DAN DONNELLY Originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, Dan has been singing, playing and writing music since an early age. He started his career as singer and songwriter in critically acclaimed Belfast band Watercress and penned many of their most popular songs including “Candlemaker”, which reached number 1 in the Irish indie charts and “Stars Shine On”, which also topped the same chart. He has played in many guises all across the globe, supporting bands such as, Air, The Levellers, The Darkness, Duran Duran, Ian Dury and Turin Brakes to name a few. In 2000 Dan moved to New York where he became a regular fixture on the live music scene and paid his dues in the clubs and cafes that have cut the teeth of many songwriters. It was here he formed the New York based band Sonovagun who packed venues throughout the Tri State area consistently. He has gained considerable recognition as a solo singer and songwriter in recent years, both in Europe and America. Dan has supported Seth Lakeman on sell out tours of Britain. In the past he has played at most of the major music festivals in the UK, including, Beautiful Days Festival, Glastonbury Festival and The Big session Festival. These popular performances gained him a nomination for the 2009 "UK Festival Awards Critics Choice" category alongside artists such as, Thom Yorke, Lily Allen and Mercury Rev. Dan's solo tours have brought him around England, Ireland, America, Canada, Germany, Austria, Denmark and New Zealand to name a few of the 17 countries Dan has toured in his career. In the last 2 years fatherhood has curtailed being an international man of misery and Dan can be found closer to home, playing banjo to his daughter Cecilia. A cover of the Simon and Garfunkel song of the same name was single of the week in the Liverpool Echo in 2013. Dan is one of the only artists that has been a regular collaborator with The Levellers, The Wonder Stuff and The Oysterband. Arguably the three greatest folk rock bands in Britain.
