Jean-Pierre Danel

Jean-Pierre Danel (born 4 June 1968) is a French guitarist, record producer, music writer, and songwriter.

Jean-Pierre Danel has recorded a large number of guitar albums as well as guitar teaching materials.

Born in La Varenne, Val-de-Marne, France, Danel, the son of the French pop singer Pascal Danel and the nephew of opera director Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, started his career as a professional guitarist in July 1982, at the age of 14.

After many tours and studio recordings with French session musicians, he released various guitar albums.

As a record producer, Danel started his own company, Puzzle Productions, in 1989.

He produced dozens of hit records and also bought the rights for many songs from other companies, creating an 18,000-song catalogue.

In several TV documentaries, record industry specialists called Danel one of the biggest independent producers in France.

His work also includes the production, with DJ Da French Guy, of radio remixes for artists such as Madonna, Britney Spears, Daft Punk, and Moby.

In 2001, he was invited to play on the album Les Masters de la Guitare, to which Eric Clapton, BB King, Carlos Santana or Al Di Meola also contributed.

In 2006, his album Guitar Connection, released by Sony BMG, was certified gold in France, followed by several other records certified gold or platinum.

Danel's album Guitar Connection was released by Sony/BMG in July 2006 and reached the #1 spot in the charts in France, followed by several other records certified gold or platinum (https://www.upfi.fr/les-certifications/) It was certified Gold and soon became a series of hit albums, with Guitar Connection 2 released in March 2007.

It contains a duet with British guitarist Hank Marvin.

Danel also recorded many duets with French stars Laurent Voulzy, Louis Bertignac, Axel Bauer, Michael Jones and Paul Personne, among others.

In June 2007, Danel received the Grand Prix Français de la Guitare award.

In November 2010, Danel's Out of the Blues guitar album was released by Universal, with sales going towards AIDS research.

Danel recorded duets with a number of guitarists such as Hank Marvin again, Albert Lee (recorded at the Abbey Road Studios), Scott Henderson, Andy Powell of Wishbone Ash, Jake Shimabukuro and various popular French artists.

The album was supported by Carla Bruni, then First Lady of France, and Brian May of Queen, who also wrote a note in the booklet.

Danel also published in 2012 a book about the Fender Stratocaster (foreword by Hank Marvin).

The pair was reunited in a charity organized by Danel in 2013: The album is certified Gold and the DVD gets a Platinum disc

Danel's digital compilation album The Hit List debuted on the French compilation albums chart at number 18.

In 2014, he received a multi-diamond disc for 25 years as a record producer at Sony Music headquarters as well as 23.3 million records sold and 191 gold and platinum discs received as a producer.

Since then, in 2023, he has 206 gold and platinum records.

Danel is also the author of several books, the best known of which are biographies of French playwright and actor Sacha Guitry.

His second book about Guitry is featured on the book list for French students at Berkeley University, CA. In 2023, he published a biography of French theater star Sarah Bernhardt.

In 2014, he released the video "The Fender Stratocaster Story", based on the book and on his vast collection of guitars, in which can be found "Miss Daisy", a scarce 1954 pre-production Stratocaster, worth US$250,000.

Danel produced records to the benefit of various charities (AIDS, Amnesty International, etc.).

On 25 March 2016, Danel released Guitar Tribute (Sony Music), a box set containing 2 CDs (a compilation and a live album) and the DVD of a private live show, All You Need Is Live, given for his daughter.

Half of the concert consisted of Danel's hits, with two new songs, while the other half is a collection of covers of classics that influenced the guitar player (The Beatles, The Shadows, Elvis Presley, etc.).

Half of the tunes are vocal.

Several duets are included, as well as video tributes to Danel by Brian May of Queen, Hank Marvin of The Shadows, several French artists and Sony Music and Warner Music CEOs Danel embarked on a promotional tour, with a primetime TV show, several other TV appearances and TV advertising.

The album entered the compilation albums chart at number 7.

The DVD All You Need is Live is certified double Platinum.

In 2017, after Génération Guitare, a double album with guitarist Jean-Félix Lalanne, Sony Music released an anthology, a 10-CD box set called Guitar Player, that includes 214 of Danel's recordings, selected from his various albums.

In 2019, a rose was named after him.

In 2020, a documentary was announced and a biography was published.

His album Côté Jazz reached the top of the Jazz Albums Chart in France.

In 2021, he released the TV special Guitar Story on DVD.

His album and DVD Hats Off to the Boys was then released in several countries.

His DVD Guitar Video Connection, celebrating 40 years of career in 2022, followed by Christmas.

A triple album, Guitar Safari, was released at the same time, also celebrating 40 years of recording with a new album, a best-of and a live album.