dan@kevinsharpband.com I first started playing guitar in Junior High, taking the obligatory lessons from local music stores. My two older brothers had a strong influence on my musical interests - the oldest, a full-fledged punk rocker (orange hair, spiked dog collar) and the next oldest with his long hair and heavy metal music. It being the mid-80's (the era we love to look back on and make fun of), I gravitated towards more guitar-heavy music a la Van Halen, Rush, Scorpions, Journey, Boston, etc. Halfway through High School, the family moved to East Lansing, Michigan. It was here I joined my first "real" band, playing the typical gigs - basement jams, church and school dances, New Year's Eve parties, etc. While attending college in Utah, I joined my first country band and started teaching guitar lessons to pay for gas. During 1996, I was fortunate to be in the band that happened to help back a new up-and-coming country artist named Kevin Sharp. We did two shows - one at the Reno, Nevada Hilton in May and one in Sacramento, California in October. While practicing for the Sacramento show, Mr. Sharp basically said, "Hey, I got a record deal and you've helped me out this year. I need a band. Who wants to go to Nashville?" ME, me, me, ooh, ooh, over here, I do, I'll go, Pick ME! I feel equally blessed to be given this opportunity to see my own wishes come true. I've played with Kevin for about 10 years now and what a wild ride it has been and humbling at the same time to share the stage with such artists as Sawyer Brown, Alabama, Confederate Railroad, Diamond Rio, Dixie Chicks, Lonestar, Ricochet, John Michael Montgomery, Vince Gill, Trace Adkins, Kenny Chesney, Jeff Carson, Sammy Kershaw, Junior Brown, Joe Diffie, John Anderson, Neal McCoy, Billy Dean, Billy Ray Cyrus, John Berry, Tracy Byrd, Tracy Lawrence, Blackhawk, Aaron Tippin, Bryan White, Clay Walker, Collin Raye, Keith Urban (The Ranch) Ricky Van Shelton, Mark Wills, Little Texas, Jerry Reed, SheDaisy, The Kinleys, Warren Brothers, Anita Cochran, Crystal Gayle, Deanna Carter, Patty Loveless, Sara Evans, Sherrie Austin, Terri Clark, Wynonna Judd, Chely Wright, Jo Dee Messina, Kathy Mattea, Lari White, LeAnn Rimes, Lee Ann Womack, Lila McCann, Lorrie Morgan, Martina McBride, Grand Ole Opry, Prime Time Country, Crook & Chase. And the list goes on.... I'm also currently playing with a new female duo out of Nashville named MollyJack. Visit Dan's Myspace.com page Visit Dan's blog