Biography
Darrell & Danny Barnes is the collaborative pairing of Nashville-based singer-songwriter Darrell Scott and Pacific Northwest-based banjo innovator Danny Barnes — two roots music veterans who share a surname but are not related. Darrell Scott was born on August 6, 1959 in London, Kentucky, and raised in East Gary, Indiana in a musical family; his father Wayne was a musician, and Darrell and his brothers played instruments together from an early age. He left home at 16 to play bars in Southern California, later studying poetry at Tufts University before relocating to Nashville in 1992. Danny Barnes was born on December 21, 1961 in Temple, Texas, and shaped by a household full of competing influences — his father and grandmother introduced him to country and bluegrass, while his older brothers pulled him toward Delta blues and punk rock. He attended the University of Texas, graduating in 1985 with a degree in audio production before co-founding the seminal alt-country trio The Bad Livers in Austin in 1990.
The two artists traveled parallel but distinct paths through American roots music before their friendship eventually produced recorded work together. Scott built his name as one of Nashville's premier songwriters — Garth Brooks, the Dixie Chicks, and Tim McGraw all recorded his compositions — while also releasing acclaimed solo albums and winning the Americana Music Association's Song of the Year in 2007 for "Hank Williams' Ghost." Barnes, meanwhile, became one of the most forward-thinking banjo players in the country, pioneering a style sometimes called "folktronics" that fused traditional string music with electronic and glitch elements. He won the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass in 2015. The two men's shared affection for deep American vernacular music — gospel, country, string music — laid the groundwork for their eventual collaboration.
Their recording together, titled New Corinthians, was released on January 29, 2025. The project originated in August 2022 when Scott was touring the Pacific Northwest and dropped in to visit Barnes at his home. The resulting session produced three traditional gospel songs — "Feel Like Traveling On," "Just One Rose Will Do," and "Are You Walking and Talking for the Lord" — captured in an informal, spontaneous setting. The recording reflects the easy chemistry of two artists who have spent decades absorbing American sacred and secular traditions, making New Corinthians a quiet, intimate statement rather than a showcase. Scott went on to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2025 Americana Music Honors & Awards in September of that year.
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Fun Facts
- Their collaboration album New Corinthians (2025) was recorded spontaneously during a single session in August 2022 when Darrell Scott dropped by Danny Barnes' home in the Pacific Northwest while on tour — the entire release is only about nine minutes long.
- Danny Barnes and Darrell Scott share the same last name (Barnes/Scott) but are not related — Barnes is Danny's actual surname, while 'Barnes' in the duo credit simply refers to him; the two are longtime friends who happened to converge on traditional gospel music.
- Danny Barnes won the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass in 2015 — an award founded and personally presented by comedian and banjo player Steve Martin to honor innovation in the instrument.
- Darrell Scott studied poetry under Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Philip Levine at Tufts University, and his literary sensibility is widely credited for elevating his songwriting above standard Nashville craft — artists from Garth Brooks to the Dixie Chicks have recorded his compositions.
Musical Connections
Mentors/Influences
- Grandpa Jones - Danny Barnes cites seeing Grandpa Jones and Stringbean in concert at age 10 as a formative inspiration for his banjo playing [Early 1970s]
- Wayne Scott - Darrell Scott's father, a musician and songwriter who raised Darrell and his brothers in a musical household [1960s–1970s]
Key Collaborators
- Tim O'Brien - Darrell Scott released the duo album Real Time (2000) with newgrass pioneer Tim O'Brien and co-wrote songs with him [Late 1990s–2000s]
- Bill Frisell - Danny Barnes has collaborated and performed with jazz guitarist Bill Frisell [2000s–2010s]
- Dave Matthews - Dave Matthews served as executive producer on Danny Barnes' album Pizza Box [2010s]
- David Grisman - Danny Barnes was part of the Dawg Trio with David Grisman in 2019
- Mark Rubin - Danny Barnes co-founded The Bad Livers in Austin with bassist Mark Rubin in 1990 [1990–2000s]
- Paul Leary - Paul Leary of the Butthole Surfers produced The Bad Livers' debut album Delusions of Banjer (1992)
- Guy Clark - Darrell Scott did session work with Guy Clark after moving to Nashville in 1992 [Early 1990s]
Connection Network
External Links
References
Heard on WWOZ
darrell & danny barnes has been played 1 time on WWOZ 90.7 FM, New Orleans' jazz and heritage station.