![]() |
|
![]() |
|
Music player on Dan's website ׀ Download photos ׀ A3 poster ׀ Brochure copy and short bios. ׀ Full Living Tradition review ׀ www.danmckinnon.ca "Dan McKinnon is a brilliant Canadian folk musician with unparalleled song writing and interpreting skills and a voice that could in fact fill a castle! But what’s more…he connects so beautifully with his audiences. He engages, and respects them, and takes them on a wonderful storytelling journey from start to finish. Guaranteed! Dan tours throughout the UK each year in addition to a busy schedule across the Atlantic, and every show is a special treat. Songs from the heart, many maritime, many from the land, written with respect for the folk tradition(s), and every one of them stories you won’t forget." - Larry Kaplan
"Undoubtedly the hit of Cleckheaton Festival... " Though he can trace his family back to the Skye McKinnons, only a few generations removed from Scotland, Dan himself hails from Halifax, Nova Scotia, in the Canadian Maritimes, an area rich in the musical and cultural traditions of the North Atlantic.
Dan's warm baritone voice, superb guitar arrangements and original compositions have won him widespread praise. Dan's thoughtful compositions and smooth melodies cover the entire folk spectrum, with themes traditional, historical, contemporary and universal. A gentle unassuming man - one of nature's gentlemen, in fact - who travels around the UK by train and bus with a backpack and a guitar on his annual tours from Canada. Dan has tremendous stage charisma and engages an audience - both hearts and minds. He's equally happy on a large festival stage or a small venue or folk club, telling stories in song. And what stories... tales of the British war brides of Canadian servicemen in the 1940s... the story of how Canadian merchant navy sailors eventually got the recognition they deserved for their war service - sixty years late... tales of his own grandfather and learning about Aesop's fables as a child... the true tale of a bride who wanted the best wedding dress and lost her beau by chasing her dream... Download the Living Tradition article about Dan (pdf) "An excellent night of music from Dan McKinnon at Catshill last night. Great songs sung with a truly awesome voice and introduced with interesting and entertaining chat. A true master of his craft."- Bob Bignell, Brosgrove Folk Club and Festival "One hell of a treat to see. He's a great singer, great songwriter, and a great performer." - Mick Peat, BBC Radio Derby "Dan put down nothing short of a stunning night for us at the Old Oak. Warm, humorous, immensely talented guitarist and a splendid singer of his own songs. A very special performer indeed." - Keith Kendrick, Old Oak Mini-concerts. Dan is picking up an enormous amount of airplay from all over the world for tracks from his CDs and he's received nominations for two MIANS Awards: Folk/Roots Recording of the Year & Male Artist Recording of the Year! People keep giving him other awards, too: As far back as 1998 he was given the AMTEC Award of Merit in the audio category for the album Between Wind and Water and he was the Nova scotia winner in the tenth and final CBC Atlantic Song Contest for the song, "Lakes of Bras d'Or." With half a dozen TV and video credits, hundreds of airplays, and seven CDs, Dan is well established in his native Canada. He has an enthusiastc fan base in the UK and airplay across the world. |
Tour booking now: APRIL 2026Th 9 April Fri 10 Apr Say 11 Apr Wed 22 Apr Thu 23 Apr Sun 26 Apr Mon 27 Apr Wed 29 Apr MAY 2026Mon 4 May Thur 7 May Fri 8 May Mon 11 May Tue 12 May Wed 13 May Thu 14 May |