Today’s guest is as much a philosopher and thinking man as he is a creative force in the world of music. He started busking - which means playing music on the streets for coins - on Broadway in Nashville at  14. Two years previously the only thing he knew about playing guitar was the video game GUITAR HERO. He was good, damn good. Then he heard a Gun’ & Roses song blasing out of a set of speakers and decided to give playing real guitar a try. 

Turns out he was even better at the real thing. On his first day of busking Daniel Donato didn’t make one red penny.  

The next part of the story is one of those storybook kind of tales that seem more fiction than fact,  Daniel is no stranger to the idea that if one is prepared, then that person will capitalize when an opportunity arises. One day he’s walking down the street - 14 year old kid,  guitar case in his hand and a guy from a bar - the bass player from a band that was performing -  waves him in and says “hey kid can you play guitar?”  

The sensation of sound waves blasting into his calves from the amplifier standing on the stage just behind him transformed him forever.

At 16 he became the youngest musician ever to get a regular playing gig at the world famous honky tonk ROBERT’S WESTERN WORLD - on Broadway in Nashville of course - 

Daniel Donato is 26 now, that’s him we’re listening to now. 

several cross country tours, a second album just released, 2,000 performances under his belt….. Some would call him a Master of the Telecaster...referring to the style of Fender guitar he plays, which you see all sorts of country stars play, Merle Haggard, Marty Stuart, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Vince Gill, REAL guitar heroes…

Today’s  conversation with Daniel Donato moves from music to all things  ABOUT LIFE, MOTIVATION, OVERCOMING YOUR FEARS, BREAKING THROUGH THE BARRIERS, ABOUT FOLLOWING THE CORE PATH OF YOUR HEART….WHETHER YOURE A MUSICIAN, DANCER, HITCHHIKER, SHOWER SINGER, HOUSE BUILDER, CAR PAINTER, ENGINEER, AMATUER PILOT….DON’T MATTER….THIS IS ABOUT FOLLOWING YOUR HEART  

Daniel Donato, he calls his brand of music COSMIC COUNTRY

He also has a podcast, called The Lost Highway, HE HAS A NEW ALBUM OUT CALLED  Cosmic Country & Western Songs, released on September 30 of 2021.

Daniel Donato is a lot more than a musician….wise beyond his years, here’s our conversation