Acoustic & Electric Bass, Guitar, and Vocals
Born and raised in northwest Indiana, Dan's musical roots include country, R&B, jazz, and gospel. Dan’s first musical instrument (thanks to a door to door salesman) was accordion, which he has never admitted to until this very moment, and would probably deny it if asked again. Grade school and high school were spent playing trumpet in the school marching band which is a prerequisite to living in Indiana. But his real love was the guitar which he picked up at 10. He began performing at the age of 14, playing bass with his uncle's band in Chicago's south side blues clubs. After high school, Dan toured extensively, playing the west coast college circuit and gathering additional influences and inspiration. It was there that he first became interested in acoustic, traditional folk, and bluegrass music.
Dan is a multi-instrumentalist. In addition to vocals, electric & acoustic bass and guitar, he also plays mandolin and piano. His education includes theory and composition studies at Indiana University. A prolific song writer and arranger, Most of Dan’s spare time is spent composing soundtracks for various narrative works which he records in his home studio Gabriel Recording in Southington, CT. Dan's recorded works include Music of the Spheres, Poems of Love and Wisdom which he recorded with his wife, Linda, A Sure Foundation which is a collection of old time gospel tunes, and Selah, a delightful sampler of holiday favorites. Dan can also be heard playing on many CDs as a guest artist, including work by guitarists Judy Handler and Marc Lévesque, The Connecticut Classical Guitar Society, The Hartford City Singers, Wild Notes, Donegal fiddler PV. O’Donnell, singer-songwriter Emma Wallace, folk artist Robert Neary and gospel group The Anointed Band. He has also appeared at many New England venues including The New Bedford Summerfest , The Sounding Board, and about every coffee house in Connecticut.
Dan is delighted to lend his efforts on double bass as a member of the Kenn Morr Band.