Raised in Collierville, Tennessee, Dance planned to become a doctor, like his father Joseph Bowers and grandfather before him, but changed his mind after happening upon a grisly motorcycle accident in the early 1960s. He then turned his focus to competing in bass tournaments. A fishing lure manufacturer that sponsored him suggested he should start a TV show to promote the product. The program originally began on an ABC affiliate in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968.

Dance's signature look includes sunglasses and a Tennessee Volunteers baseball cap. He received his first cap from their coach, Doug Dickey, in the late 1960s. He lives in Eads, Tennessee, with his wife, Dianne.

He is also well known on Youtube for his blooper outtakes from his television show.