On Broadway - Dani Jack & Shrimp Dip
On Broadway is a bi-monthly web series that delves into the food memories of the talented musicians of Broadway in downtown Nashville. Every other week, we’ll pair those memories with a relevant recipe and information on how to listen to each musician’s material. Our aim is to connect the passion of food to the passion of music—two mediums that evoke instant reactions and memories, and remind us of the incredible people that pour their heart out every day to make their living in our backyard.
Dani Jack has one of those voices that makes you sit up in your chair and take notice. Which is exactly what happened to me one night at Rippy’s on 5th and Broadway. I was just nibblin’ on some ribs someone else ordered, minding my own business, when a cute brunette in a leather jacket rolled up on stage and opened her mouth. It was all I could do not to open mine… since that would have resulted in an unpleasant sight. I’ve got a pretty good feeling about these things and I would have bet whatever cash was swimming loose in my purse that she was one of those that from a very early age was set on this path and that was it.
I was right. Raised in Reno, Nevada, Dani started performing at the ripe old age of four. Her stage debut was as the little drummer boy in her school’s Christmas production. She was cheesin’ it up like she was getting paid, emulating one of the greats. “I was obsessed with Shirley Temple. I wanted to be her. I kept telling my family, ‘I’m gonna be on TV. I’m gonna sing and dance and I’m gonna do all this stuff just like Shirley Temple.” And so it was a natural progression to acting and singing classes, plays, and musicals.
By the time she reached 19, Dani was hired to sing in Macau, China as a singing gondolier at the new Venetian hotel. It wasn’t all dreaming on The Good Ship Lollipop, however. “There was a part of me that never felt confident after high school,” Dani recalls. “There was one person who told me that they didn’t think that I was very good. It was someone that I respected, and it shattered me.”
A year later, Dani picked herself up by her bootstraps and moved to LA. Multiple stints at the local karaoke bar and consistent gigs in her own kitchen fueled her into getting a vocal coach, who told her, “there’s a song in your heart. You were meant to sing.” With that, she joined a country cover band and started performing every weekend. She had found her fit. Naturally, this led to a visit to Nashville, and like so many of us, she fell in love with the city. “I met so many awesome people. [I loved] how kind everyone was, and how genuine. I think it was Keith Urban that said, ‘there is no other city in the world that has more of a collaborative energy and spirit than Nashville.’ And I found that to be true. I knew before I left that I was going to move here and three months later I was driving myself across the country with everything I owned.” That was two and a half years ago.
Today, Dani Jack is kickin’ butt and takin’ names at Rippy’s Bar and Grill on Broadway, but you can also find her every third Tuesday hosting a writer’s round at The Crying Wolf in East Nashville. When she’s not working, she’s hanging out with her Nashville family. And while she doesn’t bring animal crackers in soup to their get togethers (did I squeeze in enough Shirley Temple references?), she does bring a tried and true favorite passed down from her grandmother- shrimp dip! A round plate with a layer of cream cheese, a layer of chopped up baby cocktail shrimp, and a layer of cocktail sauce, enjoyed with Wheat Thins. “It sounds weird, but it’s absolutely delicious! Every holiday or family get together we all sit around eating that. It’s something that’s just family time.” Sounds like an incredibly appropriate dish for any time with family, blood or otherwise. Entirely enjoyable, wonderfully weird, and something about it that you can’t quite put your finger on but just simply works. (And you gotta love a dish that doesn’t need a recipe - the description is one on its own!) Love shrimp? This recipe for shrimp nachos is sure to be another favorite at your next gathering and, like Dani's shrimp dip, perfect for the spring weather.
To become a part of Dani’s musical family, join her for the premiere of her single “Hurt” at Live Oak on April 8th or follow her @danijackmusic.
