Danny’s Jam Returns for a Sixth Summer of Music, Friendship, and Giving Back
What began as a celebration of one man’s life has become an annual reunion built on the connections he left behind.
Now in its sixth year, the two-day gathering brings together dozens of local musicians and hundreds of friends for a weekend of live music, camping, and fundraising. It has also become one of the more personal traditions on the Black Hills music calendar, where many of the people on stage have shared bands, gigs, classrooms, or years of friendship with the man whose name the event carries.
Danny’s Jam began after Dan Sherrill passed away in 2020. Because COVID restrictions limited funeral gatherings at the time, his family held only a small service, intending to celebrate his life later when people could gather again. Months afterward, musicians who had played alongside Dan approached his wife, Teresa, with an idea to organize a tribute concert.
Rather than separate the two, they combined the delayed celebration of life with a full day of music and when the weekend ended, people weren’t ready for it to be over.
“They said, ‘We should do this every year,’” Teresa Sherrill recalled. That conversation eventually led to the creation of a nonprofit, giving the event a purpose that reached beyond remembering Dan.
Dan spent his life wearing a lot of hats. He was a teacher, a coach, and a musician, but Teresa says the role that tied everything together was simply being someone who connected people.
“He had a knack of making a connection with everybody he met,” she said. “Somehow he knew the same people or found an interest that connected them.”
That instinct to look after people quietly became the blueprint for Danny’s Jam.
“If someone crossed his mind, he called. If someone needed help, he showed up. If someone needed a ride or a hand,” Teresa says “he rarely hesitated.”
Instead of remaining a memorial concert, the organization began finding ways to pay that generosity forward. Proceeds from the weekend have funded scholarships for graduating seniors, supported grief programs for children, contributed to organizations like Live Like Cash, helped purchase a memorial bench at Sioux Park honoring Dan’s years as a tennis coach, and provided assistance to other community needs throughout the year.
The music has grown right alongside that mission.
Many of this year’s performers either played with Dan over the years or share connections through the Black Hills music community. Others simply wanted to be part of a weekend that has developed a reputation for bringing musicians together. Teresa says organizers now receive more requests to perform than they can fit into two days.
For many of the musicians, it feels less like another festival and more like a reunion.
Teresa admits that’s one of the parts she looks forward to most.
“The people that come, a lot of them are friends of Dan’s who have become my friends,” she said. “It’s always fun to reconnect and just see people spending time together and keeping those connections alive.”
The weekend begins Friday evening with live music continuing through Saturday night. Admission is free, and visitors can spend an afternoon listening to local bands or turn it into a weekend by camping or staying in one of Recreational Springs Resort’s cabins or motel rooms.
Throughout the event, visitors can also browse the silent auction, purchase Danny’s Jam merchandise, or enter raffles, with proceeds helping fund the nonprofit’s charitable work throughout the year.
Danny’s Jam
Know Before You Go
Fri., July 17 & Sat., July 18
Where: Recreational Springs Resort, Lead
Admission: Free
Entertainment Schedule
Friday, July 17
Music begins at 5 p.m.
- Steak: A Cake Tribute
- High Rise
- Camp Comfort
Saturday, July 18
Music begins at 12:30 p.m.
- Toadstool Jamboree
- Bodhi Linde
- Danny’s Band
- James Presston
- Groove Garden
- Bijou Belle and The Rathco
Stay for the Weekend
Camping, cabins, and motel rooms are available at Recreational Springs Resort. Accommodations are limited, so organizers recommend booking directly with the resort as soon as possible.
Reservations: (605) 584-1228
Support Danny’s Jam
Danny’s Jam is presented by a nonprofit organization that uses proceeds from the weekend to fund scholarships and support charitable causes throughout the Black Hills. Visitors can support the event by:
- Making a direct donation
- Purchasing Danny’s Jam merchandise
- Donating items to the silent auction
- Buying raffle tickets
- Becoming an event sponsor
Every contribution helps continue the charitable work carried out in Dan Sherrill’s memory throughout the year.