We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ryan Daniel a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ryan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?
During that time of my life I was friends with a club owner named Red. The club was called Drifter’s Country Saloon. It was an old honky tonk bar with a great vibe. This was my very first paid gig as a touring artist. We played an amazing show in front of a well energetic crowd! I felt like i was Garth Brooks! There is no better feeling than being on stage! The enthusiasm from the crowd was a rush like no other.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Born in Massachusetts and raised in Arkansas, Ryan Daniel knows how to connect with his audience. Ryan credits Garth Brooks as his major influence: “When I perform, I want the crowd to feel what I’m feeling,” says Ryan. “I like to reach out and make them part of the show.” Daniel makes every fan feel like they are the most important person there.
Ryan has served as a member of the United States Air Force for over ten years, where he was an AMMO troop. During this time, he was also selected to join the elite musical touring group “Tops in Blue.” Ryan toured 20 countries, entertaining an estimated 250,000 troops and civilians alike. During this tour, he met his producer, Barry Best. Together they created Ryan’s debut album “Love, Life and Memories.” Ryan has toured with the likes of Trace Adkins, Restless Heart, Trent Tomlinson, Lee Greenwood, Joe Diffie, Thompson Square, 3 Doors Down, David Cook, Craig Morgan, Mickey Gilley, Confederate Railroad, and others.
Together again with Barry Best and Co-Producer Rich Herring, Ryan’s new album “Back For More” was released April 6, 2018, selling out on Amazon the very first day! Ryan’s new single “CAMO”, produced by Chet Roberts of 3 Doors Down, is in rotation on country radio nationwide. Within, 5 weeks of “CAMO” being released it generated 100,000 streams and climbed into the top 15, on the charts!
In 2013, Ryan toured under the sponsorship of Air Force Entertainment, where he spent the holidays performing for the troops overseas. Ryan promoted “Love, Life and Memories,” and raised morale from Texas all the way to Afghanistan.
Ryan is excited to partner with Fir Audio and Wrap Artist for 2024 and is sponsored by Country Life Apparel, Smoke4Real BBQ, Muddin4Military, Premium Kentucky Farms, Dirty South Outdoors Apparel, Polaris Off Road, and Interstate 69 Motorsports. Ryan has been inducted into the Indie Music Hall of Fame and is an 18x Indie Music Award Winner and 10x Radio Music Award Winner to include: 2021 Best Country Recording “Home”, Best Country Song “Gonna Take A Few”, Best Country Songwriter “Ya’ll Ain’t Ready For This”. Ryan was awarded the 2018 US Air Force “Veteran In Blue Award.” Off of Ryan’s Debut Album “Love, Life and Memories” The International Association of Independent Recording Artists (IAIRA) music charts recognized “Honky Tonk Holiday” and “Unknown Soldier,” as they were certified #1 and #3. Ryan’s debut video “Feel Good Feelin’” has been aired on CMT, Heartland, and Country Fix. Ryan has been Certified Platinum on Spotify for 1,000,000 Streams and 2,000,000 Streams.
Ryan just finished his third studio album titled, “Y’all Ain’t Ready for This”. For this album, Ryan teamed up with the iconic rock group 3 Doors Down to produce the project, and features songs written by Ryan, Chet Roberts (3 Doors Down), as well as, members of Ryan’s touring band Brandon Blackburn, Adam Shea, and Vince Alten. Now 3 new singles dropping for 2024 and 2025 are sure to be fan favorites! Ryan’s 2025 Tour “Tonight We Ride” will be full of energy and wall to wall sound! “Already Gone” and “Backroads And Bonfires” are Ryan’s first tow singles out and are now available on all platforms! See you all on the road!
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The fulfillment of bringing joy and happiness to my fans through my music is absolutely the best! For me to be able to give them a moment of bliss and for me to feel that back from them is the most rewarding for me.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
For artist like myself we need everyone to stay engaged. download our music. come to our shows. Tell there friends to tell there friends. Independent artist don’t have major label backing so every stream, every ticket sold is a blessing and helps us get to the next level.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ryandanielmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryandanielmusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RyanDanielCountry
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryandanielcountry/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/RyanDanielMusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RyanDanielcountry
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1yOB1hHOBAnb3EVo87lD5R?si=pgPLjx18RDCkrrxf0RlmUg
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/ryan-daniel/984251228
https://www.pandora.com/artist/ryan-daniel-country/AR3dP5Jqm2w4dt9
https://www.tiktok.com/@officialryandaniel?lang=en
Image Credits
Chris Earley