Although the duo was turning out top ten songs....
Eventually the walls started caving in and the duo split. John wanted to sample hard rock while Dan was more interested in the country end of things.
photo courtesy of Photo World
Dan went on to fulfill the contractual obligations of the duo and eventually went a few rounds with the Internal Revenue Service. Needless to say, Dan came out on the bad end of things. Stories have him living under the piano in his Manager's office with just a few pennies in his pocket while his children were living with friends.
Just when things were at their bleakest, Dan received a call from Liberty Records with an invitation to record an album containing some of the songs Dan had written. His first album, called "Rebel Heart" was then released.
Although the first couple of singles released from the album didn't do all that much, the next single "God Must Be A Cowboy (At Heart)" gained some attention. At that point, Dan's then long time producer Kyle Lehning introduced Dan to an up and coming five member band called "The Jones and Stanley Band" from Illinois.
Dan packed a few items and took off for Illinois where he and The Jones and Stanley Band spent the next couple of weeks practicing before heading out on the road. Gone were the buses and all the trappings. The group traveled from show to show in a 15 seat Dodge van.
