Dave Cofell is known for his insightful songwriting, guitar wizardry, rich baritone vocals, gentle humor and unforgettable live performances. Raised in the fertile farmlands of Central Minnesota, his lyrical compositions reflect his rural roots, life-long musical explorations, and his love for the open road.

Dave's parents gifted him with a love of learning and traveling. Every year his family (he is the youngest of seven children) would load up their '66 Chevy Impala station wagon and road trip to somewhere in the USA or Canada. They stopped at historical sites and wayside oddities, searching out the cultural background of whatever region they happened to be in.

Television was not a large part of Dave's young life. Instead, he read voraciously, wandered the local forests and started his musical journey.

At the age of seven, Dave had a few basic baritone ukulele lessons from a nun. From this humble beginning he taught himself by saving his allowance until he could buy a John Denver songbook (Dave's favorite performer at the time), and devouring all of the songs within it. As soon as his fingers could manage, Dave moved up to a full-size guitar and started writing his own songs. He also had violin and piano lessons, but the guitar was the first instrument that resonated with his soul. The second was the banjo.

Dave's exposure to banjo music had been fairly limited until he saw the movie "Deliverance" and decided to explore the instrument further. His oldest brother played the banjo and gave Dave a few pointers on the old-time frailing style. Dave also dabbled in the bluegrass style but discovered that frailing worked better for solo performances.

Dave has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Arts. Highlights of his college career included the study-abroad programs where he visited and performed in England, Scotland, Wales, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, and Turkey.

Smitten with wanderlust, Dave satisfies his love of traveling by touring 10 months of the year throughout the United States and Germany.

Dave's third CD of original music, "A Thousand Shades of Blue" was produced at Bobby Vee's Rockhouse Studio and released in August 2016. Demonstrating a broad interpretation of "The Blues", it was a Central Minnesota Arts Board McKnight Foundation Artist Career Development Grant Winner for 2015.

In February 2017, for the second year in a row, Dave was selected to perform for the American Folklife Center for the Library of Congress, alongside Billy Bragg, Si Kahn, and Las Cafeteras.

Now working on his fourth CD, Dave is compiling a collection of his most requested original songs, new compositions and, for the first time, interpretations of his favorite songs written by other songwriters.

The 'Best Original Musician of Central MN', (Gannett Media), Dave performs a variety of styles on six and twelve-string guitar and banjo, from original folk and blues to old jazz standards and R&B cover tunes. He is proud to have been endorsed by Breedlove Guitars, Shubb Capos and John Pearse Strings.