Dan Donnelly (singer) facts for kids

Dan Donnelly is a talented singer and songwriter from Northern Ireland. He is also a musician who plays many instruments, like the guitar and mandolin. Since 2022, he has been a member of the popular band The Levellers.

Dan Donnelly's Music Journey

Early Days in Belfast

Dan Donnelly grew up in Belfast. When he was younger, he played in several local bands. He found success with a band called Watercress. This group had four members and played acoustic folk-rock music. Dan played guitar, mandolin, and percussion for them. He even played a special homemade instrument called a "plumbing," which was like a didgeridoo.

Watercress released six short music collections called EPs between 1995 and 1998. In 1998, they released their only full album, Bummer. All their music came out on their own local record label, Creeping Herb. One of Dan's songs, Candlemaker, became a number one hit on the Irish Indie Chart. Watercress played their last show in Belfast in December 2000 and broke up in early 2001.

Solo Career in New York

After Watercress ended, Dan moved to New York City to start his own music career. While living there, he released two studio albums. These were Bootleg in 2005 and Yearning a Living in 2007. His music was played a lot on BBC Radio. He also released a live album called Live in NYC in 2008.

Dan's supporting band, Sonovagun, played with him on these albums. He also worked as a session musician for other artists, including the band Joy Zipper.

Returning to the UK

In 2009, Dan Donnelly moved back to the United Kingdom. He settled in Exeter, Devon. In 2010, he signed with a record label called IRL (Independent Records Ltd). He released the single Running in October 2010. His album Country & Northern came out in May 2011. Around that time, Dan recorded a cover version of the song Paradise City by Guns N' Roses. This song was used in a TV advertisement for Anchor Butter. Later, he moved to Middlesbrough in the North East of England.

Touring and Collaborations

Dan Donnelly has performed many solo shows. He has also toured as a supporting act for other artists. These include The Levellers, Damien Dempsey, and Duke Special. He has also played as part of the live bands for The Levellers, Oysterband, and Joy Zipper. His own band, Sonovagun, has included talented musicians like Ali McMordie on bass guitar.

Dan has played at many summer music festivals in the UK. These include the Glastonbury Festival and Beautiful Days festival. He has also performed at various festivals across Europe.

In May 2014, Dan joined the alternative rock band The Wonder Stuff. He helped write songs for their album 30 Goes Around the Sun. This album reached the top 40 on the music charts.

In 2018, Dan became the lead singer and guitarist for a French supergroup called The Celtic Social Club. They performed at many European festivals. In 2019, they released an album called From Babylon to Avalon, which Dan helped write.

Dan's fifth studio album, Are We Having Fun?, was released in November 2018. It came out on On the Fiddle Records. Before the album, he released two singles: Time of Our Lives and I Don't Care.

In 2020, Dan worked with Goulven Hamel and Anth Mills to create a new project called The Wooden Faces. They released an album called Flying the Wrong Way in May 2020.

Recent Activities

Dan Donnelly earned a master's degree in music in 2019. As of early 2022, he manages a music venue, pub, and kitchen in Sunderland called The Peacock. He runs it with his business partner, Barry Hyde. They used to manage The Academy of Music and Sound in Gateshead. Dan is also a member of a male voice choir in Stockton on Tees called Infant Hercules.

In 2022, The Levellers announced that Dan Donnelly was joining them as a full-time member. This happened at the same time he left The Celtic Social Club.

Dan Donnelly's Music Albums

Solo Albums

• Running E.P. (2010)
• Country & Northern (2011)
• Are We Having Fun? (2018)

With Watercress

• Candlemaker E.P. (1996)
• Tripped Up E.P. (1996)
• Bummer (1998)
• Oh Yeah E.P. (2000)

With Sonovagun

• Bootleg (2005)
• The Beach E.P. (2006)
• Yearning a Living (2007)
• Live in NYC (2008)

With The Wonderstuff

• 30 Goes Around the Sun (2016)

With The Celtic Social Club

• From Babylon To Avalon (2019)
• Dancing or dying ? (2021)

With The Wooden Faces

• Flying The Wrong Way (2020)