DAN MCELROY, BANJO
A transplant to Nebraska , Dan was born in Georgia in 1952, and lived in east Tennessee for ten years. His love of bluegrass music was greatly influenced as a child by viewing weekly televised bluegrass on the ‘Cas
Walker Show’ from Knoxville. When his dad’s job transferred to Nebraska, his parents helped him to buy his first banjo and gave him lessons. After high school, the Army, and college, he became more serious about
bluegrass music. He formed a local band in 1978 called ‘Whole Wheat ’ . When that band was over, he did a lot playing and travelling in multiple states with singer and promoter Bob Everhart with his then new band
‘Bluegrass Playground’. During this time, they were often on the same billing with many bluegrass and country music stars, including Bill Monroe, Jimmy Martin, New Grass Revival, George Strait and more. He has also been of member of several bluegrass bands, including “Curly Ennis and the Roadrangers’ and the Kenestan Family band Having been a member of the Omaha musicians union now for more than 25 years, he has been a sideman for various bluegrass bands, has played banjo on local commercials, and has written an instrumental banjo theme song for a popular Iowa Public Television Music series. He has also had several very good reviews in Bluegrass UnlimitedMagazine for various LP and CD recording projects.
Over the years and to the present, he continues to attend bluegrass, festivals, combining camping and picking with his family which consist of two girls Cassie and Princess, his son Kelly, and his wife Tess. He
also owns a company which specializes in playground equipment.