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Dan Gardner...Just Living Life by Charles White
Dan Gardner
was born in New York City. When he was still just a baby, Dan was adopted and
moved to the small Mid-Western town of Goshen, Indiana. There, he grew up
along with his two older brothers, who were biological children of his adopted
parents and two older sisters, who were also adopted. He learned from an early
age that he was adopted, but was never treated different by his parents.
Instead, all of the couple’s five children were treated as biological
members of the family. His parents
were members of a small Mennonite community in Goshen and raised him and his
other siblings in the
Christian faith. From an early age, Dan began singing the four-part acapella
harmonies that were a staple of the Church. As he got older, he began to
branch out and explore other instruments besides his voice, such as the piano
and saxophone. His love of music followed him throughout high school and into
the two Christian colleges, where he honed his craft. For the last nine years,
Dan has called Atlanta home, where he has worked as a respected vocal teacher
while pursing his dreams of becoming a successful musician. As he strove
to achieve his dreams, Dan always thought back to his family and friends when
times got rough. His parents and
close friends taught him to reach for the stars, chase your dreams and never
give up, no matter how hard things seem. “If you’re doing what makes you
happy, then it’s possible to achieve those dreams even if they seem pretty
big. Anything is possible if you enjoy what you’re doing and work hard.” With The
Today Show contest came the possibility of stardom. However, Gardner never
forgot the two most important things in his life: his family and his faith.
“During The Today Show, I would talk to my parents every day and ask
them to pray for me tonight. The prayer wasn’t that I do really well on the
show. Instead, it was that I continue to have fun and
stay focused.” Following his
success on The Today Show, Dan signed with DGP Records to
release his first album. The first single has already landed him in the Top 40
on the Adult Contemporary music chart and is quickly gaining support among
fans. In September, Gardner is set to release the entire album and seems well
on his way to becoming a successful Pop star.
What’s the
biggest lesson that he has learned so far? “Have faith that you can go to
when you need to and pray and ask for support and help. Life goes by so
quickly that when you’re 70, you don’t want to wake up and think,’ Wow,
I’ve just been trying to get through life and not living it.’ ” |
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Whether the
album is a hit or not, Dan is already a success in his own mind