Welcome Dan Cox to Our Family!

#72 / News Announcement

We’re pleased to announced that guitarist Danny Cox is joining us as the newest member of The Flood.

Ask our bass player Randy Hamilton to name his best friends on the planet and Dan will be among those at the very top of the list. The two have known each other since high school.

Now, the rest of us had been hearing about this marvelous guitar player for years, then finally, on a cold night last January, we finally got to hear him and, oh my! That was the night that from his Ironton, Ohio, home, Dan tagged along with Randy to the weekly Flood gathering and immediately really warmed up the place. (Of course, we had to commemorate the moment as we always do: in our weekly podcast. Click here to hear Danny and Veezy trading choruses on this great old Mississippi Sheiks standard, “Sittin’ on Top of the World.”)

Immediately we all recognized a kindred spirit in this smart, funny, talented Ohioan, and we were thrilled that he returned every week throughout the winter and into the spring to keep sharing ideas with us. Along the way we learned more of his story.

Born and raised in southern Ohio, Dan was not quite 13 in the spring of '72 when his dad bought a guitar from a nephew for $3, brought it home and, with a big grin, handed it to his son. "I hadn't asked for or shown any interest in learning to play guitar," Danny recalls.

"Mom taught me D, G, and A7 to accompany the 'Great Speckled Bird.' It was a beginning." Dan adds, "I had a brother-in-law who's a pretty good player. He showed me some classic rock licks and could play Chet Atkins style. I would watch anyone that could play a guitar."

Over the years, Danny has played in several bands as he travel around the country as a professional field service engineer.

After he retired, he moved back home to the Tri-State Area in 2019 and married Tami McCorkle, his 7th grade girlfriend. They will celebrate their third anniversary this September. As Dan’s daughter, Sheena Rae, says, “I haven't seen my daddy smile like this in a long time. I am so happy to have him back!”

Well, before the winter was over, we in The Flood were eager to ask Dan to join our family too, but we wanted to wait until he had chance to meet our "tribal elder."

As we’ve noted, 80-year-old Doug Chaffin has had a rough year. Despite being double-vaxxed and boosted, Doug spent the first weeks of January in the hospital fighting Covid. Even after his release, recovery has been slow and frustrating, meaning he hasn't been able to attend a Flood rehearsal since December.

Finally, in the early May, Doug was feeling better and the bunch of us rode into Ashland to visit him and Donna. The mission was not only to perk up their spirits, also to let Danny and Doug meet each other.

We were so pleased to watch of the two guitarists quickly hit it off. They even found they had friends and acquaintances in common. (And, as usual, the podcast recorded the evening. Click here to hear Doug, Danny and Veezy rocking the solos on the W.C. Handy's classic "Yellow Dog Blues.)

With that beautiful blessing from Brother Doug, we popped the question and Dan agreed to become the newest member of the band. Welcome aboard, buddy!