Maine country musician Harper still going strong

By Bill Van Tassel

Maine country music composer and performer Danny Harper was born in 1948 in Bar Harbor and raised in Tremont on Mount Desert Island, by his grandmother.
Harper’s mother died before he was 2. Tragedy and challenge in his life would later have a great impact on his attachment to country music and the lyrics he would pen.

He would learn, some years later, that his mother sang and played guitar. She was the only member of his extended family he recalls had any musical talent. Traditional country music — Harper emphasizes “traditional” — seems to be something coded into Harper’s DNA.
A self-taught artist, he began nurturing a strong affinity for country music and the great stars of the 1950s through the 1970s.
He grew up with the songs of Conway Twitty, Waylon Jennings, Patsy Cline, Hank Williams and others. Harper learned to play rhythm guitar and sing as he grew into his teen years.
Like many self-taught musicians, he did not become proficient in reading music until later, but this did not keep him from developing his talent and pursuing his love for the genre.
He learned the Nashville Number System of composition developed in the late 1950s and used widely in country music. By the age of 13, Harper began winning talent contests, eventually invited as a guest performer on the popular “Hal Lone Pine Show” in 1962.
In the 1970s, Harper hosted his own television show out of Bangor and had recorded his first 45-rpm record.
His attraction to traditional country music rests on how the lyrics focus on everyday life, its frequent challenges and how people deal with them. “Country music talks to me,” he says. With a note of regret, he adds, “The changes that have taken place in most of country music today do not reflect the true country music traditions.”
Over the years Harper, who still lives on Mount Desert Island, became more recognized in Maine and beyond. He recorded a full-length album in 1986, following that with two Nashville-produced albums — one featuring his signature song, “Uncle Clyde.” During this time, he began opening acts for stars like Reba McEntire, Lee Greenwood, Bobby Bare, Lynn Anderson, Charlie Daniels and others.
He also appeared in shows with a few rock ‘n’ roll artists, including Chubby Checker, Rick Nelson and Jon Schneider of “Dukes of Hazzard” fame. Along his career path, Harper gives thanks to some Mainers like country music promoter and long-time friend Norm Poulin as well as Dick Curless. Often called the Baron of Country Music in Maine, Curless was a Fort Fairfield native.
In 1990, when a scheduled concert by Curless ran into trouble with his band having the flu, Curless asked Harper if could fill the spot. Harper was more than happy to accept the offer from one of his favorite CM traditionalists.
A few years later, just as Harper’s career was looking promising, a family tragedy came with the loss of his daughter in 1993. The event was enough to take Harper away from his passion for writing and performing.
After an absence of 10 years from the music scene, he was inspired by his grandson to reconnect with his song making. He would ultimately record a new CD titled “One More Time,” which received good reviews.
The album features songs in the traditional country style. Since that time, even at 70, he continues to pen lyrics expressing his thoughts and feelings about things in the everyday life of Americans.
He has recently written a song, “We Stand,” in response to the recent issue with NFL players kneeling during the national anthem. His song “There Love Is Strong” talks about a life so hectic with demands and challenges that the married couple seem to have no quiet time to share together, but “They made a vow… and they’re committed to the journey.”
Another song, “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?” is about the first real love a young man has and the sharing of dreams together. One moves on and the young man asks himself over the years, “Do I ever cross your mind?”
These lyrics and others from songs like “Wheels,” “Wreaths Across America” and “For The Love Of Country” are all about things in the everyday lives of many people — a boy’s first car, patriotism, our veterans, as well as the challenging personal losses and the often-discouraging events taking place in our nation.
Harper continues to keep his fans happy as he tours with his band of talented musicians to fairs, clubs and other venues. In 2017 he released his eighth CD, “On the Edge,” and continues to compose. He has also begun writing his autobiography.

PHOTO: Danny Harper (Submitted photo)