Biography
He is a musical legend, a pioneer of one of the most intricate, yet
powerful, forms of American music, and a master of the guitar; he's Dan
Crary, a flatpicking stylist with an international reputation for
innovation, taste and brilliance. With more than 50 years as a
performer, Crary is one of the few artists whose work can be said to
transcend the boundaries of style and genre.
A native of Kansas, his childhood interest in the guitar turned serious
during Dan's early years in the late 1950s. His first musical
performances in Midwestern churches established an enduring connection
that continues to infuse his music with a spiritual dimension: "Call it
God, call it divine, call it world spirit," he says. "You can't have an
aesthetic experience unless you're in touch with something real about
the world that we don't really understand." Building on this essential
insight, he pursued the development of an approach to the steel string,
flat-top guitar that explored new dimensions, transforming what had
always been an instrument of accompaniment into one with a leading
role, capable of fluent, expressive melodies and a variety of textures.
In his travels around the United States, Crary learned and integrated
traditional American styles and tunes, transforming them into strongly
personal and creative works that are at once deeply rooted and freshly
new.
A long and distinguished recording career, featuring solo projects and
group efforts (especially with the award-winning ensemble California,
active through most of the 1990s) plus many guest appearances, have
brought Dan Crary acclaim as a versatile performer able to range from
Mozart to Anglo-American fiddle tunes to moody, evocative original
compositions. Nineteen ninety-four's Jammed If I Do,
with guests Tony Rice, Doc Watson, Norman Blake, and Beppe Gambetta,
was hailed as one of the decade's great gatherings of guitarists, while
is 1992 solo album, Thunderation, won the National Association
of Independent Record Distributors and Manufacturer's annual "Indie"
award for "Best String Instrumental Album." Crary's 1997 release, Holiday Guitar, won 1998's "Indie" for "Best Seasonal Music" from the Association For Independent Music.
As a solo artist, Dan has created a performance style that blends
traditional material from a variety of American sources with original
compositions, vocals with instrumental showcases, all woven together
with stories and observations that share his experience and insights
with the audience. His ability to connect both musically and personally
has brought him success not only in North America but throughout the
world, with concert and workshop appearances everywhere from Europe to
Japan and the South Pacific.
powerful, forms of American music, and a master of the guitar; he's Dan
Crary, a flatpicking stylist with an international reputation for
innovation, taste and brilliance. With more than 50 years as a
performer, Crary is one of the few artists whose work can be said to
transcend the boundaries of style and genre.
A native of Kansas, his childhood interest in the guitar turned serious
during Dan's early years in the late 1950s. His first musical
performances in Midwestern churches established an enduring connection
that continues to infuse his music with a spiritual dimension: "Call it
God, call it divine, call it world spirit," he says. "You can't have an
aesthetic experience unless you're in touch with something real about
the world that we don't really understand." Building on this essential
insight, he pursued the development of an approach to the steel string,
flat-top guitar that explored new dimensions, transforming what had
always been an instrument of accompaniment into one with a leading
role, capable of fluent, expressive melodies and a variety of textures.
In his travels around the United States, Crary learned and integrated
traditional American styles and tunes, transforming them into strongly
personal and creative works that are at once deeply rooted and freshly
new.
A long and distinguished recording career, featuring solo projects and
group efforts (especially with the award-winning ensemble California,
active through most of the 1990s) plus many guest appearances, have
brought Dan Crary acclaim as a versatile performer able to range from
Mozart to Anglo-American fiddle tunes to moody, evocative original
compositions. Nineteen ninety-four's Jammed If I Do,
with guests Tony Rice, Doc Watson, Norman Blake, and Beppe Gambetta,
was hailed as one of the decade's great gatherings of guitarists, while
is 1992 solo album, Thunderation, won the National Association
of Independent Record Distributors and Manufacturer's annual "Indie"
award for "Best String Instrumental Album." Crary's 1997 release, Holiday Guitar, won 1998's "Indie" for "Best Seasonal Music" from the Association For Independent Music.
As a solo artist, Dan has created a performance style that blends
traditional material from a variety of American sources with original
compositions, vocals with instrumental showcases, all woven together
with stories and observations that share his experience and insights
with the audience. His ability to connect both musically and personally
has brought him success not only in North America but throughout the
world, with concert and workshop appearances everywhere from Europe to
Japan and the South Pacific.