Dave Daniels

Dave got his first guitar in 1964, a teenaged late bloomer.  By 1971, after recovering from a civil engineering degree at Cornell University, a false start career, he fell in performing with local bands around the Ithaca, NY area.  A devoted passion to guitar craft became his fall back, learning and teaching all styles of guitar.  Moved to the greater Portland area in 1977, where he studied with many teachers, including Lenny Breau, and began freelancing as an accompanist, sideman, and soloist in various club date, function, theater pit bands, and restaurants.  In 1984, he married Jodee Davidson, another musician and teacher and continued full time livelihood in music instruction.  He was invited to join the Applied Arts Faculty at Waynflete School in 1987 where he spent 26 years offering guitar, voice, bass guitar, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, ukulele, and ensemble coaching.  Also carried a full time schedule teaching at various music stores, public and private schools (10 years at Westbrook’s Tony Boffa School of Contemporary Music), and privately leased studios.  Through the 90’s he contracted and performed with area musicians in diverse settings, building a library of books, recordings, and digital music files.  In 1993, he and Jodee adopted two pre teen biological siblings from Maine’s Department of Human Services.  That slowed their music careers down a bit, but both children are in their 30’s and living out of the house as of this writing.  Currently he volunteers teaching music on behalf of Guitar Doors Foundation at the Correctional Center prison in Windham.  He’s proud and grateful for the privilege to play when he goes to work.  His guiding philosophy of music is personal fulfillment for mental / spiritual health, and therapy to bring people closer together as co-workers, friends, family, and community.