The IBMA Foundation is thrilled to announce the winner of its 5th annual Strings for Dreams Bluegrass Raffle: Danny Daniel of Bowling Green, Kentucky. Danny’s name was drawn during a live stream on May 1, awarding him the coveted prize — a vintage 1980 Advanced Maple Blossom Deering banjo.
“I just told my partner at the construction company, I really can’t remember winning anything before,” said Daniel, who has been a partner at Scott, Murphy, & Daniel, a business and retail construction firm with offices in Bowling Green and Owensboro, for 42 years.
Though he hasn’t played in decades, Daniel once had a passion for the banjo. “My son is almost 40 now, and I just turned 70. Up until he was two years old, I did play. I’ve got an old Gibson pre-war banjo, but I haven’t had it out of the case in 30 years. Maybe this will entice me to pick it up again. Learning to play was one of the hardest things I ever tried to do!”
He credits his banjo education to the “Murphy Method” instructional cassette tapes by banjo player Murphy Henry. “I learned several songs and got along pretty well after that. I could learn at home and re-run the tape until it finally sunk into my head,” he recalled.
Danny’s musical roots run deep. He once played in a local group called The Original Lonesome Road Travelers alongside family members, although stage fright kept him from loving live performances. “But my son is the exact opposite,” he said. “At age 15, he was ready for the big stage.” That son is Kyle Daniel, a respected country/Southern rock/Americana artist whose “homegrown Kentucky rock ‘n’ soul” style has been praised by Rolling Stone.
Growing up in Bowling Green, Danny lived down the street from Ruth Burch, wife of Bluegrass Hall of Fame member and New Grass Revival co-founder Curtis Burch. Danny has long appreciated the genre and was inspired to support the IBMA Foundation raffle due to its mission. “That’s why I bought the tickets,” he said. “Not thinking I might win. I just thought it was a great program.”
Danny purchased his raffle tickets on April 1, the first day they became available. “I was more than surprised to find out I won the banjo. In fact, it was quite a shock!” he said. “I’m not the luckiest guy when it comes to the horse track or wherever. My luck doesn’t usually play out too well.”
What resonated most for Danny was the IBMA Foundation’s commitment to scholarships and youth programs. “It related back to my son and the hard work he’s put in to make it in the music business,” he said, noting Kyle earned a Recording Industry Management degree at Middle Tennessee State University with support from Kentucky’s KEES program. “There are a whole lot of kids who don’t have those resources. I kind of like the idea of backing the IBMA Foundation. I have been fortunate through my life and in my career, and I like the idea of giving back.”
For more information about the IBMA Foundation and how to support educational and charitable programs that promote bluegrass music, visit www.bluegrassfoundation.org.
RETURN to the May 2025 issue of The Cornerstone.
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