City Lifestyle

Want to start a publication?

Learn More

Featured Article

Life Defining Music

Carrying On The Legacy Of A Musical Family

Growing up with a father who was a very successful record producer, Dann Rogers was used to being around famous entertainers. “My dad, Lelan, was promoting people like Mickey Newbury and Bobby Vinton and all these famous R&B acts,” he says. “They were always in our house, and it was a very special sandbox for a kid to play in.”

It’s no wonder Dann ended up writing, producing and singing music. “I wrote my first hit when I was 15 for Johnny Nash called 'My Merry-Go-Round.' John Lennon sent me a personal message that it was the greatest song he ever heard.”

His Uncle Kenneth, or as the world knows him, Kenny Rogers, was also a huge influence on his career. “He and I were the first two related artists to ever be on the Billboard Top 10 at the same time. He had 'Coward of the County' at number five, and I had 'Looks Like Love Again' at number six. He was proud of me.”

Dann’s music is soulful and full of meaning, and he says he finds inspiration wherever he feels connected to God. “My music comes through me, it's not of me. I do not want my music to define my life; I want my life to define my music. I don't write songs unless they move me and I believe they're going to move somebody else.”

He’s actually thrown some songs away. “Glen Campbell pulled a song of mine out of the garbage, recorded it and had a hit with it,” says Dann. “He told me to never throw away another song until he hears it.”

Dann will also write songs and then put them away for years. He wrote 'Lesson in Love,' around 2010, but only released it last year. “It kept nagging at me and I was also seeing what was going on in the news,” he says. “I felt God telling me it was time to release it." 

Some of the other songs that resonate with him are 'Let Go' and 'Be Still and Unlovable.' “Another song, 'It’s Life,' is me coming to terms with life and love,” says Dann. “Then there's a song I wrote while I was in a deep depression called 'When I Hurt.' Writing songs is definitely a healing process for me.”

Although Dann now spends most of his time in Southern California, he travels to the area a few times a year and is contemplating doing one more tour. “I would definitely pay tribute to Kenny during the show,” he says. DannRogers.com