Meet Wills
January 9th, 2012

Born in Hammersmith, London in 1977. Coming into the world Daniel was thrust into a musical surrounding from the get go.

Son of bass player Rick Wills, who at the time of Daniel’s birth was a member of Peter Frampton’s band ‘Frampton’s Camel’. In 1979, Daniel and his family were relocated to New York when his father was hired to become bass player for Atlantic Records’ artist Foreigner. For the next ten years, Daniel was raised around some of music’s finest rock producers and musicians, from David Gilmour to Billy Joel.  Traveling the globe and experiencing first-hand the exciting, hectic and lucrative business of a super-group who filled stadiums and arenas worldwide.

In 1991 the Wills family moved again, this time back to the home country of both parents, to their hometown of Cambridge where they both grew up and met.

Daniel went to great schools and started playing drums and guitar at 12 years old. Mark Ronson, stepson to Foreigner’s lead guitarist, Mick Jones taught Daniel his first guitar riff, (Led Zeppelin – The Ocean). From there Daniel began writing original music and recording it himself.

At 19, Daniel enrolled in a diploma course in Cambridge for 2 years of Music Theory, Recording and Business Studies. After graduating, Daniel was then accepted and given a place within the Gateway School of Music program in association with Kingston University, London. There, Daniel studied Music Technology, Recording and Business along side professors who were also producers and engineers in London’s hottest studios including BBC Maida Vale and other highly reputable and globally recognizable establishments.

Daniel graduated with distinction on stage at one of London’s most reputable venues, The Royal Albert Hall in 1999, and after two years of touring around England playing drums in some great original bands he was offered the opportunity to go out on the road as bass and drum technician for Bad Company. Working for rock legend drummer Simon Kirke and his father on bass. The line-up also had super star vocalist Paul Rodgers. They toured America on a co-headlining tour with Styx and Billy Squire for seven months. At the end of the tour, Daniel decided to stay in the States and moved to Brooklyn.

In Brooklyn, Daniel reconnected with his past life friends from New York and began playing Drums for party promoter and DJ Samantha Ronson, who’s band also had recent pop star Duncan Sheik playing bass. In this line up they played some very highbrow events with press and celebrities a plenty.

Los Angeles would be the next destination to call home for Daniel in 2002, where he made new friends and connections in the music industry and then T.V. industry, working as a production assistant on the ABC late night talk show Jimmy Kimmel. Daniel then became assistant Tour Manager for Universal Records’ classic rock band Styx.

Daniel toured for 4 years with Styx, becoming their tour photographer and also shooting a hit music video with them for a cover version of the Beatles song ‘I Am The Walrus’ which Daniel shot all the video footage for. He also took the inlay pictures used in the 2005 release by Styx called The Big Bang Theory.

2005 was another relocating year, moving to Miami, Florida to follow his heart and start a family with fashion photographer and now wife, Beth Studenberg.

In 2006, after a photo shoot with OK! Magazine, Daniel hit it off with 90’s multi-platinum selling singer Scott Stapp of Wind-Up records’ Creed, and was hired to be Scott’s bass player in his solo band line-up. For the next sixteen months they recorded an album in Scott’s home studio.

Currently Daniel resides in Miami, Florida in a great area teaming with hot new talent, and is producing local bands, engineering for studio sessions and front-of-house sound for some of Miami’s most prestigious live venues. Also booking artists at most of the venues in Miami and recording original music of his own with collaborations between he and Miami’s finest musicians of all genres.

Daniel is opening a rehearsal studio in Miami’s art district of Wynwood for all the musicians in the area with nowhere to rehearse, which will also become a booking agency and artist management base.

Daniel’s passion for music and to develop talent to it’s fullest potential has generated a healthy respect among the musical community in South Florida and the future holds a lot of exciting prospects for Daniel Wills and the artists who work alongside him.

Check out Wills on SDFM here.

Connect with Wills online:
@willstheband on Twitter
Reverbnation

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