An Evening with Leo Kottke

Leo Kottke is an acoustic guitarist from Athens, Georgia. Raised in 12 different states, he absorbed a variety of musical influences as a child, flirting with both violin and trombone, before abandoning Stravinsky for the guitar at age 11. His style of music is known as fingerpicking that draws influences from blues, jazz, folk music, and for syncopated, polyphonic melodies. Kottke has emerged as a widely-recognized master of his instrument. He overcame a series of obstacles throughout his career such as partial loss of hearing and a battle with tendon damage in his right hand. Kottke's 1971 major-label debut, "Mudlark," positioned him somewhat uneasily in the singer/songwriter vein, despite his own wishes to remain an instrumental performer. Still, despite arguments with label heads as well as with Bruce, Kottke flourished during his tenure on Capitol, as records like 1972's "Greenhouse" and 1973's live "My Feet Are Smiling" and "Ice Water" found him branching out with guest musicians and honing his guitar technique. With 1975's Chewing Pine, Kottke reached the U.S. Top 30 for the second time; he also gained an international following thanks to his continuing tours in Europe and Australia.