By: Rick Landers
Danny Garwood
Hailing out of Music City USA (Nashville, Tennessee), there’s a young guitar slinger, Danny Garwood, rolling out some heavy hitter blues, getting stage time with the likes of the legendary Buddy Guy, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, and other world-class artists.
While checking out Danny’s video that captured the scene with Mr. Guy, I was reminded of an older video with a young Joe Bonamassa being invited to show his chops alongside the great Danny Gatton. It seems each new generation produces newcomers to the world of guitar that sometimes get to count coup with their guitar heroes, and gain some early career traction.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Lang are others come to mind. The power and magic of music can merge generational gaps, fusing young and older musicians together in ways that honor the elders, and inspire the passion of talented and driven young axe masters.
Enter, Danny Garwood, who took a turn in 2022 at the Dallas International Guitar Festival’s ’10 Under 20′ festival where he impressed and met Ally Venable who pulled him on stage, and has since invited him to open for her several times. In keeping with generational power shifts, Ally’s own professional entry to the music scene happened when she released her first EP at 14 years old, and since then has gone on to become an internationally acclaimed touring artist.
Inspired by those who came before, that include Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Mayer and Jeff Healey, Danny’s blues licks are nuanced by his guitar idols’ good works. And his new EP, 50/Fifty, hits the bulls-eye offering us skilled grit and passion, with the releases only short-coming being leaving us wanting for more, much more. Without a doubt, Garwood has plenty more in his quiver to send our way.
Guitar International is pleased and honored to present, Danny “Guitarwood’ Garwood, to our pages and we look forward to much more from this very special world-class artist.
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Rick Landers: Some of my friends spent countless hours alone learning and trying to master the guitar, and I wonder at what cost to their social lives, schooling and relationships? Did you or do you still find a total immersion necessary to develop your talent; what have the joys and challenges been so far for you?
Danny Garwood: I can totally see how that can happen, music being a time consumer, but I’ve been very lucky to have a family that supports balance. I go to public school and ensure that I have enough time for friends and being a kid. Which is something that’s super important to my parents and management.
First starting out it was a total challenge, so I spent tons of time in my room practicing. Eventually I just kept on going and it got to a point where I was having so much fun I didn’t realize how long and often I was practicing. At this point I practice daily and honestly can’t even walk into the living room without picking up an acoustic.
Danny Garwood
Rick: Your EP, 50 Fifty, is a catchy honking guitar album, tell us how you chose the songs that you covered, and the kinds of songwriting processes you use to come up with your own tunes?
Danny Garwood: It all came together in a very neat way. In June of 2024 I made the trip to Sweetwater Studios in Fort Wayne, Indiana and cut a handful of songs, which led to me releasing a single months later in October called “Two Wrongs.” I returned back to Sweetwater in November of 2025 and redid vocals and guitar parts on the tunes. My voice had changed and I wanted to enhance the guitar parts a bit.
As for the decision making on covers, let’s start with “Them Changes” originally done by the late great Buddy Miles. I was in the car and my dad had Eric Clapton’s and Steve Winwood’s Live At Madison Square Garden on. Their cover of “Them Changes” came on.
As soon as I heard that riff I was immediately hooked. I found the original done by Buddy and it blew my mind, not only because of how amazing the music sounded, but that the person who was singing was also playing drums. I looked him up some more and found out he was the drummer on the Band of Gypsy’s album, which is now one of my personal favorites. The influence the song had, inspired me to do something with it, and I knew this would be one that I would cut.
The other cover, “As the Years Go Passing By,” originally done by Albert King, I discovered from Jeff Healey’s version. I’ve always been a huge fan of slow blues songs, but this one just had a different feel. Healey has always been a huge inspiration to me and that was one of the songs that introduced me to him as well as his role in the movie “Roadhouse.” It was a song that made its spot on my setlist and I loved it so much I wanted to record it.
Now, for the originals: “50/Fifty,” “Up Your Sleeve,” and “387 Delta”. “50/Fifty” and “Up Your Sleeve” were written in a very natural way that was made to sort of fit the theme of the instrumentals, but “387 Delta” goes deeper than that. I wrote that song about one of my favorite venues, “Ground Zero Blues Club,” in Clarksdale, Mississippi. There’s some sort of energy there that I don’t think I’ve found any place else.
I’ve been playing there ever since I was around 13, and I’ve met so many great people. I couldn’t resist writing a song about it. I needed to figure out a title, and I originally intended it to be called “Ground Zero,” but that just felt a little too basic. I gave it some more thought, and someone suggested I look up the address and “387 Delta Avenue” came up. Something about 387 Delta just had a ring to it, so that’s when I knew I had my title.
Rick: What’s your rig for performing – guitar, amp, effects – who are some of the guitarists that have inspired you, and what sounds draw you in by them that you incorporate into your own playing?
Danny Garwood: I get pretty versatile with my collection, but I’m totally a Stratocaster guy at heart. For amps I’m running a Category 5, which is a company out of Texas. I’m playing through the TBR-35 model, and it sounds excellent.
In terms of pedals, I’m always running a Tube Screamer and an MXR pedal called, Timmy Overdrive, for extra grit. On occasion I’ll turn on a chorus or a smidge of delay. And for certain songs I use a wah or an octave pedal.
To name a few influences I definitely incorporate a lot of Jimi Hendrix, John Mayer, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd licks into my playing. I do venture off a bit though, Steely Dan has become a huge inspiration for me, more specifically both albums, The Royal Scam, and Aja gave me a whole different lens towards music.
An incredible drummer I work with, Dale Myers, introduced me to drummer, Jeff Porcaro, and gave me a book about him to read called, The Man and His Music, which had so much valuable information and taught me a lot of things about the music industry. Even though Porcaro is a drummer, as a musician and a person he’s a huge influence on me and this sparked a deep connection to his music and a lot of songs from Toto’s discography.
Rick: Along the way, musicians who get traction tend to have supporters who help move their passion forward into a professional career path. Who’s been on your side and what have they brought to you, to help keep things moving ahead and/or helping you keep your life well balanced?
Danny Garwood
Danny Garwood: Too many to list. To start, my parents, and especially my Dad, have been here for everything. I wouldn’t have gotten to places I’ve been, let alone meet my management, Curation, who are also nothing but amazing towards me.
To name another, this incredible keyboard player and even more amazing human, Eric Robert, I’ve had the privilege of working with. I met him shortly after moving to Tennessee and he’s supported and inspired me both on and off stage. Not to mention he gifted me the sickest watch. I always sport it on stage.
Rick: The arena of business in the music industry has a a few potholes to be aware of and to try to avoid. Are you cautious to not jump the gun when it feels that your ambitions might lead the way to decisions that end up with disagreeable results?
Danny Garwood: I’ve got an amazing support system, and we always really think through decisions. For example, I cut those tracks at Sweetwater intending for an album, but I discussed with management on what to do and decided on holding off for an album until I was a little older.
After that recording process, tons of people would come to shows asking if we had CDs or music they could stream. Further down the road this prompted me to piece together my EP. It’s important for me to do things right and not fast.
Rick: Tell us about the production of your album, the recording, engineering and packaging of it. Were you hands on or were there others you relied on heavily to pull it all together?
Danny Garwood: Sweetwater is one of the coolest places I’ve ever been. And if you haven’t been, figure out how to get to Ft. Wayne, Indiana. I had a great first experience recording with producer, Shawn Dealey, and his studio partner Jason Peets.
My first experience with them in 2024 was nothing but amazing. I made the choice to hold off, and returned when my voice changed a little over a year after. I redid the parts to sound more up-to-date. Shawn pulled some really awesome things out of me just by talking to me and honed in on a lot.
Rick: A career in music can be tough and some have what many would call a “normal” job or career, often to be able to pay the rent. Are you also pursuing an education or another career that might be a more traditional path to your idea of success?
Danny Garwood: I will do whatever it takes to continue on this path, I can’t see myself doing anything else. I love connecting with other people through music, and the stage just feels like home to me.
Rick: Have you found other musicians competitive or helpful to give you ideas, get gigs, or offer up lessons learned for you to reach your potential?
Danny Garwood: It’s definitely a competitive market, but I feel like you can find that in any path. There have been so many people that are extremely helpful, whether it’s mentors or people I’ve shared the stage with. To name one, Mr. G, my very first mentor. This was when I was living in Illinois, where I am originally from.
I showed up to a jam in a small town in Wisconsin, called Zenda. I was around 10 years old at the time and had never experienced an open jam before. The host “Mr. G” had let me come up and play with the house band for a few. This experience ignited my passion even more, and he ended up taking me under his wing as his very first guitar student. He taught me stage etiquette, and to always let others shine, which I think is key when playing onstage.
Rick: How did you end up on stage with Ally Venable at the Dallas International Guitar Festival in 2022, and do you consider it a milestone in your career so far?
Danny Garwood: I saw Ally perform in early 2022 opening for Kenny Wayne Shepherd in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Needless to say, I was absolutely floored. A few months later I found out that I was going to be going to Dallas to compete in the Dallas International Guitar Festival “10 under 20” competition. The day of our arrival we went to go see Ally perform.
After the show I introduced myself and took a picture with her. That very next day, she had another slot performing. Before we left to go to the festival I almost didn’t bring my guitar. But, my dad just had this gut instinct and told me to bring it, just in case. So I did.
When we went to go see Ally play, we received a message from her Dad through Facebook asking if we were still there and if I had my guitar. Luckily, yes. I rushed to the front of the stage and before I knew it 13 year old me was up there jamming on Freddie King’s “I’m Going Down” which was a song I did not know at the time.
Ever since, Ally and her crew have been so good to us. I’ve had the privilege of opening for her and spending time with them on numerous occasions. And I’m beyond grateful for that. Not to mention there was a woman in the audience, Natasha Cornblatt, who is a videographer. She filmed the performance and posted it on YouTube and it is now standing at 8.6 million views.
Rick: Sharing the stage with the legendary Buddy Guy and Christine “Kingfish” Ingram, at the Ryman no less, must have been a dream come true. How were you able to corral that opportunity, what was that experience like, and has it led to even more opportunities?
Danny Garwood: Around mid-February, 2023, we had tickets to go see Buddy Guy in Evansville, Indiana. Ally Venable and Eric Gales were opening for him which they were fantastic per usual. Near the end of the show, Buddy did his signature crowd walk, and eventually came up to me.
I was wearing this very vibrant blue suit jacket, with shiny silver polka dots. Buddy handed me a pick and let me strum his guitar. There’s a picture of it, and a video from my point of view, it’s always fun to go back and watch on occasion. Buddy asked if I played guitar, of course I said, “Yes”. He asked if I wanted to jam on stage at the end of the show, but it never happened, that night at least.
Danny Garwood
I was working with an outstanding drummer at the time, Paige O’Rourke, from Chicago, Illinois. She had jammed with Buddy before, and happened to know Buddy’s guitar tech, Connor Korte. Connor had spoken to Buddy and he said he had remembered me from the Evansville show, and he was informed that we’d be seeing him in late March at the Ryman Auditorium here in my hometown, Nashville, Tennessee. We weren’t entirely sure on whether I was going to jam with Buddy, but either way I was excited to see him live and I wore that blue jacket again.
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram was playing the opening set who I had previously met before. When we were waiting in line, we saw his van, and his bass player at the time, Paul Rodgers, recognized me. He invited me in the van and I got to chat with Christone for a bit.
This meant the absolute world to me. When it came time for the show, we still weren’t sure on whether or not I’d be jamming with Buddy. When he did his crowd walk, he didn’t walk up to me, so I had a feeling it wouldn’t happen. Near the end, I see Connor. He’s pointing at me to head backstage. My mom came with me, as well.
It was funny when Connor handed me a guitar, we couldn’t adjust the strap height to fit me because I was so much smaller at the time. Then before I knew it I was on stage with Buddy Guy, Kingfish, and all the other incredible musicians on stage. It didn’t really hit me till afterwards what had just happened. I couldn’t believe it.
This experience opened the door for opportunities to play with Buddy yet another time, jam with Kingfish again at Ground Zero, and play at Buddy’s blues club in Chicago, Illinois, “Legends.”
Rick: Are you winging it or have you developed a career strategy, with goals and objectives, that you check off, then once interim goals have been reached, do you update your plans with more things you want to experience and accomplish?
Danny Garwood: I’m definitely a go with the flow type of person. A lot of things have just sort of came to me, and I let the universe do its thing. Not to say it isn’t important to have a plan or strategy. After I finish my senior year of high school, I’m planning to record my debut album. It’s been a goal of mine for a while, create a killer debut album and tour and I’m really excited to see what the future has in store.
Rick: Giving back is always a good thing to do and I see that you’ve helped other musicians starting and facilitating the Youth Blues Jam at the Ground Zero Blues Club in Memphis. What was that like and are you still involved in that annual event? Have you plans to do any more “giving back” ventures?
Danny Garwood: Being able to start, and host the Youth Jam at Ground Zero was such a treat. My last time hosting this year was very bittersweet, but it felt amazing to pass the torch and let other young artists experience what it’s like to be in that spot. I’m no longer involved in that event since I’ll be 18 soon, but I’m excited to see what the future holds for it.
Giving back always feels good, and I am 100% open to doing it as much as I can. Gary Hoey had Ally Venable sit in on “Going Down” when she was younger, and she paid it forward to me. So, I know one day, I’ll find someone young that I see potential in and do the same.
Rick: What’s next on your “to do” platter and what can your fans expect for the rest of this year and in 2027?
Danny Garwood: My biggest focus is to enhance my writing skills. So, definitely expect more original music, as well as more shows, so you can catch the new material live, further down the road!
