Dan R. Edwards was born in Portsmouth, Virginia in 1951. He received his Associate in Arts in Music from Tidewater Community College in 1972 and his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Music and Music Education from James Madison University in 1974 and 1975. He has taught choral music, general music, and guitar on the elementary, middle, high school, and college levels. He has served and directed church music programs including children, teen, and adult choirs and children, teen, and adult handbells in a wide variety of denominations for nearly 40 years.

Dan has been a successful freelance composer for the past 25 years. His handbell and choral works appear in many of the major publishers in America. He currently resides in Chesapeake, Virginia with his wife, Lori. He presently serves as worship leader in a small church in the same city.