"Will Danforth plays roots music ... traditional folk, blues, classic country...and he's been playing it for 35 years. That's deep roots. But it's not locked in time—he also has a deep well of originals drawn from these styles. Buckets & buckets of 'em. And he does some real tasty contemporary covers. So the traditional is relevant to today, and you can hear the family tree in the originals and contemporary stuff.
He does all this on a lot of instruments: guitar, slide guitar, frailed banjo, mountain dulcimer, autoharp, blues harp, jews harp, octave mandolin. Not flash ... a solid accompaniment style driven by the song at hand, with a tight, rhythmic groove that some call "band-in-a-box". And his voice—that's his first instrument—it seeks out the root character of the song and celebrates it. One senses an artistic approach with a high quality hurdle."
Back by Popular Demand!
We are again offering Will's first cd, Where Beauty Is Found.
This cd first interested me when I heard that Heron Dance readers had requested that we carry it again after selling out of it. I then read the excerpt from his website (above), which peaked my interest even more.
Where Beauty Is FoundYou see, my dad learned how to play the guitar during the folk music revival of the 60s. I grew up listening to him play, and to this day, we'll still sing together while he plays the guitar and I play the piano. I don't always get the notes right, but it's still one of the things I love most to do.
Listening to the cd recently, Where Beauty Is Found gave me all the pleasure of singing with my dad. Although it's a studio recording, it feels as if Will is sitting right in front of me playing live. His voice and acoustic guitar have a wonderful clarity and expansiveness that fill my heart.
Featuring twelve tracks, some written by Will and some written by others, they cover Will's full range of talent. It may be sacrilege to say so, but I think I like his rendition of "No Woman, No Cry" even better than Joan Baez's version. My favorite song is the title track, "Where Beauty Is Found."
—Diana V. Seay, managing editor for Heron Dance
Also well-received, here is the song list for Will's latest cd,
Grey Dawn Breaking:
Just a simple song
with an easy tune
‘bout a simple love
between me & you
nothing clever
to explain
just I love you
like crops love rain
No it didn’t grow this way
overnight
it took – many years
to get it right
but our roots have now
split those rocks
that long ago
were stumbling blocks
Chorus: So if you ask me
what life’s made of
well mine is grounded on
solid love
and my joy is richer
every day
when I reach to give
this love away
Just a simple song
to celebrate you & me
and this love we’ve grown
like a tall oak tree
and every time
I turn to see
its beauty re-
inspires me
Vocal, guitar & harmonica - Will
Fretless bass – Colin McCaffrey
Djembe & high hat – Marcus Copening
Cello – John Dunlop
Pedal steel – Jim Pitman
Fiddles – Pete Sutherland
Harmony vocal – Patti Casey
