John Denner Official Website - Biography of a One Handed Guitarist

John Denner was virtually unseen and unheard until his stunning performance on the Howard Stern Show in April of 2007. Now, John is recognized internationally as the unconventional guitarist whose Eddie Van Halen-style playing is both amazing & inspiring.

John Denner Born without his right hand, John always had a fascination with guitars and a love of music. In his early 20s, he turned his dream of playing into a reality in the privacy of his home, where he taught himself to play electric guitar using a makeshift picking device. After abandoning his passion for nearly a decade, John began to play again. In less than three years of dedicated practice, he honed his natural talent to a new level, surprising himself with his own proficiency.

Before long, Johns distinctive guitar technique was recognized by the manufacturer of his favorite guitars the Axis® and Axis® Super Sport™. John is honored to have become one of Ernie Ball Music Mans featured artists.

Johns most thrilling, albeit terrifying, experience to date came when the iconic and beloved inventor of the electric guitar, Les Paul, invited him to play guitar by his side on stage at the Iridium, a jazz club in New York City. Perhaps it was their shared love for the instrument or their common knack for ingenuity, but the pair seemed to really hit it off.

In December of 2007, John was excited and honored to join the extraordinarily spirited staff and volunteers of Operation First Response (OFR) for a visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) in Washington DC. OFR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing personal and financial assistance for our nations wounded heroes and their families. Meeting some of our militarys brave soldiers, listening to their heroic stories, and having the opportunity to thank them personally for their service and sacrifices was an amazing experience for John. He was particularly glad to learn there are more than a couple of fellow musicians among the soldiers.

John is also proud to have allied with the Amputee Coalition of America (ACA). In support of its mission to reach out to and empower people with limb loss, the ACA is campaigning for insurance coverage to make prosthetic care equally accessible to all amputees. John has learned that the internal struggles an amputee faces are only part of the battle. Without the benefit of prosthetic coverage, John was forced to improvise in pursuit of his dream of playing guitar. He is passionate about helping the ACA achieve their goal, state by state, to ensure that others with limb loss receive the support and assistance they need to help make their dreams come true.

Maintaining his interest in advocacy and community outreach, John supports the efforts of organizations such as Little Kids Rock, which is dedicated to bringing music education and instruments back into public schools that have lost funding through budget cuts. John is also honored to participate in the Traveling Guitar Program. Each year, Traveling Guitar sends two custom built guitars around the country to be played and signed by a group of sponsoring artists. Each guitar is eventually sold at auction to support Traveling Guitar mission to fund music education and programs for those with limited resources.

Since his media debut, John has been featured in several local newspapers and television news programs, and has been interviewed on radio stations, including Connecticut's 106.9 WCCC. He has also appeared in a number of guitar magazines, including Play Guitar!, Guitar Edge, and Guitar Techniques ( Music Radar ).

Lately, John has been concentrating much of his efforts on guitar instruction and music production. In the summer of 2008, John was featured in the DVD for Guitar Techniques magazine. Later that year, he filmed his first instructional guitar DVD, which was published and released in 2009 by Hal Leonard Corporation. In Legato Licks and Fretboard Tricks, John infuses humor and wit into nearly one and a half hours of video, as he shares his unique spin on a variety of techniques including legato phrasing, alternate speed picking, whammy bar, fretboard tapping and using effects. John's lessons also appear online at GuitarInstructor.com.