Jean-Pierre Danel

Danel worked across guitarist, composer, songwriter, record producer and author and 1 further recorded occupations. The registers place that work in blues. This article rests on 1 catalogued composition, 3 published texts, 4 issued recordings and 3 scholarly references drawn from named institutional registers. Every statement below returns to a source shown in the evidence panel; where the record is silent or divided, the article says so instead of resolving it.

• Name — Jean-Pierre Danel • Born — 4 June 1968 • Birthplace — La Varenne, Val-de-Marne, France • Instrument — Guitar, vocals • Genre — Blues, blues-rock, hard rock, pop • Occupation — Musician, songwriter, producer • Years Active — 1982–present • Label — Sony/BMG • Website — jeanpierredanel.com/

Born in La Varenne, Val-de-Marne, France, Jean-Pierre Danel is son of the French pop singer Pascal Danel and the nephew of opera director Jean-Pierre Ponnelle. Danel 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.

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

Danel's album Guitar Connection was released by Sony/BMG in July 2006 and reached the number one spot in the charts in France, followed by several other records certified gold or platinum. Guitar Connection was certified gold and soon became a series of hit albums, with Guitar Connection 2 released in March 2007. Guitar Connection 2 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. • Illustration — Jean-Pierre Danel

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, 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 Brian May of Queen, who also wrote a note in the booklet. The pair was reunited in a charity organized by Danel in 2013. The album was certified Gold, and the DVD earned a Platinum disc.

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

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 his career, was released in 2022, and a triple album, Guitar Safari, was released at the same time. To celebrate 40 years of recording, a new album, a best-of album, and a live album were also released. During the spring of 2024, Danel released his new single, "Spicy Marie", which blends his rock-guitar style with dance-music production. The track reached number eight on the national club charts. In 2025, his vocal composition "Love U (Yes I Do)" charted on the French Club chart, peaking at number 6 in April and May (weeks 17 and 19, April and May 2025), while each of its two remixes reached number 2 on different weeks on the Electro national charts.

As a record producer, Danel started his own company, Puzzle Productions, in 1989. Through it, 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, alongside DJ Da French Guy, of radio remixes for artists such as Madonna, Britney Spears, Daft Punk, and Moby. In 2014, he received a multi-diamond disc for 25 years as a record producer at Sony Music headquarters, 23.3 million records sold, and 191 gold and platinum discs received as a producer.

Danel produced records to the benefit of various charities, including Amnesty International and for AIDS. A vegetarian and animal lover, Danel launched Guitar Players for Animal Rights to the benefit of PETA, and was joined by fellow guitarists Brian May (of Queen), Steve Lukather (of Toto), Hank Marvin (of The Shadows), as well as French stars such as singer and composer/producer for Celine Dion, Jean-Jacques Goldman, and French movie star Jean-Paul Belmondo.

Charting albums • Year — Album — Chart positions • FRA — SWI • 2006 — Guitar Connection — — — 70 • 2008 — Guitar Connection 3 — 89 — — • 2011 — Rock Guitar Legend — 117 — — • 2016 — Guitar Tribute — 46 — — • 2017 — Génération Guitare — 126 — — Full list • Chorus (1993) • Remember Shadows (1994) • Guitar Generation (1995) • Le Meilleur Des Shadows (1995) • Guitar Line (1997) • Plays 18 Hits of the Shadows (1997) • Tribute to the Shadows 40 Years (2 CD, 40 tracks, 1998) • Les Années Shadows (2 CD, 46 titres, 1998) • The Best of the Guitar Legends (Vol. 1 to 3, 75 tracks, 1998) • A Tribute to the Shadows – The Gold Series (1998) • Guitar Greatest (2 CD, 2000) • La Légende Des Shadows (2000) • The Guitar Album (2000) • Stratospheric (2000) • Plays Hits of the Shadows (2000) • The Playback Collection (Vol. 1 to 4, 2001) • Guitarmania (4 CD, 88 tracks, 2001) • Nuits Parisiennes (2001) • A Tribute to the Shadows (vol. 1 to 4, 80 tracks, 2000–2001) • Guitar Classics (2002) • Guitar Gold Themes (2002) • The Shadows' Anthology – The Tribute Album by Jean-Pierre Danel (2002) • Essential Guitar (2002) • All The Best (2 CD, 2002) • Guitare (5 CD, 100 Titres, 2003) • Guitar Greatest Hits (2005) • Guitar Connection (2006) • Guitar Connection 2 (2007) • Guitar Connection 3 (2008) • The Best of Guitar Connection (2009) • Guitar Connection Anthology (2009) • Out of the Blues (Duet album) (CD + DVD) (2010) • When the Guitar Rocks (2011) • Guitar Guitar Guitar (2011) • Guitar Anthology (100 titres) (2011) • The Blues Album (2012) • Guitar Greatest Hits (2012) • The Greatest Guitar Hits (2012) • The Best of Guitar (2012) • The Best of Jean-Pierre Danel (2012) • The Hit List (2013) • Guitar Greatest Hits (2014) (3-CD metal box) • Guitar Tribute (2016) (Box set, 2 CDs + DVD) • All You Need Is Live (2016) (DVD) • Génération Guitare (with Jean-Félix Lalanne; double album) (2017) • Guitar Player (10-CD anthology box set; 214 tracks) (2017) • Guitar Story TV Special (DVD) (2020) • Côté Jazz (2020) • Les Notes Bleues (2020) • All the Jazz (2021) (compilation) • Guitar Safari (2022)

• Les Masters De La Guitare – Les Plus Grands Guitaristes (1 track among other guitar players) (2001)

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

• Femme, mode d'emploi: la femme vue par les hommes: 3000 citations par plus de 500 auteurs (édité par Jean-Pierre Danel), éditions NM7, Paris, 2000, 313 p. • Le destin fabuleux de Sacha Guitry, éditions Marque-Pages, coll. « Beaux livres », 2007, 269 p. • Chroniques d'une vie passionnante: enfin, je crois: journal pour de vrai d'un futur papa dans les ennuis, Courcelles publishing, Paris, 2008, 288 p., • Petites explications sur les femmes à l'attention des hommes perdus et désespérés: près de citations sur les femmes par plus de 800 auteurs (réunies par Jean-Pierre Danel), Courcelles publishing, Paris, 2008, 317 p. • 365 moyens de se faire pardonner, enfin, de tenter d'essayer: petit guide à l'attention des hommes qui ont gaffé, et s'ils l'ont pas fait exprès, eh ben c'est grave quand même!, Courcelles publishing, Paris, 2010, 92 p. • 365 moyens d'adopter le life style des people: et de devenir hyper-intéressant chez son coiffeur, Courcelles publishing, Paris, 2010, 93 p. • 365 moyens de rendre son homme heureux: tout ce qu'il faut dire, faire et savoir pour que votre homme ronronne de bonheur!: petit guide à l'attention des femmes optimistes et motivées, Courcelles publishing, Paris, 2010, 92 p. • Elvis Presley: La légende du king, Courcelles Publishing, Paris, janvier 2010 • Légende de la Fender Stratocaster, Auteurs du Monde, préface de Hank Marvin, septembre 2012 • Elvis Presley intime: L'icône perdue (avec un CD audio), Editions Contre-dires, Décembre 2013 • Miss Daisy: Le graal de la Fender Stratocaster Auteurs du Monde, octobre 2020 • Cordes Sensibles – Un guitariste au pays du show business Auteurs du Monde, préface de Gilbert Mitterrand, juin 2021 • Sarah Bernhardt: La Belle Etoile Auteurs du Monde, avril 2023