The founding member of "The Toby Beau Band," passed away Wednesday, April 26th early in the morning. Group leader, Danny McKenna, age 54, died in his McAllen, Texas home. We will all miss him.

Those of us who were close to him, remember that he was a loving husband and devoted father of his children. Self-taught on guitar, banjo, piano and countless other instruments as well as a renowned guitar maker, Danny was a gifted songwriter and vocalist, always the consummate perfectionist. He wrote most of the material on the early "Toby Beau" albums and collaborated with Ron Rose and myself on our own material.

I remember in late 1977, he came to me with this great melody line and the best opening line lyric line I had ever heard in a song. Even with the song almost finished he still sought me out to get me to finish it with him. That is the kind of person he was musically and personally. That songwriting session gave birth to "My Angel Baby" and the greatest years of my life.

Everything I know on the guitar, I learned from him, and I am proud to carry on that legacy for the rest of my life. So to my dear friend, Danny, my mentor and best man at my wedding, I bid you farewell.

God Bless you, I hope He lets you look in on us from time to time.

Your little brother,

Balde Silva

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