Whether singing or auctioneering, Dane Bailey sees music as his ministry.
By John Johnston, Associate Editor
Dane Bailey, F419825, once auctioned off a pie for $850. It was pecan.
He rejects the notion that the bidding escalated because of his adroit auctioneering skills, or because of the exquisite pastry techniques of the pie baker. Rather, somebody at a benefit auction felt generous.
“I tell people, I’m just the noisemaker,” Dane said. “I’m the voice. It’s people sitting in the crowd who have the vision for what they’re raising money for. They drive the whole thing to make it a success.”
Fair enough. But let’s not give short shrift to the voice. Dane’s bold bass resonates beautifully. It serves him well not only for auctioneering but also for singing. He is, after all, “The Singing Auctioneer.”
If you’ve been to an FMCA convention in the past seven years, you may have seen and heard Dane. He often is involved with the music at devotion services. And, “I cannot tell you how many ladies’ teas I’ve sung at,” he said, chuckling. “They keep calling me!”
Many people call. Dane performs about 100 times a year, mostly in the Midwest and South, traveling with his wife, Christina, in their 2002 Newmar Dutch Star motorhome. You can find his schedule on his website, www.singingauctioneer.com.
He was a singer before he was an auctioneer. Growing up on a farm in Berne, Indiana, he sang in school choirs and played in the marching band, but it was in his Brethren church where he first fell in love with music. “That was where we learned to sing four-part harmony,” he said.
And it was in church, listening to his pastor preach one Sunday morning, where Dane felt called to ministry. In 1975 he enrolled in Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana. He teamed up with a fellow seminarian who played piano, and until their graduation more than two years later, they performed throughout the immediate area, ministering with music.
Dane, however, never felt called to be a church pastor. And so for most of his working life, he earned a living by selling, installing, and servicing heating and air-conditioning units. Meanwhile, on weekends, he sang at church services, festivals, and concerts.
One day in 1990, Dane picked up the phone and heard his brother say: “You’ll never guess what I just did. I signed up to go to auction school. Why don’t you come along?”
Dane found that some of the skills required of good auctioneers also apply to singers. Proper breathing and diction, for example. And maintaining a melodic rhythm.
After back surgery in 2001, Dane left the heating and air-conditioning business and decided to devote himself to music full-time. Today, he often performs in religious settings, but he also schedules a number of variety shows. “I like to tell everybody, ‘I know you’re not going to like everything you hear, but I do hope you hear something you like.’”
Dane’s musical tastes lean toward gospel, big band, jazz, and a bit of country. He has recorded 15 CDs. Most of them feature gospel music, but every album includes a comedy song. In fact, one of his CDs is all comedy. Titled “Laughin’ Time,” it includes a song written by Mike Carr and Mike Hammonds: “If My Nose Was Running Money (Honey, I’d Blow It All On You).”
When Dane was performing part-time, he and Christina traveled in a van that pulled an equipment trailer. Going full-time required some changes. “Staying in motels just wasn’t working for me,” Dane said. “I wasn’t getting rest.”
So, about 16 years ago, they bought a motorhome, a Type B Ford Falcon. Every few years, they’ve switched coaches — Pleasure-Way, Winnebago, Coachmen, and now the Type A Dutch Star, their fifth motorhome. “We can’t imagine traveling any other way,” Dane said.
The Baileys joined FMCA seven years ago after members of a Winnebago owners group shared copies of Family Motor Coaching magazine with them. A couple of months later, in March 2011, the Baileys were heading to a concert in Alabama and found themselves in Perry, Georgia, which was hosting an FMCA convention.
“I thought I would see what possibilities I might have of finding some work as a singer,” Dane said. “We pulled in, and honestly, the Lord parked us right next to two people who were Coaches for Christ (chapter) members.” The Baileys made new friends and joined the Coaches for Christ Southeast chapter. Dane even sang a little at the convention.
“Somebody came up to me and said, ‘Are you going to be in Madison?’ I looked at my wife and said, ‘I suppose we could be.’” Indeed, the Baileys did attend FMCA’s July 2011 convention in Madison, Wisconsin, where Dane was the music leader for devotion services.
Since then, the Baileys have attended a number of other FMCA conventions and rallies. “It’s been great,” Christina said. “We have old friends that we have made over the last few years, and we make new friends as we go.”
What’s more, Dane serves as president of the Coaches for Christ – Great Lakes Area chapter. And last year, he became one of FMCA’s three national chaplains.
Dane continues to do auction work, focusing on charity fundraisers that often benefit food banks. When organizers aren’t sure what items to put up for sale, he suggests pies, cakes, and other baked goods. When Dane is calling bids, everything is going, going, gone, like that $850 pecan pie.
“It’s been a good life,” he said, “and we’ve been ever so thankful for what the Lord’s given us and what we’ve been able to do.”