Primary Genre: Folk
"New Appalachian"
e-mail:

www.pickndawg.com

 

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Instrumentation:
      vocals, acoustic guitar, cello, bass, and wattatumbus. In solo live performances Dan plays the guitar and sings.

Bio:
    Joni Mitchell in a coonskin cap? (with a gap-tooth grin?) The Appalachian story-telling tradition is alive and vibrant in the hands of this accomplished guitarist. Wit and whimsy merge to form a rewarding lyrical and musical journey. This “New Appalachian” music incorporates the essential simplicity of the rural mountains while drawing on a diverse vocabulary of styles.  

     At an early age, Dan spent long hours listening to a 50's era Zenith console, playing and replaying the the one 45 rpm single each of Eddie Arnold and Fats Domino, and the 78's of Dinah Shore and Haydn's "Surprise" Symphony. The imprint on an impressionable young mind was profound, and you might say he never recovered.

     Despite drifting from rock, to country to jazz; to blues, Bach and back again, Dan's own music did not develop. And then, one late night laying awake in a fleabag motel, Dan saw the light. It turned out to the flickering neon sign from "Murph's Café" next door. As fate would have it, the very next day as Dan was dining at that same café, savoring the only item on the menu he could afford; a small order of chili-cheese fries. His eyes were drawn to the Elvis portraits in black velvet, and just below, a small smeared blackboard with the lunch special, "Murph's Bologna Burger". At that moment inspiration struck and would have knocked Dan's socks off, had he been wearing any. The central question was clear....why top your burger with bologna and not chili? It was time to play real music, music that tops off the meaty taste of life like chili on a flame grilled hamburger still dripping with the satisfying essence of fullness. It was from this point the distinct and varied music he called "New Appalachian" began to come forth. (As along as he stayed away from the fifth).

      Over the years Dan has performed/recorded with Phil Keaggy (Grammy nominee and Dove award winner), Robin Kessinger (1985 National Flatpicking Champion), Nedra Talley Ross (Ronettes), Phil Madeira (Nashville songwriter, recording artist) Lance DeMers (Hannah's Prayer), John Fischer, Jenny Allinder, Ted Sandquist and others.

      It wasn't until the late 1990's that Dan began to concentrate on his own music, culminating in the release of Dan's first CD, INTO THE FLOW, in 2001. The all-instrumental recording  received glowing reviews and was a “Viewer’s Choice” award winner on Kweevak.com. His second CD, I THINK OF HOME, built on this musical vision, expanding the range of expression for Appalachian music. The songs received recognition in several songwriting competitions

     Dan's third CD, WAYFARING STRANGER (2006), placed third in Kweevak's Listener's Choice Awards. One tune, "Big Gene", won Honorable Mention in the SONG OF THE MONTH contest. Traditional storytelling is mixed with a measured touch of contemporary sounds. 

     BACK TO MORGANTOWN (2008), is all acoustic. It features his bone-janglin', brain twistin', finger-picking guitar. Original tunes by Dan plus a few traditional favorites: "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" is meted out on Dan's old acoustic guitar and the music ends with the old Scottish song, "Annie Laurie" presented in a simple arrangement with guitar, vocal and cello.

    In 2010, Dan released the single "Out Of My Mind", a tragic tale set in the 1920's coalfields of West Virginia. He made the regional finals of the Mountain Stage/New Song Contest on the strength of this song.

The Dominion Post has described Dan's playing as "guitar genius"
and by Ben Ohmart of Music Dish as "luscious."

“The guitar is outstanding! I’m talking great technique, great emotion and inventive playing.” www.southofmainstream.com

"Dan Cunningham plays his guitar the way a man loves a woman---
with heart and caring and affection." Richard Fuller

Recognition:
Semi-Finalist ACOUSTIC ROUNDTABLE 2011 Worldwide  Music Search
Monthly Finalist 2004/ Semi-Finalist 2011 SONG OF THE YEAR contest
Regional finalist 2010 NEW SONG/MOUNTAIN STAGE song contest
Story Song finalist 2010 INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS
KWEEVAK Viewer's Choice/Listener's Choice list 3 times (#3 in 2007)
Honorable Mention BILLBOARD SONG CONTEST
Finalist 2005 NEW SONG/FESTIVALL Contest
 

Discography:
Courts of the King (1976) Ted Sandquist
Emerging (1977) Phil Keaggy Band
Let The Whole Earth (1984) Ted Sandquist
Be My Refuge (1985) Ted Sandquist
Not For Flatpickers Only (1986) Robin Kessinger
Re-Emerging (2000) Phil Keaggy Band
Into The Flow (2001)
Thread Of Healing (2002) Karen Taylor
I Think Of Home(2003)
Wayfaring Stranger (2006)

Back To Morgantown (2008)

Out Of My Mind  (2010) single

River Flow  (2011)

Dan has performed/recorded with the following recording artists:
Phil Keaggy
Phil Madeira
John Fischer
Ted Sandquist
Nedra Talley Ross(Ronettes)
Robin Kessinger
Jenny and Nathan  Wilson
Lance DeMers(Wall Brothers, Hannah's Prayer)
Lynn Nichols(Chagall Guevarra)
Jenny Allinder
Miltenberger and Clark
Karen Taylor

pickndawg photo by
Sue Amos (Infinite Lens)

Dan's e-mail: