As Danny (the son of an Air Force father) was growing up in the Los Angeles area, he was largely unaware of his talent for composing. It wasn't until the early 1970's that Danny and his older brother Richard started a musical troupe while in Paris; the group "Mystic Knights of Oingo-Boingo" was created for Richard's directorial debut, The Forbidden Zone (now considered a cult classic by Elfman fans). The group's name has gone through many incarnations over the years, from "Mystic Knights" and "Oingo Boingo" to, eventually, its current name, "Boingo".

While continuing to compose eclectic, intelligent rock music for his L.A. based band (some of which had been used in various film soundtracks, e.g. "Weird Science" in a movie by the same name), Danny formed a friendship with young director Tim Burton, who was then a fan of Oingo-Boingo. Danny went on to score the soundtrack of Pee wee's Big Adventure (1985), which represented Danny's first orchestral film score. The Elfman/Burton partnership continued (most notably through the hugely successful Batman films) and opened doors of opportunity for Danny, who has been referred to as "Hollywood's hottest film composer".

Recordings

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