John Daniel Tate was born on November 10, 1955 to David Munroe Tate Jr. and Hazel Ella Tate in Beaumont, Texas. At 6 years old, Tate's family moved to Camden, Arkansas where his father, a music minister, accepted a position at a new church. There, he spent his formative years absorbing the musical and religious influences of a classic small town setting. In 1974, Tate left home to attend college, where he studied under the renowned composer and conductor, William Francis McBeth. Tate graduated Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities and is a member of Mensa. In 1989 Governor Bill Clinton appointed Tate "Arkansas Traveler"-Ambassador of Good Will.
Career
After graduating with a Bachelor of Music in Music Theory and Composition in 1978, Tate found work as a solo performer for the High School Assembly Service out of Chicago, Illinois. Touring continuously on a grueling schedule, Tate performed a combination of popular radio hits, his own songs, and told stories in a one-man show designed for High School students. From 1978 to 1980, Tate performed 600 shows in 3 semesters and had the most successful ratings and sales in the Service's 50-year history. Later in 1980, Tate moved to Nashville with intentions of making a name for himself in the music industry. His big break came when a friend cornered Rick Springfield in a club restroom and handed him a cassette tape of Tate's song "Superman" which immediately caught Springfield's ear. Tate wrote off the exchange as an impossible probability until he received a phone call from Springfield's manager, who requested the use of a substantial and extremely infectious part of the song. After a melding of minds, the writers came up with the co-written song which morphed into the runaway hit, Affair of the Heart. Springfield's recording of the song peaked at #9 on Billboard charts, the albumLiving in Oz went platinum, and the song was nominated for a Grammy.
Solo career
Riding on his success, Tate moved to Los Angeles where he felt his talents would be more profitable as a pop/rock songwriter. He then embarked on a solo career releasing Danny Tate, Nobody’s Perfect followed up with the "Dreamin'" tour featuring Danny Johnson formerly with Rick Derringer, Rod Stewart and the Troggs on guitar, and Destination X. In 2005, Tate also released a Christmas Single entitled, "Wonder what Jesus thinks about Christmas," offering a clever and unexpected examination of the Christmas holiday.
NSAI Rock Song of the Year 1998, 1999, 2000 BMI #1 Awards Multiple Platinum and Gold Records “Only an artist of rare talent, intelligence, and instinct could achieve the kind of lasting success that Tate has enjoyed"—Vincent Jeffries
