Biography

About Dan

With 11 studio albums under his belt and over a decade of international acclaim, DAN PATLANSKY has become a definitive voice in modern Blues, celebrated for his exceptional storytelling and legendary artistry. Voted the #4 Best Guitarist in the world, DAN – alongside Joe Bonamassa – remains the only artist in the world with two worldwide #1, as well as two worldwide #2, Best Blues Rock Albums to his name, as voted by Blues Rock Review USA. In 2024, DAN added to his catalog of music with the release of his 11th studio album, ‘MOVIN’ ON’.  In December 2024, ‘MOVIN’ ON’ was voted the #3 Blues Rock Album of the year by Blues Rock Review USA.

In February 2014 DAN was chosen to open for BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN in front of 64 000 people at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, the biggest audience he has ever played to, on his High Hopes tour. DAN was personally approved by Springsteen as support act, seeing as Springsteen rarely has guest artists for his shows.

With a barrage of brilliantly executed electric and acoustic blues rock albums released since 1999, DAN’s albums brought with him a tighter and more engaging lyrical twist and even more interesting turns with each release. His 2014 offering, DEAR SILENCE THIEVES (produced by Theo Crous) was voted the #1 Blues Rock Album in the world by BLUES ROCK REVIEW/USA, alongside names such as Joe Bonamassa, Rival Sons, Devon Allman, The Black Keys, Philip Sayce, and many more.

DAN received raving reviews in European and international press for DEAR SILENCE THIEVES which was released in the UK on 27 April 2015, the same day he performed a launch showcase concert at The Borderline in London, followed by performances in the UK, Poland, The Netherlands and Germany.

In March 2015, legendary guitarist JOE SATRIANI announced DAN PATLANKY as special guest on his UK Shockwave November 2015 tour. The tour stretched over the course of 31 days, 10 countries and 25 shows.

In May 2016, DAN released the follow up album to DEAR SILENCE THIEVES, with Theo Crous helming the production, entitled INTROVERTIGO, and the album received with critical acclaim both in SA and abroad. DAN performed as special guest on award-winning Blues Rock band, KING KING’s nationwide UK tour in May 2016, performing 26 shows over the course of May and June 2016 in Germany Netherlands and the UK.

He completed 2016 on a high note when INTROVERTIGO was voted as the #1 Blues Rock Album in the world by BLUES ROCK REVIEW/USA, becoming the first artist ever to place #1 on Blues Rock Review’s Top 20 Albums Of The Year twice. The album was also voted #8 of the Top 15 albums of 2016 by Blues Magazine.

DAN returned to the UK in April / May 2017 and again in November 2017 as special guest on Joanne Shaw Taylor’s tour.

DAN PATLANSKY‘s 9th album, PERFECTION KILLS was released worldwide on 2 February 2018. The album was recorded at Scherzo Productions, a recording studio in Dan’s home town of Pretoria, South Africa. All the songs on PERFECTION KILLS were recorded and engineered by Jaco Naudé at Scherzo Productions, mixed by Stefan Swart in South Africa and mastered by Pete Lyman at Infrasonic Mastering U.S.A.

DAN returned to the UK during March 2018 where he played a SOLD OUT album launch tour for PERFECTION KILLS, followed by a South African launch tour when he returned home. He returned to the UK again in November 2018 for shows in Poland, Hungary and the UK. PERFECTION KILLS was voted #2 Best Blues Rock Album in 2018 by Blues Rock Review USA, with DAN being voted the 9th Best Blues Guitarist in the world by Total Guitar & Musicradar in December 2018. In 2019, he also won the SAMA Award for Best Rock Album for ‘Perfection Kills’.

DAN performed his full band electric live tour and Duo Electric shows during 2019 in South Africa, and also presented a sold out guitar workshops at Schorndorfer Gitarrentage in June 2019. He returned to the UK as special guest artist on WALTER TROUT’s UK Tour in October 2019.

In 2020, DAN focused on writing a brand new album and online teaching. He returned to touring South Africa late 2020 and throughout 2021.

DAN’s 10th studio offering, SHELTER OF BONES was released on 25 February 2022. SHELTER OF BONES was recorded over a three-year period from 2019-2021. “The pandemic allowed me to take my time, and really think about how I want the songs to come across,” reflects Patlansky. The album covers a three-year period of many ups and downs, and, as a result, the South African guitarist believes the process has been a very interesting journey.

He returned to the UK during March and April 2022 for an album launch tour with special guest, Arielle, followed by The Netherlands in late April. In 2022, DAN also performed in Budapest, Romania, Germany, Norway and Denmark.

In December 2022, SHELTER OF BONES was voted the #2 Best Blues Rock Album of 2022 by Blues Rock Review. It was also voted as one of the Top 5 Albums of 2022 by Classic Rock Magazine.

In 2023, DAN returned to the UK & Europe for a tour in May and June 2023, and The Netherlands in October 2023. Inbetween he toured South Africa with his Duo Electric, as well as full band shows, while completing his next album.

In March 2024, DAN released his latest offering, ‘MOVIN’ ON’. DAN describes the album as a no-nonsense, unforgiving and relentless time capsule of how he wants to be remembered. Even with the recording of the record, the focus was to strive for a sound as authentic as a live performance with as little polish and editing as possible.

DAN already started writing MOVIN’ ON in January 2023, collaborating with a writing trio comprising himself, Andy Maritz and Greg Van Kerkhof. Marking a departure from his prior work and opting for a different approach, he consciously chose not to rely primarily on his own solo writing. DAN describes Andy and Greg as exceptional songwriters who introduced a distinctly fresh perspective and approach to the creative process. The album was produced by DAN PATLANSKY and Andy MaritzDAN chose Andy as co-producer because he understood and shared his vision for the new record and was willing to record the new material according to his desired perspective. He chose MOVIN’ ON as the title track to the album because the song speaks for the entire theme of the record as a whole.

DAN celebrated the release of the album through a South African album launch tour during February and March 2024, and an international album launch tour in April where he performed all over the UK and Hungary. Upon returning to SA, he embarked on his acoustic Unplugged & Unfiltered tour, followed by another international tour to The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium during August and September. He ended the year with a tribute tour in South Africa titled ‘The Influencers’.

In December 2024, ‘MOVIN’ ON’ was voted the #3 Blues Rock Album of the year by Blues Rock Review USA – marking his fifth consecutive album on this prestigious list.

AWARDS, NOMINATIONS & RATINGS:

Movin’ On (2024)

VOTED #3 BEST BLUES ROCK ALBUM 2024 – BLUES ROCK REVIEW 2024

Shelter of Bones, The Album (2022)

VOTED #2 BEST BLUES ROCK ALBUM 2022 – BLUES ROCK REVIEW 2022

VOTED TOP 5 ALBUMS OF 2022 – CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINE

Perfection Kills, The Album (2018)

VOTED #2 BEST BLUES ROCK ALBUM 2018 – BLUES ROCK REVIEW 2018

SAMA WINNER | BEST ROCK ALBUM 2019

Introvertigo, The Album (2016)

VOTED BEST BLUES ROCK ALBUM 2016 – BLUES ROCK REVIEW 2016

VOTED #8 OF TOP 15 ALBUMS OF 2016 – BLUES MAGAZINE 2016

Dear Silence Thieves, The Album (2014)

VOTED BEST BLUES ROCK ALBUM 2014 – BLUES ROCK REVIEW 2014

UK ITUNES TOP TWENTY BLUES ALBUMS, NOVEMBER 2015

HOT CONTENDER IN ‘ALBUM OF THE YEAR’ CATEGORY – BLUES & SOUL MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 2015

ALBUM NAMED #41 IN CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINE’S ’50 BEST ALBUMS OF 2015’ – CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 2015

20 Stones, The Album (2012)

UK ITUNES TOP TWENTY BLUES ALBUMS, NOVEMBER 2015

Dan Patlansky, The Artist

TOP 20 BLUES ROCK ARTISTS – BLUES MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 2015

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR – BLUES & SOUL MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 2015

#4 OF 10 BEST ROCK GUITARISTS IN THE WORLD – TOTAL GUITAR MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 2015

NOMINATED ‘BEST INTERNATIONAL SOLO ARTIST’ – PLANET ROCK RADIO ‘ROCKS’ AWARDS, FEBRUARY 2016

NOMINATED AND RATED #2 IN THE CATEGORY OF TOP 5 ‘OVERSEAS ARTIST OF THE YEAR’ – BRITISH BLUES AWARDS, SEPTEMBER 2016

BEST BLUES PERFORMANCE OF 2017 – ISLINGTON ACADEMY, WRC

#9 BEST BLUES GUITARIST OF 2018 – TOTAL GUITAR & MUSICRADAR, DECEMBER 2018

DAN returned to the UK in April / May 2017 and again in November 2017 as special guest on Joanne Shaw Taylor’s tour.

DAN PATLANSKY’s 9th album, PERFECTION KILLS was released worldwide on 2 February 2018. The album was recorded at Scherzo Productions, a recording studio in Dan’s home town of Pretoria, South Africa. All the songs on PERFECTION KILLS were recorded and engineered by Jaco Naudé at Scherzo Productions, mixed by Stefan Swart in South Africa and mastered by Pete Lyman at Infrasonic Mastering U.S.A.

DAN returned to the UK during March 2018 where he played a SOLD OUT album launch tour for PERFECTION KILLS, followed by a South African launch tour when he returned home. He returned to the UK again in November 2018 for shows in Poland, Hungary and the UK. PERFECTION KILLS was voted #2 Best Blues Rock Album in 2018 by Blues Rock Review USA, with DAN being voted the 9th Best Blues Guitarist in the world by Total Guitar & Musicradar in December 2018. In 2019, he also won the SAMA Award for Best Rock Album for ‘Perfection Kills’.

DAN performed his full band electric live tour and Duo Electric shows during 2019 in South Africa, and also presented a sold out guitar workshops at Schorndorfer Gitarrentage in June 2019. He returned to the UK as special guest artist on WALTER TROUT’s UK Tour in October 2019.

In 2020, DAN focused on writing a brand new album and online teaching. He returned to touring South Africa late 2020 and throughout 2021.

DAN’s latest album and 10th studio offering, SHELTER OF BONES was released on 25 February 2022. SHELTER OF BONES was recorded over a three-year period from 2019-2021. “The pandemic allowed me to take my time, and really think about how I want the songs to come across,” reflects Patlansky. The album covers a three- year period of many ups and downs, and, as a result, the South African guitarist believes the process has been a very interesting journey.

“My goal is always to try make a record that I would want to listen to,” says Patlansky. “I’m very happy and proud of this album. I produced it myself because I wanted a very particular sound. On three of the tracks, I enlisted a good friend and ex-keyboard player from Hamburg, Tom Gatza, who brought a fresh feel to these songs, especially the ballads (I’ll Keep Trying and Shelter of Bones). The album is an accurate representation of who I am currently as an artist, which is a modern twist on what I love most, the Blues.”

He returned to the UK during March and April 2022 for an album launch tour with special guest, Arielle, followed by The Netherlands in late April. In 2022, DAN also performed in Budapest, Romania, Germany, Norway and Denmark.

In December 2022, SHELTER OF BONES was voted the #2 Best Blues Rock Album of 2022 by Blues Rock Review. It was also voted as one of the Top 5 Albums of 2022 by Classic Rock Magazine.

AWARDS, NOMINATIONS & RATINGS:

Shelter of Bones, The Album (2022)

VOTED #2 BEST BLUES ROCK ALBUM 2022 – BLUES ROCK REVIEW 2022

VOTED TOP 5 ALBUMS OF 2022 – CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINE

Perfection Kills, The Album (2018)

VOTED #2 BEST BLUES ROCK ALBUM 2018 – BLUES ROCK REVIEW 2018

SAMA WINNER | BEST ROCK ALBUM 2019

 

Introvertigo, The Album (2016)

VOTED BEST BLUES ROCK ALBUM 2016 – BLUES ROCK REVIEW 2016

VOTED #8 OF TOP 15 ALBUMS OF 2016 – BLUES MAGAZINE 2016

Dear Silence Thieves, The Album (2014)

VOTED BEST BLUES ROCK ALBUM 2014 – BLUES ROCK REVIEW 2014

UK ITUNES TOP TWENTY BLUES ALBUMS, NOVEMBER 2015

HOT CONTENDER IN ‘ALBUM OF THE YEAR’ CATEGORY – BLUES & SOUL MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 2015

ALBUM NAMED #41 IN CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINE’S ’50 BEST ALBUMS OF 2015’ – CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 2015

Dan Patlansky, The Artist

TOP 20 BLUES ROCK ARTISTS – BLUES MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 2015

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR – BLUES & SOUL MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 2015

#4 OF 10 BEST ROCK GUITARISTS IN THE WORLD – TOTAL GUITAR MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 2015

NOMINATED ‘BEST INTERNATIONAL SOLO ARTIST’ – PLANET ROCK RADIO ‘ROCKS’ AWARDS, FEBRUARY 2016

NOMINATED AND RATED #2 IN THE CATEGORY OF TOP 5 ‘OVERSEAS ARTIST OF THE YEAR’ – BRITISH BLUES AWARDS, SEPTEMBER 2016

BEST BLUES PERFORMANCE OF 2017 – ISLINGTON ACADEMY, WRC

#9 BEST BLUES GUITARIST OF 2018 – TOTAL GUITAR & MUSICRADAR, DECEMBER 2018

20 Stones, The Album (2012)

UK ITUNES TOP TWENTY BLUES ALBUMS, NOVEMBER 2015

I always try to put every ounce of myself and my experiences into my songs and live shows. The Blues can not be played in any other way.

– Dan Patlansky –