Dan O'Callaghan

Dan O'Callaghan has been picking the guitar since he was 9 years old. At age 14 he began to develop an interest in the "flatpicking" style popularized by Doc Watson, Tony Rice and others. Dan has picked the guitar and mandolin on church, coffee house, fair, festival and contest stages from Missouri and Wisconsin to Oklahoma and Kansas, taking 3rd place honors in the 2004 American Heritage Mandolin Competition, as well as participating in Tom T. Halls Good Home Grown Music showcase in Nashville, the International Bluegrass Music Museums River Of Music Party, concerts at the historic JIMMY DRIFTWOOD THEATER in Mountain View, AR, the Legends Of Bluegrass & Country Music Festival, and many others. Dan is currently playing solo concerts as well as having performed with MOUNT ZION, Western Standard Time, The Lilly Mountaineers, America's Singing Cowboy STEVE MITCHELL, The Acoustic Worship Experience, Crystal River, MO Country, and a number of local and regional bluegrass, country, gospel, swing and jazz groups. He is also the moderator of the newly formed "Flatpick Guitar" group on the immensely popular site myspace.com. As a solo artist, Dan brings together a wide variety of influences, including Doc Watson, Tony Rice, Dan Crary, Chet Atkins, Tommy Emmanuel, Merle Travis, Chris Thile, David Grisman, Sam Bush, Joe Pass, Martin Simpson, Phil Keaggy, Doyle Dykes, and Pierre Bensusan, just to name a few. His combination of time-tested favorite melodies and catchy original instrumentals definitely includes something for everyone to enjoy.