U.S. Grand Master Fiddle Champion, Daniel has competed in virtually every major fiddle competition in the United States. Over the past 25 years, he has been crowned the Tennessee Valley Old-Time Fiddlers Convention "Fiddle King" an amazing 7 times. Other conquests include Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee State Championships as well as Lake Superior, North Cascades, Colorado Open, Grand Lake National, and The World Series of Fiddling Championships. Daniel can often be found in the judge's seat, recently judging the Indiana State, Colorado Rocky Mountain Fiddle Championships, Oregon State, Wyoming State, Northwest Regional, and the National Old-Time Fiddler's Contest in Weiser, Idaho.
Daniel has shared the stage with dozens of accomplished musicians such as Mark O'Connor, Bela Fleck, Alasdair Fraser, The Moody Blues, Martin Hayes, The Battlefield Band, Bobby Hicks, Allison Krauss, Natalie MacMaster, Buddy Spicher, and many others. In a tribute to Roy Acuff, Daniel performed on the Grand Ole Opry with fiddling greats Vassar Clements and Aubrey Haynie. His performances also include playing for the 1996 Summer Olympics and appearing on the Country Music Association Awards Show with the band, Alabama. For eight years, Daniel was a member of the Celtic band, Full Moon Ensemble. Their unique blend of Irish, Scottish, and early American music was heard across the United States and worldwide from Ontario, Canada, to the hills of Campbeltown, Scotland.
A seasoned and diverse performer, Daniel is not only comfortable playing old-time, bluegrass, and contest-style, but Celtic, and classical as well. He studied violin privately for 8 years during which time he was concertmaster of The Huntsville Youth Orchestra and later a member of the Huntsville Symphony. Daniel's studies led him to Vanderbilt's Blair School of Music where he studied with Christian Teal. Daniel completed his Bachelor's Degree in Music Education in 1995.
In addition to Daniel's three personal recordings, his playing is showcased on projects such as Kenny Smith's "Studebaker" and Rounder records "Moody Bluegrass," a bluegrass tribute to the Moody Blues featuring artists John Cowan, Sam Bush, Tim O'Brien, Allison Krauss, Larry Cordle among others. Daniel's contribution on Moody Bluegrass earned him a nomination for Recorded Event of the Year from the International Bluegrass Music Association and climbed to #8 on Billboard's Bluegrass Chart.
Daniel maintains a busy schedule teaching privately and as an instructor at numerous camps and workshops. He has instructed at Mark O'Connor's Fiddle Camps and String Conferences the past 7 years and has taught at the Blair School of Music International Fiddle School at Vanderbilt University.
When not performing or teaching, Daniel enjoys transcribing classic fiddle recordings. His latest endeavor, Mark O'Connor's "Soppin' the Gravy", reflects his meticulous attention to detail.
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