Marc Gunn
Marc Gunn (born March 17, 1972 in Germany) is a musician and podcaster living in Birmingham. Nicknamed "The Celtfather," he primarily plays the autoharp and performs both traditional songs and his own about cats, kilts, and science fiction. He is also chief editor of the online Celtic Music Magazine and host of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast.
Gunn was born in Germany to a military family, but spent most of his first ten years in Silver Spring, Maryland. He later moved to San Antonio, Texas, but spent his senior year of high school in Italy, where he has family. Gunn came from a music family, with his mother playing piano and his father playing folk instruments. Gunn's brother and sister also play instruments.
While studying at the University of Texas, Gunn realized his dream was to play music. With the '90s alternative movement going on, he began as a grunge musician. He later began using the autoharp, a relatively easy instrument, so he could focus on writing lyrics. Gunn than began working at the University of Texas. Having heard stories of Janis Joplin playing autoharp on the university's South Mall, he began practicing there at lunch each day to increase his confidence in playing live. In 1999, Gunn was approached to perform at a local Renaissance fair. He accepted, but was still nervous about playing live, so asked his friend Andrew McKee to join him. This was the beginning of Gunn's first celtic group, the Brobdingnagian Bards.
Gunn and McKee performed together for almost 10 years as the Bards. During that time, they played at numerous Renaissance fairs and were the headliners at the Oscar party for The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. The two parted amicably to pursue solo careers in 2008.
Gunn now produces several Celtic music related podcasts. He also performs at several Renaissance fairs and science fiction/fantasy conventions each year.
Gunn married a woman named Gwen in 2010 and later moved to Birmingham from New Orleans. The two have one girl.
References
- Marc Gunn. (March 21, 2013). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed March 26, 2013.
- DuPlessis, Nicole. (March 15, 2013). "Marc Gunn, This is Your Life!" Celtic Music Magazine. Accessed March 26, 2013.