Dan
Evans has wanted to be a country music star since the night his first
pickup truck was stolen.
"When I was 16, I saved all my
money from my summer job to buy a truck. I had a brand new stereo
installed and proudly drove that truck to the CD release party for
Keith Urban's Golden Road. I floated out of that show on cloud nine,
knowing that my life and all my dreams had just changed forever --
only to find that my truck and my new CD player had been stolen! But
it barely fazed me. I remember thinking that whoever took my truck
could have it; I had my CD, a new dream, and I wouldn't trade my
experience at that show for anything."
Dan
Evans grew up captivated by a love of music and a dream of sharing it
with any available audience. A native of Frankfort, Illinois, he
spent his teenage years honing his skills on the guitar and piano,
and later, welcomed the challenge of writing and performing his own
songs. Inspired by numerous artists from Keith Urban, George Strait,
Rascal Flatts, and the Eagles, Dan's desire to pursue music as a
career became less of a dream and more of a priority.
However, his lifelong battle with the scale and his own insecurities came to a screeching halt in 2008 when Dan and his mother, Jackie, were chosen to become contestants on season five of the hit reality television show, The Biggest Loser. Dan Evans quickly became a household name amongst the show's 18 million viewers. He lost 136 pounds and, subsequently, found the doors to his childhood dreams flung wide open.
"Since my time on the show, I have met so many people who watched me every week and told me how much my determination inspired them. I'm honored to be an encouragement to people; my goal as an artist is to remind every audience I encounter that personal issues and insecurities should never keep you from pursuing the things you love. I have my life back now; and I want to inspire others who have dreams, but lack the motivation to achieve them."
Just months after his own huge personal victory, Dan Evans is maintaining his status as a poster child for personal revolution. His debut album, Goin' All Out, was released in the fall of 2008 and bowed at #7 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart. Dan co-wrote four of the album's 11 tracks with Nashville heavyweights including Stephanie Lewis, ASCAP's 2002 Songwriter of the Year. The album was produced by acclaimed songwriter producer Russ DeSalvo and guitarist/composer Jim Kimball. Kimball, a noted engineer, has recorded and collaborated with artists such as Toby Keith, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, and N*Sync.
The country-rock project, influenced by Dan's musical role models Keith Urban, Jason Aldean and Tim McGraw, celebrates victory over life-limiting issues and speaks as sincere, energetic testimony of hard won self-confidence. "Letter To My Addiction (Free at Last)" is an inspiration to anyone who has struggled with addiction as Dan did before The Biggest Loser helped him to have a healthier relationship with food. "No more looking in the mirror at somebody I don't recognize," he writes. "Now without you I can see who I am, who I've always been inside."
But perhaps it is the album's track and lead single, "Goin' All Out," that best reflects Dan's new clarity of vision and purpose, both personal and musical. "Gonna fire up all this passion/Throwing my whole heart in/I'm goin' all out," he declares. With his powerful vocal delivery, infectious energy and steadfast optimism, Dan assures us he's in it to win it. With a vast community of fans cheering him on, we may rest assured this Loser will come out on top.
