He is an acoustic guitarist born in Athens, Georgia and living in Muskogee, Oklahoma while he was young. He struggled with partial deafness after an accident with a firecracker, and it was made worse while he served time in the United States Naval Reserve.
He learned the violin and trombone before the guitar which would become the instrument he was known for, along with his unique picking style. He studied at the St. Cloud State Universitybut was known to sneak to the auditorium instead of going to lessons so he could play his guitar.
He performs with his 6 and 12 string guitars which have unconventional tuning and he sings in a baritone voice that he describes as “geese farts on a muggy day”.
His most successful album is the 1969 6 and 12-String Guitar and aside from his own recordings he has collaborated with many other artists including Chet Atkin, John Fahey and Lyle Lovitt.
From the 1980s he has suffered from tendonitis and nerve damage caused by his picking style and so has had to change his way of playing, but still continued to perform and released an album every year, often collaborating with other artists. In the 2000s he released several albums with two in collaboration with the bassist Mike Gordon.
In 2008 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Will Ackerman Recordings
In This Still Forest (Will Ackerman)
He is performing a medley of tunes…
Sources:
- http://www.leokottke.com
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Kottke
- https://www.discogs.com/artist/191662-Leo-Kottke
- https://www.allmusic.com/artist/leo-kottke-mn0000045077/biography