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Daniel's bio
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Fiddler Daniel Slosberg performs his one man show,
Pierre Cruzatte: A Musical Journey Along the Lewis
& Clark Trail in schools, libraries, museums,
and historical sites throughout the country. Many living
historians portray other members of the expedition.
Slosberg, however, offers a unique depiction of the
expedition's main boatman and fiddler in a show which has
been called "a delightful program of music and monologue,"
(Mike Ferguson, Baker City Herald).
Formerly a musician with the Aman Folk Ensemble, Slosberg
retired from his travels with Aman in 1994 to raise his
family in Los Angeles. After receiving his Master's degree
in English at California State University at Northridge, he
took his teaching experience and love of children to
Crossroads Elementary School in Santa Monica, California,
where he became a teacher and an administrator.
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Daniel Slosberg and sister Debby,
a few years B.C. (before Cruzatte).
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In November of 1997, Ken Burns' Lewis and Clark
documentary aired on PBS, and Slosberg's life changed
forever. Upon learning that Lewis and Clark had a fiddle
player along on their journey, Slosberg embarked upon his
own "voyage of discovery," learning everything he could
about Pierre Cruzatte and the music, song and dance of the
Lewis & Clark expedition. He was particularly struck at
how important music, song and dance were to the expedition,
both as entertainment for the explorers and as a diplomatic
tool with the many Indian nations the expedition met along
the trail. From this study, he put together his one-man
living history program. Initially geared toward school
children, Pierre Cruzatte captivates audiences
of all ages.
In the summer of 2002, Slosberg recorded his first CD.
"Pierre Cruzatte" is a collection of tunes and songs from
the Lewis & Clark era played only on instruments
available to the explorers, such as fiddle, jaw harp, bones,
spoons and drums. Native Ground Music in Asheville, North
Carolina distributes the CD.
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Photo courtesy of Steve
Lewis.
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Slosberg entertained and spoke at many of the official Lewis & Clark bicentennial programs, and in 2004 received the Lewis & Clark Trail Heritage Foundation's Meritorious Achievement Award for “outstanding contributions in bringing to this nation a greater awareness and appreciation of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.”
Slosberg resides in West Los Angeles with his wife,
Deborah, and their four children.
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