Dan Baird was the frontman for late-'80s roots rock/one-hit wonders
the Georgia Satellites, before launching his own solo career. Born on December 12, 1953, in San Diego, CA, but raised in Atlanta, GA,
Baird picked up the guitar early on and began playing with local bands during his teenage years. By December of 1980,
Baird had formed
the Georgia Satellites (who would eventually consist of both
Baird and
Rick Richards on vocals/guitar,
Rick Price on bass, and
Mauro Magellan on drums). The quartet quickly found their musical niche -- a bar band version of such classic three-chord rockers as
AC/DC and
the Rolling Stones -- and in 1985 issued their debut recording, an independently issued six-song EP titled Keeping the Faith.
The mini-album helped land
the Satellites a recording contract with Elektra, which led to the release of their full-length, self-titled major-label debut a year later. It took a while for the album to pick up steam, but it eventually became a surprise platinum certified hit by the summer of 1987, due to the number five hit single "Keep Your Hands to Yourself," and another popular single/video, "Battleship Chains."
Baird and
the Satellites issued two more releases during the late '80s, 1988's
Open all Night and 1989's
In the Land of Salvation and Sin, but neither matched the success of their self-titled debut, and led to the group's split by the dawn of the '90s.
It didn't take long for
Baird to regain his footing and begin a solo career, as evidenced by 1991's
Love Songs for the Hearing Impaired (issued on
Rick Rubin's Def American label). The album appeared to put
Baird back on the right track commercially, as it spawned a popular single/video with "I Love You Period." But a long break ensued before the appearance of his sophomore solo effort, 1996's
Buffalo Nickel, which sunk from sight shortly after release (the same year,
the Georgia Satellites re-formed, but without
Baird). He set his sights on producing and/or guesting on other artist's recordings, including
Fred Haring's
This Grand Parade,
Will Hoge's
Carousel, and
Chris Knight's
Pretty Good Guy.
Baird, along with his group
the Yayhoos (which formed in the midst of the unsuccessful
Buffalo Nickel tour), released two albums: 2001's
Fear Not the Obvious and 2006's
Put the Hammer Down.
Out of Mothballs, a collection of outtakes and rarities, appeared early in 2008, followed later in the year by
Dan Baird & the Homemade Sin.
–
Greg Prato, Rovi