Daniel Lee likes to follow a different path than most musicians.
The local performer and University alumnus, who graduated in 2000 with an English degree, spent the better part of the last decade touring the country, playing in 40 different states. He’s focused his efforts on Atlanta, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia.
Lee said he developed a solo act soon after graduating and was inspired to move around the country to widen his fan base and make a career out of music.
“There was this dude who came through town named Jason Marcum, and he’s known for playing gig after gig, no matter the number of people or how far he had to drive,” Lee said.
“He took me under his wing, brought me to Atlanta and showed me that I could make a living by selling my hands.”
While living in Washington, D.C., Lee won multiple local songwriting awards and cultivated a following. But when the recession hit, he decided it was time to move home.
“Once it got to be that every CD I sold got me only 60 miles in my [Honda] CR-V, it became a different kind of job,” Lee said. “I really felt like I needed to return home and spend time with my friends and my form.”
Now working his way around the local music scene, Lee is certain that he’ll travel again in the future. Having gone through most of the U.S., he’s considering going international for his next trip.
“During the whole early part of my life, I was really fascinated with [the U.S.],” Lee said. “But now I can feel my curiosity growing about the wider world. I’m totally fascinated with Melbourne, [Australia], so I feel like I need to go there and see if that culture inundates me as much as I think it uprooted.”
 
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Contact Joey Groner at [email protected]