When Andy Warhol predicted that in the future everyone would be famous for 15 minutes, he had no way of knowing the Internet would make that prediction viable just a few short decades later.
Say what you will about the merits of Internet stardom, but 18-year-old guitarist George Dennehy has earned every bit of his newly found YouTube fame.
Dennehy has fast become one of the most talked-about guitarists on the web thanks to a video that went viral, enough so to gain the attention of Goo Goo Dolls' drummer Mike Malinin, who invited Dennehy to not only open for the band at this year's Musikfest in Pennsylvania, but to perform with the band as well.
Oh, and did we mention Dennehy was born without arms and plays guitar with his feet?
A true phenom, the Romanian-born guitarist started his musical journey at age 8 with the cello, eventually graduating to guitar, a transition his father called a "cinch," given the rigors of playing classical music for so many years.
“I don’t think anyone else has ever been able to play classical string music with their feet,” said Dennehy's adoptive father, Michael. “When he decided to be cool and transition to the guitar, he kept the guitar in the same position."
Since racking up more than half a million YouTube views on a video of a performance at Ashland, Virginia's Strawberry Faire, Dennehy's story has captured imaginations around the globe, meriting TV appearances, recording offers and more.
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
As for the video that first brought him mass attention, George Dennehy remains humble and wants everyone to know he's only getting better. "It wasn't even that great," he told a local Fox affiliate. "I messed up a few times."
Read a full report on George Denney via the New York Daily Newshere, and watch the video that made him famous below. Below that, you can watch Denney performing with Goo Goo Dolls.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month**
Join now for unlimited access
US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year
UK pricing £2.99 per month or £29.00 per year
Europe pricing €3.49 per month or €34.00 per year
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Josh Hart is a former web producer and staff writer for Guitar World and Guitar Aficionado magazines (2010–2012). He has since pursued writing fiction under various pseudonyms while exploring the technical underpinnings of journalism, now serving as a senior software engineer for The Seattle Times.
“Dumble told me to bring it to him because he had a mod he could do. It’s the only Dumble Fuzz Face that I’m aware of”: Kenny Wayne Shepherd on unicorn stompboxes, the quest for feel and why budget guitars can make you a better player
“When he saw the guitars, he goes, ‘John’s going back to the Chili Peppers.’ I said, ‘No way is he ever going back’”: John Frusciante’s former guitar tech on the moment he realized the guitarist could be rejoining the Red Hot Chili Peppers