John Fahey was an acoustic guitar player. He is credited with starting a genre 1960's known as "american primitive guitar". He drew influnce from blues artists such as: Charlie Patton & Bukka White. As well as influnces from indian music ala Ravi Shankar and the classical music of Bela Bartok and Charles ives. Creating his own eccentic and original style using bluesy syncopated rhythms usually used to accompanying blues vocals, but instead applied to neo-clasical instrumental compositians. In 1959 he co-founded Takoma Records, that would, along with his albums, also supported the recordings of various other like minded guitarists such as; Leo Kottke, Robbie Basho, and Peter Lang. In the late 1970's he began to suffer from a drinking problem and Epstien Barr sydrome. This caused his touring and recording output to slow to a crawl; and thus, he drifted into obscurity and poverty during the 1980's. in the 1990's he had a comeback of sorts, releasing albums such as City of Refuge & Womblife using heavy elements of Avant-Garde music, which he had been experimenting since the 1960's. In 2001 John Fahey passed away after undergoing a sextuple bi-pass operation. He is remembered as a giant of 20th century music and as the godfather of modern solo acoustic guitar.
by guthertheman August 24, 2009