Dan Murphy is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter from Ireland. He plays guitar, piano, harmonica, dobro, banjo, and didgeridoo. He studied music at the University of Limerick where he is from, and has also spent time in India studying Hindustani slide guitar under Grammy Award winning slide guru Debashish Bhattacharya. His favourite harmonica players are Steve Lockwood and Philip Henry. Dan is a self-taught beatboxer and combines this technique with his harmonica playing. His videos have been viewed tens of millions of times online, and he has performed on UK, US, French, Irish, and Japanese television.
Dan is also lead singer for Irish band Hermitage Green. Hermitage Green blend elements of folk music with pop and rock styles. Their line-up features four-part vocal harmonies, harmonica, didgeridoo, dobro, guitar, synths, and two percussionists. The band signed a record deal with Sony in 2015, and have been touring internationally and releasing music ever since. Their touring accolades include Paloma Faith, The Pogues, Kaiser Chiefs, Josh Ritter, and many more. They will release their third studio album in 2024.
Dan lives in London where he works as a music lecturer at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance. He is currently researching the use of AI in songwriting. He previously conducted a study on music of the Irish Travelling community which is set to be released as part of a book on song studies by Amsterdam University Press in 2024.
Dan also hosts his own podcast called “The Chat” where he has spoken to some of the world’s leading creatives. Previous guests include Desmond Child, Jimmy Carr, Lee Oskar, The Cranberries, Scissor Sisters, Skunk Anansie, and many more.