Dedicated Men of Zion (DMZ) – the sacred soul quartet from eastern North Carolina who are all related to one another by blood or marriage – have come a long way since the release of 2020’s Can’t Turn Me Around on producer Bruce Watson’s Bible & Tire Recording Co. label.
They have performed at globalFEST, Telluride Blues & Brews, and Fresh Grass festivals – earning the acclaim of Brooklyn Vegan, NPR Music, and The New York Times. They scored placements on best of 2020 lists by NPR Music and the Philadelphia Inquirer. They’ve made a fan of Taj Mahal, signed to Concerted Efforts for booking, and taped an NPR Tiny Desk Concert.
With Bruce Watson of Fat Possum at the helm, they have surpassed their debut with The Devil Don’t Like It, throughout which their jubilant harmonies shine.
The Memphis-based Sacred Soul Sound Section features GRAMMY-winner Matt Ross-Spang on guitar (Jason Isbell, Margo Price, John Prine), drummer George Sluppick (Rufus Thomas, Albert King, J.J. Grey & Mofro, Chris Robinson Brotherhood), guitarist Will Sexton (Alejandro Escovedo, Roky Erickson, his brother Charlie Sexton), bassist Mark Edgar Stuart (Elizabeth King, Alvin Youngblood Hart), and organist Al Gamble (St. Paul & The Broken Bones).
Anthony “Amp” Daniels had a career in secular music backing the likes of Elton John, Bebe Winans, Toni Braxton, before re-embracing his sacred soul roots in forming DMZ, which soon caught the ear of Music Maker Foundation’s Tim Duffy, who put the group on the nonprofit’s artist roster. Original group member Trevoris Newton passed away but DMZ persisted. Anthony and Antwan Daniels’ father, Johnny Ray Daniels, has also recorded an album Whatever You Need, also produced by Watson, that will be released April 15 on Bible & Tire Recording Co., with the first single coming February 22.
From The Devil Don’t Like It, out March 4 on Bible & Tire Recording Co, we are proud to premiere first single “Lord Hold My Hand.” Of the funky, wah-wah guitar-driven song, Anthony tells ABS:
“Lord Hold My Hand” kept its original feel; however, progressed and converted to sacred soul music.
The Dedicated Men of Zion:
Anthony Daniels
Antwan Daniels
Marcus Sugg
Dexter Weaver
The Sacred Soul Sound Section:
Will Sexton – Guitar
Matt Ross-Spang – Guitar
Mark Edgar Stuart – Bass
George Sluppick – Drums and Percussion
Al Gamble – Organ
Pre-order The Devil Don’t Like It
