It’s an interesting proclamation given the well-known Walla farmer played his first gig at 16 and has performed somewhere across the country every week since.

Together with his fellow musicians and mates in The Longreach Band (Peter Chalmers, Steve Monte, Brett Shannon and Tim Young), Danny is a much-loved fixture on the Border music scene with the Kinross Hotel their stomping ground

But the former licensee at WA Phegan & Son Real Estate says he has always been very realistic about his abilities, which is why he chose to earn a crust from other avenues.

Now, at the age of 40, with a thriving farm and family, Danny is keen to tick off something that’s long been on his bucket list.

Music has been a constant companion in the life of this affable larrikin and you don’t have to dig too deep to realise it’s also a source of solace for his soul.

That’s why he’s “having a crack” at transforming the songs in his heart onto paper and out onto the airwaves.

He is set to launch his first 14-track album in March next year with the “arm of support” from some of the big names in the Australian country music industry.

“It’s an itch I wanted to scratch,” Danny says of his solo project.

“At 40, I felt I was in a position to tick another box on my bucket list.

“It’s been a huge learning curve to write songs and a much bigger job than I first thought.”

Danny finished recording the album in November and the video clip for the first single set for release, I’d Be Over You, was filmed at good mate Daniel Moll’s family property at Gerogery.

“I didn’t write the song, it’s a demo from the US and it’s not an autobiography,” laughs Danny in reference to the storyline.

“But it’s a beautiful song and when producer Rod (Motbey) first pitched it, I liked it straight away – I just didn’t know if I had the voice to pull it off.”

With a film crew ensconced at the Phegan farm for three days, Danny, wife Caroline and their five children gained first-hand insight into the making of a video clip.

The video was directed by Duncan Toombs, who has a string of Golden Guitar awards for music videos to his credit, including a clip made for Lee Kernaghan.

The experience wasn’t to everyone’s liking, though, with Danny’s son Bill, 9, singularly unimpressed two young actors had to kiss for the clip.

As it happens, Bill himself plays a starring role as the inspiration for another song on the album, Little Man.

Danny penned it while trenching in 8.5 kilometres of water pipeline on his farm – “it gave me a lot of time to think”.

“Bill always wanted to come with me everywhere I went but he was always asleep by the first gate,” he says.

“The song could have been written about any of my kids though.”

Lost in peaceful dreams mate and be sure that you don’t hurry them,

Take your time, ‘cause for now I’ll do the worrying.

Danny collaborated with The Longreach Band on another of the album’s songs.

How the title came about – The 3 Parts Drunk 4am After Hours Domestic Terminal Blues –  is a tale in itself (but that’s a story for another day).

With the album done and dusted, Danny and the band are busy rehearsing for a raft of gigs up and down the country in 2017.

They will play the Mountain Cattlemen’s get-together at Buchan in January, the Man From Snowy River Bush Festival in April and the famous Weipa Bullride in August.

The boys are in constant demand at their “home ground” The Kinross and also have “great supporters” in the Albury SS&A Club, Danny says.

Either way it’s a busy schedule and one can’t help but wonder if a music career is indeed much closer to reality than is first suggested.

Danny insists none of this is about trying to be famous.

“To be honest I’m just as happy playing alone at home in front of the fire,” he says.

“But we love festival gigs, rodeos and cattlemen’s events – that’s definitely our scene and we’re not getting home at 4am.

“I’m getting too old for that now.”

What Danny is never too old for is helping a good cause and he says the band is always the first to put up its hand to play at a fundraiser.

It’s nothing new for this knockabout bloke with a big heart and big dreams.

In 2002, with a loyal band of two-legged and four-legged mates, Danny completed a marathon horse trek from Darwin to Cockle Creek Bay, Tasmania to raise money for cancer.

The Campfires Against Cancer ride raised $531,318 for cancer research in the process.

A decade later, Danny felt it was time to transcribe the stories of that ride and the resulting medical advancements into a book.

In 2014, Trail of Dreams was launched at the Kinross with all author royalties donated to the Albury-Wodonga Cancer Foundation and regional trust centre.

Testament to the community support for this cause, more than 650 people packed into the pub to raise $52,000 that night.

Then – and now – the ongoing support from country communities whether it’s for his music, cancer cause or even the odd hare-brained lark, never fails to humble this “singing farmer”.

That and the unwavering forbearance of his childhood sweetheart and wife Caroline.

“If it wasn’t for Caroline, I’d probably be renting a room behind some pub singing Hank Williams songs,” Danny laughs?