Video of Guitarist with No Arms Goes Viral

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.

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.”

Watch the video performing with Goo Goo Dolls.