ARTISTS

Blind Blake, (1890-1933, Florida). At the beginning of the century was very popular. In the 20s, ragtime was on fashion. The ragtime sound was the cause of the future charlestone and other sincopated melodies. The blues guitar players had to adapt to this new music and they used the guitar as a piano. In 1926 Blind Blake recorded the famous "Early Morning Blues" and "West Coast Blues". This last tune is the first fingerpicking instrumental recorded. Blind Blake was a great guitar player and his bass and touch was very special, rolling and jumping his bass strings.

Big Bill Bronzy, (1893-1958, Mississippi). He is one of the most well-known bluesman in USA and Europe. In 1920 he went to Chicago and was famous playing and singing the blues. In the 50's, the folk movement knocked at his door and he was also famous between the withes audiences and he added folk repertoire to his blues perfomances.

Elizabeth Cotten, (1895-1987, North Caroline). She was left handed and she played guitar getting it at reverse, without changing the strings (the low string were at the highest site!). She used the index finger for the steady alternating bass and the thumb for the melody. In the "folk boom" in the 60's she inspired all over the fingerpickers with his lovely tune "Freight train".".

Mississipi John Hurt, (1893-1966, Mississippi). ). In 1928 he recorded two songs for the Oheh records. Later he recorded 13 songs more. Only a few hundreds of records could be sold and he returned to anonymous way of live. In 1952 was published the "Anthology of American Folk Music", and the "folk boom" began. In this medley record there were two John's tunes and the white audience was inloved with this gentle way of playing guitar and this "kind" way of singing!. Nobody knew where he was living and in 1963 was re-discovered in Avalon, a little town of Mississipi. From his rediscovering he appeared in all of the "Newport Folk Festival"

Rev. Gary Davis, (1896-1972, South Carolina). One of the legendary guitar fingerpickers of the world. He influenced generations of blues, rock and folk players. He learned playing guitar alone and he could play different tunes and styles (ragtimes, gospel, holy blues....). His style is not imitable.

Mance Lipscomb, (1895-1976, Texas ). He was a farmer and guitar player. He could sing blues and rags. He played for the neibour parties. In 1960 he was "discovered" and he could record and sang in different perfomances around the country.

Merle Travis, (1917-1983, Kentucky). Is one of the most influent artist in modern fingerpicking. His particular style has been bookmarked the styles of Chet Atkins, Doc Watson and Marcel Dadi. However in the Basque Country, as Marcel Dadi and other great guitar players, is an unknown fingerpicker.

He was born in Rosewood, a coal miner's town in Kentucky in 1917. He learned guitar from his neigbors Mose Rager and Ike Everly -father of the Everly Brothers). His neighbors learned from negro railroad worker.

There is in Kentucky a "special way of playing the finperpicking technique". All of Kentucky's guitar player uses thumbick and the sincopated is more relevant than usual. The steady bass is mufled. Between all guitarists in the Kentucky area, the most famous was Merle Travis. He began in the radio and learned his swinging country style from the radio orchestras. He moved to Hollywood and appeared in some films. One of the most famous films was "From here to eternity" with Frank Sinatra and Montgomery Clift. In the sixties he recorded some folk albums, but the songs were not folk and he composed his folksongs.

Merle had different jobs and hobbies and he could draw humouristic, clockrepairing and taxidermist. His successful songs like "Sixteen tones" and "Dark as a Dangeon" and more are still alive. Merle used acoustic and electric guitar but the most part of his perfomances were made with his amplified guitar. He always played with only thumb and index and his bass and sincopated contros is wonderful. Everybody who likes picking must hear his records.

Chet Atkins, (1924-2001, Tennessee). Mr Stephen Thomas Erlewie in All Music Guide said that "we can not understand country music without Chet Atkins. That is right but not completly. Chet Atkins was a legend between country music and guitar music. All people said that he is "country" but he can play jazz, classical, folk... and so on. Hi has an extended production of records, tapes and CD's. That's why sometimes some of his records are not as good as we would like. Sometimes his music is too much commercial (show bussines) and surfeit.

His first influences were the Merle Travis music. Years later he said: "if I hadn't known Merle, I would still be working behind a donkey", referring that he would be still working on the farm. Chet heard Merle's tunes on the radio and he learned this style. His qualities as a bussinesman caused his entance on the RCA records.

He began playing amplified guitar but later he preferred the classical electrified. The Gibson company has created the "Chet Atkins model" and his price is not cheap at all!

We can not say a lot more about this as the musical market is plenty of information about this legendary guitar player. We can recomend the albums "Chet Atkins and Merle Travis travelling show" and "The day of fingerpickers took over this world" (with Tommy Emmanual). He also has recorded with Mark Knopfler.

Doc Watson, (1923, North Caroline. He was born in the Deep Gap. He was blind and he play in the "old time bands". Ralph Rinzler discovered his quality and jumped to fame in the sixties. A lot of people were inloved with his incredible flatpicking technique and his wonderful fingerpicking style. He is included in the "country zone" but he can play and sing all kind of music. He was the first guitar player adapting "fiddle tunes on guitar". His influences on fingerpicking are Mississipi John Hurt and Merle Travis. He only plays fingerpicking with his thumb and index. He is still an alive legend in USA.

During years and years he recorded and did perfomances with his son Merle. Merle Watson died in a tragic accident in his farm, and this made him very sad. However, he still plays and sings and now you can see him in all of the country festivals in USA.

An other special caracteristic is his great voice. Usually the fingerpicking guitar players are only players but Doc is a completly artist. He sings, plays guitar, mouth harp, banjo.... and so on. We recommend his fantastic "Doc Watson on Stage" recorded at the early sixties.

Marcel Dadi, (1951-1996, France). Is one of the XXth century guitar legends. He died in the tragic TWA's accident. He is the first European guitar player

He was born in Tunisia. First was influenced by the Shadows and he started with guitar when he knew the music of Chet Atkins. He began playing perfomances at the folk clubs in Paris. He changed his Martin guitar for a elctric guitar, but it wasn't a very popular change among his fans and the folk people. He became famous in the sixties when he recorded "La guitare à Dadi I & II". His perfomances at the Olympia and the great number of records that were sold made him win the Golden Record. His influences were Chet Atkins, Merle Tavis, Doc Watson and Jerry Reed.

Stefan Grossman, (1945, New York. He was born in Brookyn in 1945. He is a teacher, guitar player and musicologist. He was on of the first people to tabledit the old blues and ragtime tunes. At the end of the sixties the folk movement began in New York. He learned with Rev. Gary Davis and his influence is completly in his career. With other friends he discovered Mississipi John Hurt.

In the late sixties the Vietnam war was the big problem in USA and all over the world. He was not accepted at the army. Then, he travelled to Europe and wrote the series of "country blues" books. He got married in Italy and later returned to England. Some years later he came back to USA and now is the owner of www.guitarvideos.com", "vestapol videos", and more companies.

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