Let Daneka Nation’s baritone vocals serenade you with his newest track “Sacred Ground”
By Bobby Martin
Rhett Daneka, who goes by the moniker Daneka Nation, wasn’t always a singer. He spent years flying planes in various capacities, but after meeting a friend who taught him the craft, he knew singing was the life for him.
Daneka Nation has released a new single titled “Sacred Ground,” which is a Kix Brooks penned tune that describes what a high school pal had gone through in life.
“It’s kind of a story of my best friend in high school,” Daneka said. “He got out of high school and the first thing he wanted to do was have kids. So we graduated in May, and he was already out hitting the clubs on Fridays and Saturday nights. He was a great country western dancer. Well, he found a woman who he got pregnant and had kids. He just couldn’t wait. It’s really kind of my best friend’s story.”
The original version of the song didn’t have much fanfare, but in 1992, McBride and the Ride shot it up the charts to number two. The only song in front of it was “Achy Breaky Heart” by Billy Ray Cyrus. Daneka heard the tune on the radio one day while driving, and it hit home so hard that he knew he needed to record it. He pointed out that the storyline touches anyone who went through a similar situation, or anyone who knows young parents working their tails off to get by.
Daneka feels that “Sacred Ground” is the best track that he has recorded, and it has had airplay in South America and Europe. The track has more than 200,000 listeners on Spotify, and Daneka is relishing in the fact that it is taking off.
“It’s exciting,” Daneka said. “Finally I’ve got something big to work with, and I can’t wait for it to be out there for everybody to hear. I want to hear it on every radio station in the U.S. and all over the world.”
Daneka Nation’s creative style is a unique one, as he works with an Argentinian multi-instrumentalist named Ariel who plays every instrument on “Sacred Ground.” Ariel will put together the music, and send it to Daneka to review before he gets in the studio. Daneka then lays down his baritone vocals along with some background singers to complete the track.
Daneka is a former pilot who worked as a chief flight instructor, and also flew an air ambulance rescuing premature babies from small Texas towns. Due to being partially color blind, Daneka stopped flying and became self-employed. This is when he also discovered his love for singing.
“I learned a couple songs and went to karaoke bars, and wasn’t very good,” Daneka said. “Finally I ran into an 87-year-old man who was 80% blind. He was a quartet singer who had been singing since he was six. So he couldn’t drive, and I couldn’t sing, so we paired up and he taught me basically everything about how to sing over a period of three or four years.”
Daneka said they would go out as much as six times a week, hitting multiple karaoke bars. Eventually his karaoke buddy passed away, but Daneka’s love for music and belting out vocals lived on.
“I started lining things up to get the best people around me,” Daneka said. “I got the best guitar players, bass players, drum players and started making music in 2021.”
The first song he made a Doug Stone cover called “In a Different Light,” which he changed up into more of a “rock/country” song.
Daneka Nation has seven songs recorded, and has a goal of getting up to 20 tracks. Then he can get a live band together to play his tunes to the masses.
“I’ve got a post-it note in my bathroom with three goals,” he said. “Number one is to make it in the music industry. The second one is to play sold out arenas. The third is to play Rodeo Houston- the biggest rodeo in the world.”
Daneka Nation has been writing his own material, but he has not gotten into the recording process yet. He has a big binder to pull lyrics from to create songs of his own down the road. Daneka said that when he gets his band together, it will be a family friendly event where he always puts in 110%.
One thing is certain for Daneka Nation: He is persistent and plans to put everything he’s got into his music.
“I refuse to be a one hit wonder,” Daneka said. “If you made it as a one hit wonder, you made enough money to pay someone to write you another hit song. I will never understand a one hit wonder. Daneka Nation will never be that. I don’t care if I have to go to California, or Nashville, or wherever I have to go to make a hit song. I’m all in.”
Be sure to check out music by Daneka Nation on all major platforms
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