After years of rocking in the 1980s with the Del Fuegos, singer/songwriter Dan Zanes created his own band, the Dan Zanes Trio, in 1994. The group got started when Zanes was hanging out with producer Mitchell Froom in lower Manhattan; after adding drummer Jerry Marotta, they began playing their minimalist, sparse lues and folk-rock to small crowds in small clubs like CBGB's Gallery. Produced by Froom, the trio's debut LP Cool Down Time -- a raw ock effort influenced by 1960s-era R&B -- appeared in 1995. In 2001, Zanes resurfaced with the children's folk-tinged Rocket Ship Beach, featuring "friends" Sheryl Crow, Suzanne Vega, Donald Saaf, Rankin' Don, and the Sandy Girls. Zanes continued his Dan Zanes & Friends children's series in 2002 with the release of Family Dance, with friends Rosanne Cash and Loudon Wainwright IIl along for the ride. ~ Richard Skelly, All Music Guide