Leo Kottke

• Pop

The American guitarist Leo Kottke is one of the most influential virtuosos of the acoustic guitar and has been inspiring audiences with his unmistakable style for decades. Born in Athens, Georgia in 1945, Kottke grew up in twelve different states and gained a wide range of musical impressions at an early age. After his first musical experiences on the violin and trombone, he discovered the guitar at the age of eleven.



Kottke’s characteristic fingerpicking style combines folk, blues, country and jazz elements to create a complex, polyphonic sound language that has set new standards in terms of both rhythm and harmony. His music is characterised by syncopated melodies, open moods and impressive virtuosity on six and twelve-string guitars. He succeeds in playing bass, harmony and melody at the same time, thus transferring the sound of an entire band to a single instrument.

PERFORMERS

Leo Kottke guitar