Danny was born into a family well known for their musical talents and abilities. Their credits range from recording albums to starting their own hālau.  At the ripe old age of 12, Danny’s mom insisted that it was time for him to go out, earn a living, and follow in his family’s footsteps.  Along with both his mom & dad, Danny became the third member of the Naipo Serenaders.  The Naipo Serenaders found a home at the lobby bar of the Hawaiian Regent Hotel.  Although Danny was not yet 18 years old, he told everyone that he was so he could be allowed to perform there.  By the age of 15, Danny became the youngest bass player in Waikīkī.

At the age of 16, Dan auditioned for and secured a spot in The Kailua High School Madrigal Singers.  Known all over Hawai‘i and throughout the world.  Danny credits his instructor, Mr. Shigeru Hotoke, for all that he learned about stage performance, vocals, and entertaining, which continue to serve him well till this day.  While in the Madrigals, Danny learned to dance some hula as well as the Samoan fire-knife dance, but he quickly learned that the fire was real (and so were the burns), and that playing in the band was where his true talent lies.  Because of Danny’s love for music, he taught himself to play whatever instrument he could get his hands on.  These instruments included: drums, guitar, electric bass, and keyboards.  At the insistence of his mother, Dan also took up the saxophone, which he still plays every once in a while.  As a member of the Kailua Madrigals, perhaps the one thing that Danny is most thankful for was being able to travel around the world.  Danny had the extreme privilege of visiting places such as: France, Germany, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India, Africa, Egypt, Hong Kong, and Japan (all of which he accomplished before graduating from high school).

After graduation, Danny became a member of a family group managed by his uncle.  This group, called Naipo Inc., is where Danny continued to learn and hone his craft.  As the closing group for aunty Genoa Keawe in a club called Hale Aloha, and later at a club called Watertown, Danny was introduced to many performers whom he considered to be “giants” in the music business and credits each one of them for sharing their mana‘o with him, a young man from Waimānalo who had still so much to learn.  Some of the people that Danny had a chance to perform with and learn from included: Aunty Genoa Keawe, I Kona, Kekua Fernandez, Daryl Lupenui, Sam Bernard, Marlene Sai, Karen Keawehawai‘i, Palani Vaughan, Jimmy Borges, Kimo Kahoano, and Robert and Roland Cazimero (to name a few).  Each night, the best musicians as well as dancers would come to the club, and soon the stage would be filled with a frenzy of performers.  Because of all the hālau that would come to the clubs like Watertown, Danny soon found himself as one of the musicians for Hula Hālau o Kawaili‘ulā.  From there, Dan got his first experience at the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival.

After years of performing for other groups and hālau, Dan made the decision in 1990 that he would start his own band and sing his own music.  After many name changes, Tropical Knights was born.  Along with his brother-in-law Solo Pamatigan and brothers Ernie and Erving Chang, Tropical Knights began to take shape.  Experimenting with different forms of music like reggae and a cappella singing, Tropical Knights began to quickly rise as one of Hawai‘i’s headlining island music groups.  Their second recording received 2 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award nominations.  Danny became an accomplished singer and songwriter, composing hits like “Cry, Cry, Cry,” “Daddy’s Little Girl,” and “Going Home.”  Yet perhaps the one song most people will remember as Danny’s signature song is “Sweet & Slow” (although it wasn’t written by him).  It is still one of our most favorite songs…most favorite to Danny’s wife because he sang it to her on their very first date.  It was her urging that got Danny to record the song.  Danny says, “Tracy wasn’t interested in me, but I knew that all I had to do was sing to her…and the rest, as they say, is history.”

As with all new things, there is great anticipation, as well as some anxiety as to what the future holds.  But as Nā Kama celebrates over 10 years of island music, Danny continues to focus and fine-tune his on-stage performances.  As we all await the completion of Nā Kama’s newest project, the group’s greatly anticipated fourth recording, Nā Kama knows there are so many more things to do and so little time to do it.  Yet they are excited for what promises to be a great year.  Before every performance Danny still says, “Let’s do this thing!”  Danny says that it’s his way of telling the guys before they hit the stage, “We’re here, we’re ready, and it’s time to go to work.”  So you may have heard the new SOUND of Nā Kama, or you may have seen the new LOOK of Nā Kama, but if you haven’t heard or seen them lately…then you ain’t seen nothing yet!