Dan Vickrey

Dan Vickrey
Vickrey, with Counting Crows, Brussels 2008 Courtesy Rutger Hesseling
Background information
Birth name	Daniel Vickrey
Born	26 July 1966 (1966-07-26) (age 45) Walnut Creek, California, United States
Genres	Rock, Alternative Rock, Pop Rock
Occupations	Guitarist, Vocalist, Songwriter
Instruments	Guitar, Vocals
Years active	1994-current
Labels	Geffen
Associated acts	Counting Crows
Website	Official site

Daniel Vickrey (born August 26, 1966) is an American musician. He has performed since 1994 as a lead guitarist in the alternative rock band, Counting Crows.^[1] Vickrey also provides backing vocals, and is a harmonist within the band.

As co-writer of a number of hit songs with Counting Crows, Vickrey has distinguished himself as a nominee for a Grammy Award, Golden Globe Award, an Oscar, and was a winner of an award from BMI for co-writing the song, "Accidentally in Love."^[2]

Early years

Influences

Vickrey learned to play the guitar when he was about 11 years old with his father. Because of this, he was first influenced by his father's musical preferences. From childhood, he had listened to vinyl records belonging to his father, older brother, and sister. Albums in these collections featured Bruce Springsteen, Willie Nelson, Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and his sister's Bee Gee's records. Vickrey's next-door neighbor introduced him to The Beatles, and Dan began spending time at a local guitar shop where he found a music teacher who gave Vickrey a taste of some of Eric Clapton's earliest work, performing with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, which left a lasting impression on him. He joined his first band with his neighbor, Steve Bowman, and his brother.^[3]

Joining Counting Crows

As he matured, Vickrey continued playing with various bands, branching out into songwriting and eventually, while attending UCLA, he played his own compositions solo with acoustic guitar, in local coffee houses and small venues which included Madame Wong's and the Viper Room, (even before it had that name). After graduation from College, and a return to the San Francisco Bay Area, he was introduced to Charles Gillingham by a mutual friend, and after playing with him for a goodly amount of time, was surprised to find he had quit all his various musical pursuits to join a new band, Counting Crows. Vickrey was an original fan and expressed a desire to join the band if a guitarist was ever needed. In late 1993, Vickrey was asked to join after the release of their first album, August and Everything After, when the band felt they could benefit with a new lead guitarist.^[4] At that point, Vickrey joined the band, performing on guitar, joining David Bryson in providing harmony and backing vocals for the band, one of the trademarks of the band's sound.^{[citation needed]} He has performed on every album and tour since that time.

Personal Interests

Vickrey's interests include politics, playing and collecting vintage guitars and amps, movies and of course, music. He now resides in the San Francisco Bay Area.^[3]

References

1. ^ infoplease.com - Counting Crows
2. ^ imdb Awards
3. ^ ^{a b} "Bio Dave Vickery". Official Counting Crows Website. 2009 Counting Crows, LLC. http://www.countingcrows.com/?content=bio. Retrieved 2009-01-16. 
4. ^ "Bio Timeline 1993". Official Counting Crows Website. 2009 Counting Crows, LLC. 2009. http://www.countingcrows.com/?content=timeline. Retrieved 2009-01-16. 

External links

• Dan Vickrey at the Internet Movie Database
• Official site
• Official download site
• Official MySpace site

Persondata
Name	Vickrey, Dan
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1966-07-26
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death