# Erik Della Penna

Erik Della Penna (born June 2, 1965) is an American musician, composer, and lyricist. He is known for co-composing the musical Dead Outlaw with David Yazbek, and for being the principal guitarist for pop singer Natalie Merchant. In 2024 he was nominated for three Drama Desk Awards, winning one, for Outstanding Lyrics.

## Early life

Della Penna was born in The Bronx and grew up on Long Island, New York. He received a degree in Classical Guitar from the Mannes School of Music.

## Career

In 1994, Della Penna began touring with pop singer Joan Osborne on the Mercury Records label. Later, he toured and recorded with American singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant in support of several studio albums. During this time he also toured with folk singer Joan Baez and joined the international band Hazmat Modine as a guitarist and songwriter. Della Penna also has his own band called Kill Henry Sugar, a "metropolitan folk" duo with drummer Dean Sharenow.
In February 2024, his musical Dead Outlaw opened at the Minetta Lane Theatre. It became a New York Times critic's pick and earned eleven Drama Desk Award nominations, winning three.

## Awards and Nominations

| Year | Nominated Work | Association | Category | Result |
| 2024 | Dead Outlaw | | | |
| 2024 | Dead Outlaw | Drama Desk | Outstanding Lyrics | Won |
| 2024 | Dead Outlaw | Drama Desk | Outstanding Music | Nominated |
| 2024 | Dead Outlaw | Drama Desk | Outstanding Orchestrations | Nominated |
| 2024 | Dead Outlaw | New York Drama Critics Circle | Best Musical | Won |
| 2024 | Dead Outlaw | Outer Critics Circle | Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical | Won |
| 2024 | Dead Outlaw | Outer Critics Circle | Outstanding Score | Nominated |
| 2024 | Dead Outlaw | Outer Critics Circle | Outstanding Orchestrations | Nominated |

## Composer Credits
### Theater and Film

| Year | Title | Credit | Category | Producer |
| 2002 | Toby and the Big Top | Composer, Lyricist | Children's musical | Walden Media |
| 2015 | Kitty Hawk | Composer, Lyricist | Children's musical | Adrienne Arsht Center |
| 2015 | Tree Man | Composer | Film score | Jon Reiner, Brad Rothschild |
| 2023 | Dead Outlaw | Co-composer, Co-lyricist | Musical | Audible |

### Recorded Music

| Year | Title | Artist | Credit |
| 2000 | Righteous Love | Joan Osborne | Guitars, Composer |
| 2001 | Damascus | David Yazbek | Guitar (Electric), Lap Steel Guitar, Composer |
| 2001 | Popular Music for Today's Active Lifestyles | Kill Henry Sugar | Guitars, Vocals, Composer |
| 2003 | Sell This Place | Kill Henry Sugar | Guitars, Vocals, Composer |
| 2004 | Love Beach | Kill Henry Sugar | Guitars, Vocals, Composer |
| 2007 | Swing Back and Down | Kill Henry Sugar | Guitars, Vocals, Composer |
| 2008 | Evil Monkey Man | David Yazbek | Composer, Guitars |
| 2009 | Hot Messiah | Kill Henry Sugar | Guitars, Vocals, Composer |
| 2011 | Cicada | Hazmat Modine | Guitar, Vocals, Composer |
| 2016 | Extra-Deluxe-Supreme | Hazmat Modine | Composer, Guitars, Vocals |
| 2020 | An Evening in New York | Rachelle Garnier & Erik Della Penna | Composer, Guitar, Banjo, Vocals |
| 2020 | Box of Breath | Hazmat Modine | Banjo, Composer, Guitar, Vocals |
| 2020 | The Mojo Manifesto | Mojo Nixon | Composer |
| 2021 | Rainy | Erik Della Penna | Composer, vocals, instrumentation |
| 2023 | Bonfire | Hazmat Modine | Vocals, Guitars, Composer |
| 2023 | Stop Time | Kill Henry Sugar | Vocals, Composer, Guitars |

## Other Credits

| Year | Title | Artist | Credit |
| 1997 | Chocolate Supa Highway | Spearhead | Guitar |
| 1999 | Tears of Stone | The Chieftains | Guitar |
| 2001 | Motherland (2001) | Natalie Merchant | Banjo, Bazouki, Guitar (Classical), Guitar (Electric), Lap Steel Guitar, Oud |
| 2003 | The House Carpenter's Daughter | Natalie Merchant | Guitar, Lap Steel Guitar |
| 2003 | Seeds: The Songs of Pete Seeger, Vol. 3 | Pete Seeger | Guitar |
| 2005 | Bowery Songs | Joan Baez | Banjo, Guitar, Lap Steel Guitar, Vocals |
| 2005 | Dirty Rotten Scoundrels | Original Broadway Cast | Guitars, Banjo, Lap Steel Guitar |
| 2009 | 3 Balloons | Stephen Lynch | Guitar |
| 2009 | Saints and Tzadiks | Susan McKeown | Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Humming, Tres |
| 2010 | Leave Your Sleep | Natalie Merchant | Guitar |
| 2014 | Natalie Merchant | Natalie Merchant | Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Lap Steel Guitar |
| 2021 | I'll Meet You Here | Dar Williams | Guitar (Electric) |
| 2022 | Radio Waves | Joan Osborne | Guitar |
| 2023 | Keep Your Courage | Natalie Merchant | Guitar (12 String Acoustic), Guitar (Electric) |