Born and raised in Welland, Ontario and inspired at the age of 12, by one of his hero's, George Harrison, (Beatles) and his father a mandolin player, Dan Kozar began his musical endeavors with a driving passion for wanting to be the best, a professional guitarist. He remembers the words of his father, insisting that he should learn to play and read music to attain his goals. With years of studying and performing along with his teaching experiences, Dan acquired a vast armory of technique and musicality and other abilities in the fields of musical compositions, stage performances and teaching.

Dan's long line of learning experiences made a huge impact creating his own style. In addition to studying at Eastman School of Music, Summer Jazz studies, Dan attributes his distinctive command of the instrument to his studies with renowned artists such as Lloyd Garber, Reg Schwager and Ed Bickert, at the Banff School of Fine Arts.

He distinctively remembers listening to Johnny Smith playing solo guitar on the radio. It was as if someone planted a seed, but it wasn't until he met Gene Bertoncini, that Dan recalls, "this could be a reality". Of all his teachers, Gene, a finger style guitarist at the Eastman school of Music, was the one who inspired him in the areas of music theory and writing composition.

As a guitarist, Dan plays, jazz, blues, country, swing, classical and gospel.

Although Dan's has played solo, duet's, trio's, quartet's and quintet's, his diverse array of projects included playing with the following 18 piece swing bands: James Marando, Solid Brass, Lifeline and the Gino Rossi Band. He also combined his talent playing bass and guitar for Garden City Productions, Jesus Christ Superstar and Never Let Go.

Many of Dan accomplishments included teaching guitar part time at the Milwheel Performing Arts Centre, Niagara South Board of Education ( Continuing Education department ) and full time instructing at his own guitar studio between 1978 and 1991.

Dan's current passion is solo Jazz/Blues with his guitar. His unique style of simultaneously playing bass lines, chords, and melody creates the illusion of a small jazz combo. His repertoire includes jazz and blues standards, as well as popular classics with a smooth jazz feel. The result is a full sounding, easy to listen to bend of jazz and blues from his first CD, "I Remember You". Dan's future CD will include his own original finger style guitar compositions which will likely be a fusion of different styles and leaning towards world-beat.

Currently, he enjoys playing finger style solo guitar performing at concerts, bar lounges, wedding receptions, banquets and private parties. As he reaches out to his audiences, he feels at ease, tells a story not with words but with sound and feelings.
Today, Dan's major influence and mentor still remains to be the well known guitar legend, Joe Pass and Gene Bertoncini.