Minnesota musician in the national spotlight after performing at Country Music Awards

A Minnesotan musician is gaining national attention after his performance last month at the Country Music Awards.

Dan Hochhalter, from White Bear Lake, went viral after playing the fiddle during a tribute to Charlie Daniels on the show.

Hochhalter, a member of the Dierks Bentley band, was called in to play after the original fiddle player got sick from COVID.

"I was a little nervous," Hochhalter said. "I probably hadn’t played it since I moved to Nashville from Minnesota almost 20 years ago. I was just concentrated on don’t mess this up. The bow hairs are kind of getting stuck under my fingers as I’m trying to play, try to ignore that."

More than two decades ago, Hochhalter won a talent show playing a Charlie Daniels song as a student at White Bear Lake High School.