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November 29, 2025
Like many of the blues musicians from the early 1900’s that Lonesome Dan was listening to, he acquired
a wander-lust and began traveling around the country busking on street corners. After spending time in
California and New Mexico, Lonesome Dan ended up in Denver, Colorado where he started playing in
coffee houses and drinking establishments. It was here he met Johnny Long, a blues player from St.
Louis, whose deeply distinctive singing and guitar-picking style continues to be a big influence on
Lonesome Dan’s music. While in Denver, Dan also played with a four- piece band called the 32-20 Jug
Band. They played 1920’s and 30’s jug band music covering artists like Sleepy John Estes and The
Cannon Jug Stompers.
In 2001, Lonesome Dan moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota and immediately began playing shows as a
solo act. Within a year, he formed a band called the Crush Collision Trio with mandolin and washboard
accompaniment by Matt Yetter and Mikkel Beckmen. They played a mixture of Dan’s originals and old
country blues.