Jim Daneker: Composer & Keyboardist for Michael W. Smith

The Paul Cardall Podcast

On the forty-ninth episode of All Heart with Paul Cardall, Paul is joined by producer, composer and keyboardist for Michael W. Smith, Jim Daneker. Guest hosting with Paul is Mark Mabry. They discuss Jim’s gift of music that led him to Nashville to work with the biggest names in contemporary christian music, Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant. We discuss his album “Ad Alta” and the Dove Award winning album Jim produced for Paul simply called “Christmas.” They also discuss Jim’s mom and the recent passing of his father, a pastor from Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Jim Daneker is an award-winning and Billboard-charting composer/producer who specializes in the bold, evocative, and memorable.

In addition to 25 years as keyboardist, musical director, and producer for CCM icon Michael W. Smith, Jim has enjoyed a diverse musical career. He has produced albums, arranged and written music for film (including trailers for Hollywood blockbusters such as the Fast and The Furious franchise, Transformers 2, Chronicles of Narnia, and several Disney projects), and most recently, created a virtual instrument series under the banner Backstage Pass.

After 2 decades of serving other artists, Jim took 2 years to pursue his dream of scoring a cinematic instrumental album, called AD ALTA (released June 2017). This project fuses soaring melodies reminiscent of classic film scores with creative synth textures, ethnic instruments, massive percussion and driving pop/rock grooves, all wrapped in lush orchestration supported by top session players from around the world.

In 2018, Jim produced another Billboard #1 album, this time for quadruple #1 artist Paul Cardall - an album that had the unprecedented distinction of debuting on 9 charts simultaneously and won a Dove Award for Instrumental Album of the Year.

In 2020, Jim started pursuing several passion projects, including music for licensing via STEREO PHOENIX, continued work on the BackStage Pass series, and several other projects to be announced when the time is right.

Whether an epic film score, album production, orchestral arrangements or synth programming, no detail is overlooked; Jim's pursuit of excellence is passionate and relentless. When music is your message, every note counts.

For more about Jim Daneker

Website:: https://jimdaneker.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jimdaneker

All Heart with Paul Cardall is sponsored by J.D. Netto’s novel, The Broken Miracle, a 2-part fictional series with characters and real events inspired by the life of Paul Cardall, a world-renowned pianist born with only half a heart. Learn more: http://www.thebrokenmiracle.com

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