Before Willie D became Willie D, he was a kid growing up in Liberty, Texas.  He started playing saxophone at age 12, and soon felt the joy of expressing himself through music.  Eager to learn, he started sitting in with groups of older players, who performed a variety of music at community functions; including Sousa Marches, Polkas, Dixieland Jazz, and Show Tunes.  

Before Willie D became Willie D, he traveled the world.  Always ready for an adventure, he studied music at university, performed with the esteemed West Texas Jazz Orchestra, started a folk trio in Miami, FL, and gained valuable life advice from his idol, Pete Fountain. 

Willie D became Willie D when he moved to Austin, TX in the autumn of 2012.  That’s when Willie D - aka William “Will” Martin Daniel, Jr - really began paying his dues.  He’s held musical residencies on Austin's most prestigious stages - including The White Horse, Antone’s “Home Of The Blues”, and The Skylark Lounge.  He’s recorded with famed groups Two Hoots & A Holler and Jimmy & The Mustangs, and toured the U.S. with Palomino Shakedown.

His sax-playing stepfather, a high-school band director (and veteran of 1940’s-50’s dance bands), was the one to turn him on to ’40s-era big bands.  In 2018, six years after arriving in Austin, Willie D paid homage by forming his swing-inspired Dreamland Dance Band.  They’re an 18-piece big band devoted to authentically performing the music of the 1940’s.  

Willie D’s other band - Willie D & The Hip Pockets - was also born in 2018. Willie D brought all of his musical influences together to create a sonic-force that’s designed to be a Soul Shakedown. They’re debut album, Rock, Rhythm & Jazz (Feb. 25, 2022), is comprised of original Willie D songs blended with some unlikely covers (Midnight Special and The Crawdad Song).  The album title is a term coined by music legend, Chuck Berry, for a line in his “You Never Can Tell.”  Rock, Rhythm, & Jazz - being the band's musical DNA - strikes a special chord with music lovers worldwide whenever they experience Willie D & The Hip Pockets perform.  

Willie D also performs in singer Soul Man Sam’s SMS Band, backing the septuagenarian during “Blue Mondays” at Austin’s famed Antone’s, weekly slots at the Skylark Lounge, and frequent gigs at other area venues; including a performance at Zilker Park’s beloved “Blues On The Green” festival.  

He also plays “Gulf Coast Soul” in Hog Branch (their tagline: “Funk From The Farm”), and composes music for the Tiger Den’s monthly Le Peep dance theater shows, performed by the Girlie Revue — whom he accompanies on a 120-year-old upright grand piano undoubtedly employed for similar revues during cabaret’s original heyday. 

In 2018 Dreamland Music, LLC was formed as an umbrella for Willie D & The Hip Pockets and The Dreamland Dance Band, and later expanded to represent and book other acts.  In 2020, Dreamland launched its own record label, Blue Vada Records.

Before Willie D became Willie D, he worked hard and dreamed big. Since becoming Willie D, he’s continued to work hard, but now he’s Living The Dream!