Dan Hawkins

Name: Daniel Francis Hawkins
Born: 12 December 1976
Hometown: Lowerstoft
Influences: Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Whitesnake, AC/DC, Queen, Mötley Crüe and Thin Lizzy.
Instruments: Guitar, Vocals, Bass, Drums, Percussion

Wikipedia article:

Daniel Francis Hawkins (born 12 December 1976, Chertsey, England) is an English rock guitarist, noted for his strong revival of 1970s classic rock and 1980s metal.

He is best known for his time as guitarist and backing singer of the UK band, The Darkness, fronted by his brother Justin Hawkins, which achieved notable mainstream success between 2002 and 2006. He is now playing lead guitar for their successor band Stone Gods. He is influenced by hard rock and glam metal genre such as Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Whitesnake, AC/DC, Queen, Mötley Crüe and Thin Lizzy.

After moving to Lowestoft, he attended Kirkley High School and achieved good grades in his GCSEs before leaving his hometown behind for the bright lights and cosmopolitan lifestyle of Camden, London. From a young age, he aspired to be a musician, beginning on drums, moving on to bass and finally mastering the guitar. Back in his early days in his professional career, he worked as a session guitarist for various artists including Natalie Imbruglia. Previous bands include Vital Signs, Empire and the hugely successful The Darkness in which he and his bandmates, Justin Hawkins, Ed Graham, Frankie Poullain and later, Richie Edwards, received countless awards for their music. Dan’s trophy cabinet holds Brits, MTV and Kerrang awards and a highly prestigious Ivor Novello award for songwriting.

In 2006, after The Darkness disbanded, Dan regrouped with fellow bandmates Richie and Ed to begin the band that would, after the recruitment of bassist Toby Macfarlaine, become Stone Gods. He currently plays lead guitar role in his new band and has seen their debut album Silver Spoons & Broken Bones launch to impressive and supportive reviews throughout the rock world. At present, they have been nominated for two Classic Rock Magazine – Roll Of Honour Awards and played alongside Australian rockers, Airbourne on their UK tour on 8 November.

Dan Hawkins was involved with the production process during the recording of both The Darkness’s albums, learning the skills alongside famed producer, Roy Thomas Baker. He co-produced B-sides for One Way Ticket To Hell … And Back and his first credited and most recent project is Stone Gods own album, Silver Spoons & Broken Bones, also with the record producer, Nick Brine. Hawkins also built and owns a luxury, commercial residential recording studio ‘Leeders Farm’ in Wymondham, Norfolk, which is run by Brine and his partner Katy Dann. Bands such as The Dandies, Arctic Monkeys, Seasick Steve, The Rifles and more recently ex Thunder guitarist Luke Morley’s new band The Union have all recorded there.

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