Donny Brown is Mid-Michigan’s Music Man

Danny Brown loves playing music.

This is evident in his 22 years with The Verve Pipe. In addition to being a founding member and core songwriter, from 1992 he was also the drummer until 2014.

This is evident in the way he jams with his friends in various bands. For example, last October he was invited to perform with Bobby Randall and others at the Orange Blossom Opry in Florida.

He also performs regularly with a local classic country band, The ClaimJumpers. And he’s played with other bands in and out of the area and they call him in for a gig or two and they need a drummer.

Last December, he joined Andy Reid and other volunteer musicians to perform at the Torrant Center, the Midland County Office of Education Services, and the Saginaw Middle School District. Musicians brought together through All Music is Power, a non-profit organization he founded with Reed Lyons and Mark Lyons.

And his love of music is evident in the bands he’s formed over the years, as well as his concert shows on AM radio.

Both Stone Street Revival and Pure AM Gold have nearly identical musicians, but Pure AM Gold has one additional member, a live DJ.

“We gathered some of the best musicians we’ve played with before, got them all together and started SSR. We picked songs we loved but had never heard another band play. After just one gig, we decided to add a horn player to help SSR become an even more far-reaching singing giant,” Brown said.

“Pure AM Gold’s music selection is a little more focused on radio tunes and one-hit wonders. SSR’s song list is about making people dance a little more.”

Stone Street Revival played downtown as part of Midland's River Days Festival last year. People of all ages enjoyed the music, and when SSR captivated audiences with the first few notes, basically — Stone Street Revival played downtown as part of Midland’s River Days Festival last year. People of all ages enjoyed the music, and when SSR captivated audiences with the first few notes, basically “Hello,” many made regular trips to the dance floor.

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Stone Street Revival played downtown Midland as part of Midland’s River Days Festival last year. The band has also performed at other gigs and private events in the Great Lakes Bay area and beyond.

Pure AM Gold was founded in 2022.

“Pure AM Gold started with the show we started writing with Casey Kasem as a model, and Casey Kasem talked about each artist and song a little bit more. We should do it live,'” Brown said.

Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 began in 1970. Kasem has hosted the show for over 24 years. He used to count down his top 40 hits every week, based on Billboard magazine’s early charts and other charts since.

Pure AM Gold follows a similar format, mimicking live broadcasts while adding radio drama elements. The call letter to the radio station during the performance will be Pure AM Gold’s WPAM. The band also created a jingle for the station.

Throughout the show, Pure AM Gold plays AM radio tunes from the 60’s and 70’s and may also include music by Burt Bacharach, Neil Diamond, The Mamas and the Papas and Tony Orlando and Dawn.

“We thought, ‘Why don’t we hire a disc jockey?’ There’s a lot of variety, too,” Brown said.

Bay City's Courtney Allen and Hayden Deal danced to music played by the Claimjumpers at Bay City's Willow last year. — Bay City’s Courtney Allen and Hayden Deal danced to music played by the Claimjumpers at Bay City’s Willow last year.

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Stone Street Revival and Pure AM Gold band members include John Anderson on saxophone. George Bork on trombone. Danny Brown on drums and vocals. Ricky Narrett on keyboards. Trumpet is John Rickert. Kay Rinker O’Neill on flute, guitar and vocals. Scotty Vander on guitar and Jeffrey Warricangas on bass and vocals.

Three Men and a Tenor’s Chuck Colby will join Pure AM Gold as the show’s live DJ.

On June 3rd, Pure AM Gold performed a benefit show for Bryan’s House at Bay City’s State Theater. According to brians-house.org, Bryan’s House “was founded by him in 1996 to house terminally ill patients who need end-of-life care.”

On June 9th, Stone Street Revival will play downtown Midland from 7pm to 9pm as part of the Common Live Music Series.

On Friday, June 16th, Stone Street Revival will perform as part of the Saginaw YMCA’s 2023 Concert for a Cause. The concert begins at 5:30 PM at 1915 Fordney St. in Saginaw, but early arrival is recommended.

On Friday, August 4th, Stone Street Revival will play downtown Midland from 9-11pm as part of the Commons Live Music Series.

And on Saturday, September 9th, Stone Street Revival will perform a benefit concert for Bryan’s House at Bay City’s Wenona Park Bandshell at 7pm.

For more information, please visit All Music is Power non-profit allmusicispower.com. For more information on Stone Street Revival, please visit stonestreetrevival.com. For more information on Pure AM Gold, please visit facebook.com/PureAmGold.

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