Daniel Eriksen

Vocal/guitars

Daniel Eriksen (born 1977), grew up above the Arctic circle, in Tromsø, Norway. Not excactly a breeding ground for "bluesmen".

By age 12, he started playing guitar inspired by his father. By listening to bands like The Doors and Jimi Hendrix, Daniel followed the trace back to the roots of blues -the early 1900's deltablues, via artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Howlin' Wolf.

In 1995, Eriksen attended a Roy Rogers & The Delta Rhythm Kings show i Langesund, based in the south of Norway. The California based acknowledged slideguitar player made such a deep impact on the young Daniel, that since that show he decided to devote himself to mastering the bottleneck style.

Eriksen moved permanently to Langesund in 1996, and as part of the local music scene, he developed his identifiable slideguitar-style. He soon found himself jamming with artists like Linda Gail Lewis (Jerry Lee's sister), The Band's Rick Danko, Stephen Ackles, Vidar Busk,Reidar Larsen or whoever was passing through.. Daniel also got to open shows for among others B.B. King, John Mayall and Roy Rogers.

At a bluesfestival in 1996, Eriksen met drummer Thorfinn Jenssen and bass player Knut Pedersen, and they formed Daniel and The Sacred Harp after a song by The Band. They travelled Norway for five years and played festivals like Hell Bluesfestival, Notodden Bluesfestival and Nidaros Bluesfestival.

In 2001, Daniel got an offer from Maury "Hooter" Saslaff (formerly with Big Jack Johnson) to front his band, The Blue Devils. The new name became Daniel Eriksen & The Blue Devils. The band toured northern Europe for three years, and played festivals like Langelandsfestivalen (Denmark), Augusti Bluus (Estonia), Kalott Jazz & Blues (Finland), and several others. Eriksen and his bandmates also opened shows for Gary Moore, Robert Plant, Eric Sardinas and served as a backing band for Phil Guy (Buddy Guy's brother).

Daniel, tired of the endless tours, left The Blue Devils in 2004 and to stay closer to home, formed Daniel Eriksen Band with drummer Snorre Smørgrav and bassplayer Vidar Tjessem. But when the van with all the equipment was stolen, the band separated.

Now Daniel is back with his best band yet. The funky Ove Thorkildsen plays the bass, the supersteady Carl Erik Hansen has the drums, and with the addition of rhythm master Stig Sjøstrøm on the percussion, the result is a perfect blend of the raw Mississippi Deltablues and the boiling rhythms of New Orleans. In february 2006 Daniel Eriksen & Pzydeco Sisters released "Ya Ya" on GMP to raving reviews. Look out!!!

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