Jeff Daniels

Jeff Daniels is better known as an actor, but he's also been writing and performing music since the early 1990s. His debut album came out in 1993, featuring the song 'Are You As Excited (About Me As I Am).' That track became something of a calling card for his music side, with its straightforward folk-rock feel and conversational lyrics.

He put out a few more albums over the next decade or so, like 'Slip Slide on By' in 1997 and 'Grandfather's Hat' in 2006. The music tends to be acoustic-based, leaning into folk and blues, with songs like 'Hard To Hear The Angels Sing' and 'When My Fingers Find Your Strings' showing his preference for simple, story-driven writing. He sometimes performed with a group called the Night Watchmen.

That recognition came from the music community itself, separate from his film and theater work. Daniels has kept at it, playing shows and recording when he can, treating music as another outlet rather than a second career.