BBC Folk Awards Best Musician nominee Dan Walsh combines ‘virtuoso playing and winning songwriting’ (MORNING STAR). Describing what Dan does is no easy task but at the heart of it is British, Irish and American folk music delivered with a healthy dose of funky grooves – all performed with his unique and dazzling take on clawhammer style banjo helping to challenge all preconceptions about the instrument. Add to all that poignant songs, astonishing musical departures and lively humour and the result is a truly memorable live show which has wowed audiences across the world from intimate seated rooms to huge dancing crowds in festival fields.
Walsh has recorded seven solo albums to much critical acclaim. Most recently he returned to his first love and recorded ‘O’Neill’s Tunes’ – a collection of traditional Irish tunes played in his unique take on clawhammer style which was described as ‘expertly played’ and ‘difficult to find any fault with’ by Songlines magazine as well as receiving airplay on BBC Radio 2. He is an in demand performer with a hectic touring schedule in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and throughout Europe. He has also released two banjo tablature books including a very successful book of clawhammer arrangements of Irish folk tunes which inspired the O’Neill’s album.
He is also an in-demand session musician particularly on banjo which he has played on countless albums but also has a sizeable number of credits on guitar and mandolin. He has worked with Universal Studios on film soundtracks and recorded in top London studios including British Grove, RAK and Air Studios. He has performed or recorded with a wide variety of musicians including Darius Rucker, Ward Thomas, Imelda May, Joss Stone, Seth Lakeman, the Levellers, Duane Eddy, Martin Simpson and even the City of London Sinfonia (although rumours of a collaboration with Beyonce turned out not to be true after a hilarious misunderstanding by Wikipedia and a Daily Mail journalist). Both solo and as a member of the award winning Urban Folk Quartet, this unique and eclectic musician has stunned audiences across the world.
