"There are those rare musicians that are also poets and storytellers, who can bend time and space and language so it penetrates into the deepest places of the human soul. Danny Ellis is one, and his music has shattered and embraced me with the severe grace." WILLIAM PAUL YOUNG, bestselling author of “The Shack.”
"Danny's music slays me. He has one of the best "live" voices I've ever heard." BONNIE RAITT.
An accomplished and eclectic musician, straddling rock/pop/jazz/folk, Danny crafts songs that hold a rare intimacy and honesty. Born in Dublin, Ireland, he played trombone at the age of 8 in a Dublin orphanage band. His songs have been recorded by many top Irish artists, three of which entered the top ten. He toured with Graham Parker and the Rumor, The Foundations, and was a session singer for London’s Abbey Road Studio for four years. For his acclaimed biographical album; 800 Voices, my life in an Irish orphanage, he was awarded The Lyricist of the Year by Just Plain Folks, the biggest independent music award organization in the world. This album has been has been hailed by Hotpress; Ireland’s leading musical magazine, as “one of the classics of contemporary Irish music.’” Danny has written a book and a play based on this CD. This book “The Boy at the Gate” was published in the fall of 2012 to international critical acclaim and reached #2 in the Irish book charts.
Danny is a much sought after vocal and music coach coach among pros and beginners alike. He has taught singing and songwriting at the Swannanoa Gathering for 4 years at Warren Wilson college. He teaches privately from his studio in Asheville and offers a unique approach to musical and performing authenticity based on self-healing and down-to-earth, grounded spirituality. A lifelong meditator of 45 years, and informed by a decades long study of the mysticism of Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sufism, Danny also teaches mindfulness and meditation.
In this episode
-Danny's creative journey
-Growing up in an Irish orphanage
-Learning the trombone in the orphanage band
-Discovering the guitar and songwriting
-Finding his voice as a way of healing
-Learning about meditation at an ashram
-Having a transcendent experience during meditation
-Connecting the dots between music and spiritual practice
-Finding deeper meaning in creative expression
-Teaching others through a unique blend of creativity and mindfulness
Links
dannyellismusic.com
[email protected]
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