I met Danny at Wrightstown Elementary School, and he, I, and fellow alumnus Dave Skriletz became inseparable best friends from fifth grade until long after high school ended. Throughout that time, the three of us laughed and learned about life together, establishing so much of who we would end up becoming as adults, as we discovered humor (from Mad magazine to National Lampoon to Monty Python), music (Danny adored Elton John and had his own collection of mod sunglasses), girls and the resulting high school crushes, how to socialize and party, acting in plays (Bill Burgess!! The Little Theatre!!), etc. Both Danny and I liked to draw cartoons, which delighted our teachers, and we soon discovered that we could get out of a lot of written assignments if we requested to draw cartoons instead. So, while others had to compose essays, or fill composition books, Danny and I would often be sitting in a corner illustrating banners, posters, reports, etc. In 1970 when we were ten years old, we were each approached by the Tucson Daily Citizen and asked to design and submit an illustration for the newspaper’s centennial celebration, and Danny’s cowboy drawing was selected and published. He was ecstatic! As the years went by, the three of us became devoted to, and obsessed with, music, and Danny learned to play guitar and began writing songs. At a young age, he performed often at his church, including experimenting for a while with ventriloquism. In high school, he would often stay up late at night listening to the radio station KWFM (while everyone else we knew were still tuning into top 40 playlists on AM radio), and would excitedly tell us the next day on our walk to school about new music he had heard and new artists he had discovered, such as Be+Bop Deluxe, Harry Nilsson, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, Peter Frampton, Bruce Springsteen, etc. To this day, when I am sitting in the dark and listening to “Jungleland,” I think about Danny and the night he first heard that song, and could hardly wait to tell us about it the following morning. Danny continued to excel at guitar and evolve with his musical tastes after graduation, and in 1980, Danny started a band (along with Gilbert Heredia and fellow high school alumnus Rory Gargus) called “Zeal,” for which he crafted some amazing tunes. Forty years later, I still listen to their album, and songs such as “Penguins in Leather Jackets,” “Don’t Tell Your Mama,” “War of Nerves,” and “She Moves Me” still play in my head. In 1985, he was part of an experimental group called “If,” which was referenced in Robert Zucker’s book “Entertaining Tucson Across the Decades, Volume 1: 1950s-1985.” Sadly, Danny passed away in April of 1987, and not a day goes by where I don’t wonder what contributions he could have made to the world of music had his life not been cut short so soon. “Be Cool. D. Hill.” he would often say to us. Indeed. Rest in peace, Danny.
I have very fond memories of Danny and Chip at Wrightstown. They drew the most amazing cartoons on the chalk board! They were funny and fun to be around. Danny was a bit shy, but very smart and very kind. I was so saddened when my mother sent me a newpaper clipping about his passing.
Gordon (Chip) Crawford
I met Danny at Wrightstown Elementary School, and he, I, and fellow alumnus Dave Skriletz became inseparable best friends from fifth grade until long after high school ended. Throughout that time, the three of us laughed and learned about life together, establishing so much of who we would end up becoming as adults, as we discovered humor (from Mad magazine to National Lampoon to Monty Python), music (Danny adored Elton John and had his own collection of mod sunglasses), girls and the resulting high school crushes, how to socialize and party, acting in plays (Bill Burgess!! The Little Theatre!!), etc. Both Danny and I liked to draw cartoons, which delighted our teachers, and we soon discovered that we could get out of a lot of written assignments if we requested to draw cartoons instead. So, while others had to compose essays, or fill composition books, Danny and I would often be sitting in a corner illustrating banners, posters, reports, etc. In 1970 when we were ten years old, we were each approached by the Tucson Daily Citizen and asked to design and submit an illustration for the newspaper’s centennial celebration, and Danny’s cowboy drawing was selected and published. He was ecstatic! As the years went by, the three of us became devoted to, and obsessed with, music, and Danny learned to play guitar and began writing songs. At a young age, he performed often at his church, including experimenting for a while with ventriloquism. In high school, he would often stay up late at night listening to the radio station KWFM (while everyone else we knew were still tuning into top 40 playlists on AM radio), and would excitedly tell us the next day on our walk to school about new music he had heard and new artists he had discovered, such as Be+Bop Deluxe, Harry Nilsson, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, Peter Frampton, Bruce Springsteen, etc. To this day, when I am sitting in the dark and listening to “Jungleland,” I think about Danny and the night he first heard that song, and could hardly wait to tell us about it the following morning. Danny continued to excel at guitar and evolve with his musical tastes after graduation, and in 1980, Danny started a band (along with Gilbert Heredia and fellow high school alumnus Rory Gargus) called “Zeal,” for which he crafted some amazing tunes. Forty years later, I still listen to their album, and songs such as “Penguins in Leather Jackets,” “Don’t Tell Your Mama,” “War of Nerves,” and “She Moves Me” still play in my head. In 1985, he was part of an experimental group called “If,” which was referenced in Robert Zucker’s book “Entertaining Tucson Across the Decades, Volume 1: 1950s-1985.” Sadly, Danny passed away in April of 1987, and not a day goes by where I don’t wonder what contributions he could have made to the world of music had his life not been cut short so soon. “Be Cool. D. Hill.” he would often say to us. Indeed. Rest in peace, Danny.
Tricia Martinjak (Dewey)
I have very fond memories of Danny and Chip at Wrightstown. They drew the most amazing cartoons on the chalk board! They were funny and fun to be around. Danny was a bit shy, but very smart and very kind. I was so saddened when my mother sent me a newpaper clipping about his passing.
RIP, Danny.