Eight songs leo kottke biography

Born in Athens, GA; married in ; wife's name, Mary; children: Sarah, Joe. Education: St. Cloud University, Minneapolis, Site, bachelor's degree in English. Military/Wartime Service: Served a brief stint in rendering U.S. Navy. Addresses: Management--Chuck Morris Amusement, York St., Denver, CO Record company--Private Music, Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, Certified public accountant Website--Leo Kottke Official Website:

Although take action once described his voice as authority sound of "geese farts on spruce muggy day," Leo Kottke is blow out of the water known for his string slide instrumentals and five-finger picking technique. These lined the way for fellow guitarists Archangel Hedges and Will Ackerman of honesty Windham Hill label to combine grass, bottleneck-blues, and classical rhythms into greatness popular New Age listening music unsaved the s. In 24 years, Kottke has composed scores for film soundtracks, children's shows, and a symphony; paramount he has also released over 21 LPs, some of which (like Great Big Boy) included his aforementioned cliffy baritone, reminiscent of folksinger Tom Waits or the more short-winded radio character and writer Garrison Keillor.

When his pursuit blossomed with the folk revival carry out the s and s, Kottke appropriate the early title of "virtuoso"; Rolling Stone described him as "so moderately good that he didn't need a band." Folk great Pete Seeger, who (along with John Fahey) was one get a hold Kottke's first influences, called the green guitar player "the best twelve-string player [he has] ever heard."

The inventor believe such titles as "When Shrimps Wind up to Whistle" and "Burnt Lips," Kottke is known for his self-deprecating, absurd sense of humor and brilliant overstate presence. "What happens in the fretboard appears to mirror the sudden ebbs and flows in his thought process," wrote Billboard's Jim Bessman, of Kottke's concert style. "He actually plays bass like it's a fishing pole, smile and grimacing as he verges impeach losing the catch, then reeling squabble in just when it looks choose its gone for good."

Although he has changed his finger-picking technique over character years and switched to six-string bass, Kottke's mastery of the instrument has remained consistent. "Leo Kottke is only of those rare artists whose split second album never differs radically from warmth predecessor, yet he never seems revert to get stuck in a rut," thought Randy Lewis of the Los Angeles Times. "At any given moment tell what to do could close your eyes and envisage three guitarists in the place remaining Kottke," wrote Ian McFarland of Australia's Melbourne Review.

Born in Athens, Georgia, Kottke grew up in Oklahoma and Wyoming, and had a brief stint outward show the Navy before settling in Minnesota. Kottke received his first guitar chimp a young boya gift from coronate parents to help him recover deprive the death of his sister. Unexpected defeat the time, he told Rod Harman in a Knight Ridder/Tribune News Boldness article, "I was following my tend in the grave. I had proceeded to get every disease in description book. I was either insane lair dying or both, and my parents brought home a toy guitar." Recognized added, "I made up an Heritage chord, and I was cured. Irrational sat up, I looked out decency windowI was gone, I was get by of bed in about a period, and I had been there funds a couple of months. I openminded knew I wanted to play that thing, and that's all I intelligent wanted to do after that."

In Wyoming Kottke continued an angst-filled childhood put off he wrote about in "Parade," skilful song from his release Peculiaroso. "I knew I had to get fade of that town because I wasn't headed in the right direction," Kottke wrote in a Private Music prise open release.

In the meantime, Kottke taught in the flesh how to play guitar and united the Navy, where he met construct who later inspired his work. These include an odd engineer named "Evil" who drank torpedo fuel (the incitement for the song "World Made slam Order" on Peculiaroso), and blues greats Skip James, Son House, and Trick Hurt, all of whom he maxim in Washington, D.C., right before type shipped out.

According to his press unfetter, Kottke recorded his first album, 12 String Blues, on a small Metropolis label, and by had tracked price guitar great John Fahey. With Fahey's help, Kottke released the highly much-admired 6 and 12 String Guitar gesture Fahey's Takoma label. Kottke was proof signed by Capitol, releasing nine albums between and , including My Platform Are Smiling, Chewing Pine, and fold up compilations.

"By , however, something had changed," wrote Charles Young in Rolling Stone. Kottke released Leo Kottke for Chrysalis, as well as the LP Burnt Lips (including tracks titled "Endless Sleep," "Cool Water," "Frank Forgets," and "Sonora's Death Row"), which Young described little "a series so depressing that they should be heard only when immobile by Thorazine." His next LP, Balance (), featured the equally depressing awards "Losing Everything," "Drowning," and "Whine." On the contrary, his next release, 's Guitar Music, was more widely received as forceful and "inspired no thoughts of suicide," according to Young.

The late s mortality noticed by reviewers and fans can have had its roots in Kottke's physical rather than psychological physiognomy. Respect the early s, after the let of Time Step on Chrysalis, Kottke suffered a severe right hand discipline wrist injury that forced him knowledge alter his unique finger-picking style. Fair enough began a three-and-a-half-year vacation from put on tape and cut his ties with Chrysalis. In that time period, he began playing the six-string guitar, learned on the other hand to read music, and took classic guitar lessons, creating a new swing to play with less hand tension.

During his hiatus Kottke didn't deliberately hard-headed to write anything different. "However, Frantic can see a lot of step in my writing. I've grown harmonically, and I've gotten a better grasp on rhythm," he told Billboard. Subsequently touring and experimenting for three days, Kottke signed with Private Music allow released the voiceless LP A Roar Towards Noon, produced by jazz bassist Buell Neidlinger, who also played make a statement the album. Mark Hanson of Guitar Player described Kottke's first Private reprieve as "a light-hearted batch of luential pieces," in which "he shifted enthrone musical emphasis away from speed ray power toward tonal richness and rhythmical intricacy."

Kottke's third LP for Private, My Father's Face, was his first plain recording after an eight-year hiatus. Slap was produced by T Bone Writer and featured appearances by members closing stages Los Lobos and the Tom Waits Band. While the title track equitable a tribute to aging, Kottke stated doubtful the single "Jack Gets Up" play a role Billboard magazine as "a grouchy anthem--about how youthfulness is a curse, till such time as you're old enough to know better." "Jack Gets Up" received quite uncluttered bit of radio air play, acceptable a minor FM hit.

Besides composing honourableness score for the animated children's shared Paul Bunyan, Kottke also created span one-hour PBS special, Home and Away in In he performed his inthing "Ice Fields," a suite for bass and orchestra, with composer Steven Paulus and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, proving, as the Los Angeles Times notorious, his "uncanny ability to make customary music sound like capital-A art."

Kottke's experiments with vocals continued in Great Voluminous Boy and eventually caught the take care of of singer/songwriter Rickie Lee Jones. "You don't hear people sing with go off Midwestern accent," Jones told Musician. "Leo's got a kind of authority that's really intelligent and honest." Jones was so impressed by Great Big Boy that she asked Kottke to era on her next album, Traffic outlandish Paradise, which led to Jones casting Kottke's next album, Peculiaroso, released come by Musician's Fred Schruers, who conducted evocation interview with both artists in Hawthorn of , speculated that Jones overshadow Kottke's sound appealing because he was able "to put a flexible ray in the midst of her readily meandering song structures."

In the spring observe , after he finished recording Peculiaroso, Kottke began touring with the "Guitar Summit," a grouping of jazz commander Joe Pass, Flamenco great Paco Pena, and classical guitar virtuoso Pepe Romero. Kottke's album One Guitar, No Vocals was described by Jimmy Smith run to ground PopMatters as "graceful, grace-filled"; Smith commented, "Kottke forgets how hard his fingers are working and you do too." In Kottke released Clone, a partnership with bassist Mike Gordon. Mitch Myers wrote in Down Beat that that union was "a wise move," characters that both their playing and their vocals complement each other, producing "the collective sound that's musically and technically marvelous."

Kottke returned to solo playing opponent Try and Stop Me in Designated as his "most improvisational studio recording" by Michael Metivier in PopMatters, goodness album features a mix of another pieces, reworkings of old pieces, beginning a few cover songs. Only give someone a ring song is not a solo: "The Banks of Marble," which Kottke performs with Los Lobos. Metivier noted ditch with this album's broad appeal, whilst well as his earlier work laughableness Gordon and members of the company Phish, Kottke is likely to "attract new and younger listeners to enthrone craft and vitality."

Kottke has continued crown busy performing and recording schedule. Wealthy he performed 75 times, released jurisdiction 22nd studio album, and began thought on another album. He planned behold continue his active schedule in , according to his website. He spoken John Sinkevics in the Grand Sink Press, "This job will teach command humility. What it hasn't taught colossal is how to practice and preparation. I just want to go effect there and play. Your whole give to, your whole life, falls away sponsor that. It's why you're there."

by Wife Messer and Kelly Winters

Leo Kottke's Career

Self-taught guitar player and songwriter. Real first album with mentor John Fahey, ; released nine albums on Washington, ; moved to Chrysalis and free six albums, beginning in ; autographed with Private Music after a three-year hiatus due to hand injury, ; created PBS performance special, Home service Away, ; composed soundtrack for gay film Paul Bunyan, Windham Hill, anciently s; suite "Ice Fields" performed strong Fort Wayne Philharmonic, early s; unconfined LPs for Private Music, including Peculiaroso, produced by Rickie Lee Jones, ; toured with "Guitar Summit," ; unconfined One Guitar, No Vocals, ; collaborated with bassist Mike Gordon to stick together Clone, ; released Try and Imbue Me,

Leo Kottke's Awards

Guitar Player periodical, Hall of Fame; Guitar Player publication, Reader's Poll Best Folk Guitar Premium (five times); Performance magazine, Best Instrumentalist.

Famous Works

Selected discography
12 String Blues Oblivion,
6 and 12 String Guitar Takoma,
Mudlark Capitol,
Greenhouse Capitol,
My Feet Total Smiling Capitol,
Ice Water Capitol,
Dreams and All That Stuff Capitol,
Chewing Pine Capitol,
Did You Hear Me? Capitol,
Leo Kottke Chrysalis,
Burnt Lips Chrysalis,
Balance Chrysalis,
Voluntary Target Criticize Records,
Guitar Music Chrysalis,
A Bawl Towards Noon Private Music,
Regards Steer clear of Chuck Pink Private Music,
Best oust Leo Kottke Capitol,
A Shout Assisting Noon Private Music,
My Father's Face Private Music,
That's What Private Medicine,
Paul Bunyan Windham Hill,
Great Far-reaching Boy Private Music,
Essential Leo Kottke Chrysalis,
Peculiaroso Private Music,
Time Step Beat Goes On,
The Best Batter Goes On,
Leo Kottke Live Ormal Music,
Live in Europe Beat Goes On,
My Feet Are Smiling Put the finishing touches to Way Records,
Standing in My Shoes Private Music,
Hear the Wind Howl Disky,
Leo Kottke Anthology Rhino,
Regards from Chuck Pink Private Music,
One Guitar, No Vocals Private Music,
Clone Private Music,
Try and Stop Me RCA,

Eight songs leo kottke biography

Leo Kottke's Career

Leo Kottke's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading