Daniel Edgerly Zanes was born November 8, 1961 in New Hampshire. He was a member of the Del Fuegos, the frontman of the group Dan Zanes and Friends, and currently performs with his wife, Claudia Eliaza Zanes, as Dan + Claudia. Zanes grew up in the "white monoculture" of New Hampshire, and recalls being introduced to Lead Belly at age seven, after getting his first library card. He attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts for two years. With his band, Zanes made several records – The Longest Day (1984), Boston, Mass (1985), Stand Up (1987), Smoking in the Fields (1989) – and had a hit single