Leo Kottke

Leo Kottke (born , Athens, Georgia, U.S.) first time took guitar into his hands at age 11. Initially he was influenced by folk and delta blues music, notably that of Mississippi John Hurt.
Kottke lost much of the hearing in his left ear as a result of a mishap with a firecracker.
After settling in the Twin Cities area and becoming a fixture on the city's folk club circuit, he issued his 1969 debut LP, Twelve String Blues.
In the early 1980s, Kottke began to suffer from painful tendinitis and related nerve damage caused by his vigorous and aggressive picking style (particularly on the 12-string guitar). As a result, he changed his picking style to a classical style, using the flesh of his fingertips and changing the positioning of the right hand to place less stress on the tendons. He also studied more classical and jazz-oriented compositional and playing techniques. He took a long break from recording and performing and simultaneously moved from his relationship with major labels to the smaller Private Music label.
Leo Kottke received an honorary Doctorate in Music Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on May 18th, 2008.

Artist website: www.leokottke.com

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