Ashland, OR
Biography: Less is truly more on Daniel Sherrill’s album From A Heritage Tree. Solo, with only a banjo, Sherrill turns traditionals into something new with mesmerizing fretwork. Sherrill is known as the multi-instrumentalist and vocalist for Patchy Sanders, Hollis Peach. As a member of Oregon Shakespeare Festival Sherrill’s work on productions of Oklahoma! and Hairspray are world renowned. He’s been featured in PBS NewsHour and NPR.
One banjo, that’s it.
The banjo itself was built by a luthier from a fallen 275 year old Claro Walnut tree. Sherrill was given the banjo by surprise early in the pandemic. He’d been busy setting up his own recording studio (Rent A Puppy Studios), so the timing was perfect. Nearly a week went by before Sherrill put the banjo down. What resulted was the recording of 9 traditional songs written for fiddle, and played on banjo. The tree was already 85 years old when some of these songs began being played.