Danielle Walker was born in California but raised in Brunswick, Georgia from age 6 on. She began her musical interests by going with her mother to choir practice and learning all of the songs by ear. They soon let her join the choir on Sunday’s singing with the soprano section at age 11. She started playing the alto saxophone at age 11 in middle school and then soon after starting high school she discovered the baritone saxophone, performing on it in marching, concert and jazz band.  Her career began while in high school performing regularly with The Jekyll Island Big Band at age 16.

After graduating from Glynn Academy High School, Danielle attended Brevard College in Brevard, North Carolina studying classical and jazz music. It was there that she found her real joy in music performing in everything from jazz band, combo, symphonic winds, woodwind ensemble, and saxophone quartet and rock bands. In 1998, she was featured on baritone sax with the Summer Jazz Workshop Faculty Band presenting the music of the Miles Davis Nonet.  The band opened up for The Three Baritone Saxophone Band and was featured on NPR. Danielle studied abroad in Altmünster, Austria in 1999, studying German as well as participating in the local Musik Kapelle. In 2000, the Brevard College Saxophone Quartet premiered “Variation’s of John Henry” by Dr. Paul Elwood at The 12th World Saxophone Congress in Montreal, Quebec.