punk to Country with Darren fronting. At that time the band didn’t have a name. One of the songs Darren loved to sing was JJ Cale’s The Breeze. Frank suggested the band should become The Breeze and Darren Busby and The Breeze was launched on the Country circuit. The line up was Darren Busby (lead vocal and rhythm guitar), Andy Mottram (lead guitar), Phil Baker (bass), Steve Morris (keyboards) and Gareth Ashton (drums).
Darren still continued to work as a soloist as well as fronting the band. Frank felt that the band was a little rough around the edges at this time but they were keen to learn and he felt they had the potential to become one of the best bands on the Country circuit. The band quickly proved very popular but could only play part time. Together with his solo bookings Darren had a very full diary and was soon working most nights while continuing to work full time as a welder during the day. Frank took him to Nashville for five days in 1992. Primarily the trip was to meet up with Sylvie and Her Silver Dollar Band but while there, Darren did a couple of gigs singing at Tootsies Bar and Ernest Tubb’s Midnight Jamboree. He also went into a recording studio and recorded a four track cassette which was sold at gigs back home.
With a mortgage and two small children to support the demanding workload was killing him and he knew he had to go fully pro as a musician or cut down drastically on gigs to concentrate on his day job. Frank advised him to keep his day job and only accept gigs close to his home. It was a mutual decision that after five years managing Darren, Frank would stand down as his manager and Darren would take his own solo bookings.
Darren very reluctantly quit The Breeze in 1995 after little more than 18 months but not before finding a very worthy replacement. Gary Perkins was looking for a young band to work with. He had seen Darren and the Breeze and having heard they were no longer playing together he spoke to Frank who put him in touch with the Breeze’s Phil Baker and it wasn’t long before Gary Perkins and The Breeze began their Country journey.
The British Country Music Hall of Fame’s first member, Keith Manifold once advised Darren to give up his day job and go full time as a professional singer. Darren worked as a soloist for two years but in 1998 he finally made the decision to take Keith’s advice and go fully pro as a musician giving up his very well paid job as a welder.
In 2001 Darren thought his singing days were over when he developed a polyp on his vocal chords but after an operation to remove the polyp Darren feels his voice has come back better and stronger than ever. Turning to song writing he wrote six songs including Bachelor Days which was voted runner up in the UK Radio Awards best new song in 2001. He hasn’t written anything since but is considering writing again in the future.
In 2010 Darren was once again interested in working with a band and he joined an existing band called Atlanta. Darren was the lead vocalist and the other band members were John Davis (guitar) Tony (lead guitar) Paolo (bass) and Robbie (drums). They played their first gig in Leeds in October 2010 and stayed together for two years playing occasional gigs.
In June 2011, Darren did a charity bike ride with Darren Binns and friends from Lands End to John O’Groats raising money for Cancer Research, Marie Curie Cancer Care and the NACC. Collecting money at gigs they raised over £19,000.00.
Over the 43 years that Darren has been singing he has amassed a staggering 159 national and club awards including 2004 and 2005 when he was voted BCMA Solo Artist Of The Year. Also in 2005 he won BCMA Album Of The Year. More BCMA awards followed in 2010 when he won Solo Artist Of The Year again and Male Vocalist Of The Year which he won again in 2011. BCMA Solo Act Of The Year 2013 and 2014. CCN Male Vocalist Of The Year in 2017 and CCN Entertainer Of The Year in 2018. In 2016 he was the 39th inductee into the British Country Music Hall of Fame.
In 2015 Darren’s daughter Rachel married Darren Binns who with his father Don has been performing as Clear Cut duo since 1998.
Donald Allan Binns learnt classical guitar at the age of 11 and in his teens played in a number of pop bands; first came The Prey and then The Assassins. Other short lived bands followed until one evening he went to a Country music function at a Leeds pub and saw a local artist, Hank Rogers performing. After another Country gig, where he saw Doncaster Country duo Pat and Roger Johns, Don was quickly hooked on Country music and realised that is what he wanted to play in the future. He joined his first Country band, Wild Country, as a guitarist, in 1974 and they quickly made an impression touring in the UK and Germany where they worked at a number of US airbases. The line up was Wild Bill Sykes (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Don Binns (lead guitar), Mick Hinchcliffe (bass) and Tim Delaney (drums)
By the late 1970s, Don formed a new band, Nightrider, with the drummer from Wild Country and they went on to become one of the most successful British bands at that time making the finals of the Silk Cut Country Music Talent Competition, part of Mervyn Conn’s International Festival Of Country Music at Wembley Arena. The line up was Don Binns (lead guitar), Graham Hall – now working on UK Country Radio (rhythm guitar), Ron Simons – later Mick Winterburn (bass), Tim Delaney (drums)
Next Don formed Norwood Duo with drummer Tim Delaney. They travelled up and down the UK performing at country venues and working men’s clubs, supporting several established artistes including Bernard Manning and Karl Denver.
Initially, Don was a guitarist, but in 1988 he started singing as well, forming a duo with his 14 year old daughter Donna who played bass and sung harmony vocals. At this time he started using his middle name as his stage name and Don Binns became Don Allan. On their first gig in Halifax, they shared the bill with two new young singers, Becky Haley and her sister Joanne. The following year, Don’s 10 year old son Darren joined the family act. He initially wanted to be a drummer but was persuaded to learn keyboard instead and after learning three chords he made his debut on the Country club scene playing keyboard one set a night at weekends. As a trio they were known as the Don Allan Family Band. Like is father Darren used his middle name as his stage name becoming Darren Anthony.
In 1994 Donna retired from the trio to pursue a career away from music and Don then went solo with Darren sometimes joining him at weekends and during school holidays. In the same year Darren left school, with his heart set on a career in Country music. He and Don joined a four piece band called Sundown and the band quickly proved popular on the circuit winning a number of club awards. The line up was Don Allan (lead vocal and lead guitar), Darren Anthony (keyboards), Mike Abbott [formerly with Clydes Country] – later Mick Winterburn and Simon Kemp (bass) and Tim Delaney (drums). Tim was later replaced by Nick Carter. They backed American singer Lola Cagle on her only UK tour, Kris Kelly and X factor/Fame Academy star Carolyne Pool and even performed in front of royalty. On 4th July one year the band were booked to play at Elisabeth Murdoch (daughter of Rupert Murdoch) house in London. One of the guests there was Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York.
Sundown disbanded in August 1998 and Don and Darren immediately formed Clear Cut duo. Don was the lead singer and played lead guitar, Spanish guitar and mandolin while Darren added harmony vocals and played keyboards, accordion, guitar and mandolin as well as being the spokesman for the duo.
As well as singing in the duo, Clear Cut ran their own country music club with the help of Don’s wife Maureen and other friends from Leeds. The Clear Cut CMC was a Wednesday concert club that ran monthly for 4 – 5 years at the Leeds Anglers Club who ran their own weekly Country club on a Saturday.
During the covid pandemic Don decided to retire from singing and Clear Cut came off the road. With time on his hands, and still having a love of playing Country music Darren Binns teamed with his father in law Darren Busby and the Darren Busby duo played their first gig at Gilly’s Traditional CMC in Wakefield in October 2021.
During his career Darren Busby has recorded about 20 albums, Initially these were cassette albums and later CD albums. His first album She’s Mine was released in 1986 and his second, Angels Of Mine was released in 1990. Other albums included Over The Years (1998), You Can’t Walk The Road Alone and From Here To Eternity. His latest album, Looking Back, is a compilation of tracks from previous albums. There was also an EP At The End Of The Day with five original tracks by Vic Holdroyd. All his early albums were recorded at Dale Green’s studio at his house and included Dale playing lead guitar.
Darren has never toured abroad during his career but he did have a residency on the Hull – Zeebrugge ferry. During his years on the road Darren’s father Terry has been his biggest supporter and he still comes to most of Darren’s gigs to share the driving and act as his roadie.
Research by Nick Catford.