Australian-born Geoff Achison started playing guitar at age eleven when he found an old guitar under the stairwell of his family home. Self-taught, Geoff had only four or five lessons when he decided that conventional music training was not for him. In his teens, Geoff left the small town of Victoria and went to Melbourne where he was eventually accepted as the lead guitarist for Ditch Tilders, a prominent Australian blues artist. After five years of performing and penny pinching, Geoff came to America. He jammed in almost every smokey bar on the wrong side of the tracks, treating every audience to his blend of exceptional talent and engaging audience rapport. In 1995 Geoff won The Albert King Award for the most promising guitarist, and remains the sole Australian endorsee for Gibson Guitars. www.geoffachison.com

Dave Alvin is the Grand Marshall of the Americana parade currently high stepping its way through our collective American musical conscious. He's a Grammy award winner; a songwriter and guitarist extraordinaire, equally adept at acoustic country blues and electric gut wrenching rock and roll. He has a stellar reputation as a powerhouse guitarist, and, as a songwriter, a chronicler of the "grayer" sides of life. As co-founder of the seminal 80s band The Blasters, Alvin blazed a trail into American music's future via the past. He is one of the key architects of the L.A. 80s post-punk, roots rock revival that set up the playing field for today's alt-country performers. Alvin and the Blasters imprinted the American musical psyche with a sound that was vintage, yet excitingly real. When broaching the subject of his new material, Alvin hints that this transformation from rocker to singer-songwriter may not be as hard to swallow as one might think. "When I make records," explains Alvin in a now more reverent, serious tone, "the song is always more important than anything else. I let the song be whatever it needs to be." For Dave Alvin, the answer is clearly to keep writing and playing, no matter the style, but clearly with substance. Dave Alvin's Website

W.C. Handy Award winning artist, Aurora "Rory" Block has been playing music for most of her life. At an early age Rory had the opportunity to meet and play music with such blues greats as Son House,(teacher of Robert Johnson,) Reverend Gary Davis, Mississippi John Hurt, Skip James and many others who inspired her style most profoundly. Rory recorded her first instructional album in her teens, 'How To Play Blues Guitar' for Kicking Mule Records. This album became the standard reference work for many aspiring guitarists of the day. Over the years Rory has built an enormous following of devoted fans and is widely regarded as the top female interpreter and authority on traditional country blues worldwide. Rory has a comprehensive instructional series of instruction videos on Homespun tapes. www.roryblock.com

From Wyoming by way of everywhere, Spencer Bohren was born into music. He was first inspired by his gospel-singing parents and, like his siblings, Spencer learned singing the third above the melody around the same time he learned to speak in sentences. The family sang in churches, schools and nursing homes around the state in every conceivable combination: duos, trios, quartets, quintets, solo, and full ensemble. His head was turned by the Folk Threat of the 1960s, and by 1970 he was a traveling folk singer and guitarist. After stints with several groups, he ended up in New Orleans. Based there, he has continued musical travels, recording numerous albums and, recently, teaching music. www.spencerbohren.com

Roy has been described as a guitar pickin' hillbilly bluesman. Back in the 60's he began his career, traveling and learning guitar from the legendary Rev. Gary Davis and Pink Anderson, a medicine show entertainer who recorded back in 1928. Book Binder has recorded five albums and has performed at most major blues and folk festivals in the U.S. and Europe, including Merlefest. He has toured with Bonnie Raitt, and has shared the stage with many great bluesmen including; BB King, John Jackson, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee. Roy has appeared regularly on Nashville Now, a national cable TV show and has been included in Sheldon Harris' book, The Blues who's who. Roy is a veteran teacher whose engaging style of music and storyteller have enraptured his students at many workshops nationally. He is a regular at the Fur Peace Ranch. www.roybookbinder.com

Born in Philadelphia on September 19, 1945. David Bromberg grew up in Tarrytown, New York. Inspired by the music of Pete Seeger and the Weavers, among others, he began studying the guitar at age 13. After graduating from Tarrytown High School, he enrolled at Columbia University intent on a career as a musicologist. Drawn to Greenwich Village's flourishing coffeehouse folk music scene in the mid-1960’s, Bromberg opted for performance combined with his studies; he left school in the middle of his second year, however, to devote full time to his music. Shortly thereafter, his extraordinary guitar picking and exceptional stylistic range brought him to the attention of many other musicians: Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, John Hurt, the Reverend Gary Davis, Tom Paxton, and Chubby Checker are only a few of the notables who sought Bromberg out as a back-up artist for recording. In all he has played as a sideman on over 100 albums. www.davidbromberg.net

Derek Trucks calls him "The Michael Jordan of the bass." The Grammy-nominated Burbridge's influences include jazz greats such as Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke and Ron Carter, along with funk masters Larry Graham, Bootsy Collins and George Porter, Jr. Burbridge has always been in demand as a session and live sideman - recently, he was simultaneously a member of six different bands! His first step into the national spotlight came in 1991, when he founded the Aquarium Rescue Unit, a legendary jam band. He is probably best known for his work, since 1997, in The Allman Bros. Band. He was an immediate success, earning raves for his six string bass version of "Little Martha." His work with the band also earned him two Grammy nominations for best rock instrumental, in 2004 and in 2005. Along the way, he found time to collaborate with Phish's Paige McConnell and The Funky Meters' Russell Battiste on the jam unit Vida Blue and to replace the late Allen Woody in Gov't Mule. Burbridge has dropped all of his side projects recently, preferring to focus on the Allman Bros. and Oteil and the Peacemakers. www.oteilburbridge.com

As one of the New Riders of the Purple Sage (replacing Jerry Garcia in 1971,) pedal steel guitar virtuoso Buddy Cage has sold over 4 million records. As an independent session musician, he has performed on more than 10 gold and platinum records by artists including Bob Dylan (in "Blood on the Tracks") and the Grateful Dead. In 1988, Cage toured with Rick Danko and Garth Hudson as part of the "Australian Band." He also hosts a program, "Jam On," on Sirius Satellite Radio. He is presently touring with the New Riders ensemble along with Fur Peace teacher - veteran Michael Falzarano. www.buddycage.net

Several generations of music fans are awed by the innovative bass playing of the legendary Jack Casady. A native of Washington D.C., John William Casady was playing lead guitar in that city’s clubs while in his early teens. In 1965, having switched to bass, he joined boyhood friend Jorma Kaukonen in San Francisco and became a founding member of the Jefferson Airplane. He played bass on sessions for Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland album of 1968; his work appears on the track “Voodoo Chile” . He played occasionally with the Grateful Dead, and Country Joe and the Fish. Jack and Jorma founded Hot Tuna in 1970, and have toured under that name, through a long list of band members and a wide range of styles, for more than 35 years. In June 2003 Jack released his first solo album, Dream Factor. He is highly regarded for his thoughtful and incisive teaching at the Fur Peace Ranch. www.casadybass.com

Cashdollar (it's a real name) is from the town of Woodstock, NY, and credits her musical beginnings to the varied influx of musicians that lived and/or performed there at the time. First a guitarist, she switched to dobro and began touring with bluegrass artist John Herald, and later, in with The Band's Levon Helm and Rick Danko. Other local artists such as the legendary Paul Butterfield and Happy and Artie Traum were also early influences. Cindy was named Instrumentalist of the Year in 2003 by the Academy of Western Artists Awards, and was inducted into the Texas Western Swing Hall Of Fame in 2003. She appears often on "A Prairie Home Companion," and has released four instructional videos on Homespun Tapes. She now resides in Texas and and plays music and tours as a freelance artist. www.cindycashdollar.com

John Cephas was born in Washington, D.C. in 1930 into a deeply religious family. His first taste of music was gospel, but blues soon became his calling. His grandfather taught him the folklore of eastern Virginia, where his ancestors had toiled as slaves, and Cephas learned about blues from a guitar-playing aunt. But it was his cousin, David Taleofero, who taught him much of what he plays - the alternating thumb-and-finger picking style that characterizes Piedmont blues. As a young man, John joined the Capitol Harmonizers and toured on the gospel circuit. After a stint in the Army during the Korean War, he returned to the United States and went through a variety of jobs that included professional gospel singer, carpenter, and Atlantic fisherman. By the 1960s, Cephas was starting to make a living from his music and, since forming a duo with Wiggins in 1977, John has performed all over the world, serving as an ambassador of this singular American art form. Cephas received the coveted National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1989. These fellowships recognize those who preserve cultural legacies in music, dance and crafts. www.cephasandwiggins.net

Larry Coryell has been described by Whitney Balliett as "the most innovative and original guitarist since Charlie Christian." Larry has been in the pantheon of great jazz guitarists for more than thirty years. His philosophy of music has kept his playing fresh and exciting and makes each of his personal appearances or recordings a special event. The late 60's and early 70's saw Larry as one of the most in-demand guitarists, not only in jazz but in all musical genres. Throughout this diverse career, Larry has put himself totally at the service of his music. "I am destined to be the eternal student, to continue developing my flow of ideas with my ability to flow with them... to listen to everything..." All of Larry's work, both singly and collectively, highlights Larry's uncanny ability to revisit jazz standards and imbue them with the new life and ideas. He brings to them his years of experience in playing, listening and learning and synthesizes them into something greater than the sum of their parts. www.larrycoryell.net

Possessing arguably one of the most powerful and emotive tenor voices in today's music, John Cowan has penned 6 of 13 songs in a tour de force album, produced by Wendy Waldman, "Always Take Me Back," a project which matches his vocals musically and lyrically. A professional music maker since age 14, he was a veteran of Louisville rock bands such as Everyday People and Louisville Sound Department (LSD) by age 20. He auditioned for New Grass Revival in 1974. After several personnel shifts, Pat Flynn and Bela Fleck joined bandmates John Cowan and Sam Bush in 1982. New Grass Revival took the acoustic-music world by storm with a string of sizzling albums, internationally acclaimed concert appearances, a musical collaboration with Leon Russell, Grammy nominations and reams of ecstatic press notices. The voice and all it empowers is clearly a fascination with Cowan. "I'm like all of us, a very emotional person and I think this is why I am able to transmit that as a singer. We all have ways to access that. I'm fortunate to have an outlet for those emotions and that happens to be creative." www.johncowan.com

The blues permeates every corner of Davis' creativity. He is dedicated to reviving the traditions of acoustic blues and bringing them to as many ears as possible through the material of the great blues masters, African American stories, and his own original songs, stories and performance pieces. Davis taught himself the guitar and learned by listening to and watching other musicians. One night on a train from Boston to New York he picked up finger picking from a nine-fingered guitar player. His influences are wide and varied. Musically, he enjoyed such great musicians as Blind Willie McTell, Skip James, Mississippi John Hurt and Buddy Guy, among others. It was through Taj Mahal that he found his way to the old time blues. Eventually Davis had the opportunity to combine music and acting in 1991 he made his Broadway debut in 'Mulebone' and in 1993 he performed Off-Broadway as the legendary Robert Johnson in "Robert Johnson: Trick the Devil." This role making him the winner of the Blues Foundation's W.C. Handy "Keeping the Blues Alive Award." The multi talented Guy Davis has produced, written and composed prolifically. www.guydavis.com

When master fiddler Vassar Clements heard Mike play guitar way back in 1975 he did the sensible thing. He hired him. Thirty years later Clements called him, 'One of the finest guitar players there is, anywhere.' Before embarking on a solo performance career, Mike also worked and recorded with mandolinist Jethro Burns and jazz violin great Joe Venuti. Mike has released seven albums of roots-based music and can be heard on dozens of session recordings, including Clements' Grammy-nominated "Nashville Jam" and the recently released "Airmail Special," with Nashville legends Buddy Spicher and Buddy Emmons. In 1996 Mike packed up his guitars and his fishing gear and moved to little Dubois, Wyoming where he opened Wind River Guitar School and launched a music camp for acoustic blues and swing instruction in the beautiful Grand Teton Mountains. He's been a frequent guest on public radios "A Prairie Home Companion" and in 2005 was one of a dozen finger style guitar greats honored with a Grammy in the "Best Pop Instrumental" category for the Henry Mancinin tribute recording, "Pink Guitar." Mike tours world wide and teaches swing and blues guitar at music camps and workshops throughout the country. www.mikedowling.com

One of the premier electric bassists of contemporary jazz, Mark Egan, a Massachusetts native, has distinguished himself as an in-demand session player, valued sideman and respected leader in his own right. His distinctive fretless bass sound has graced countless jazz and pop albums as well as award winning movie and television soundtracks. A member of the Pat Metheny Group, he has played on multi platinum-selling recordings by Sting, Arcadia and Joan Osborne and has also recorded with the likes of Roger Daltry, Sophie B. Hawkins, Marianne Faithfull, David Sanborn and John McLaughlin and was a member of the Gil Evans Orchestra for 13 years. Born in 1951, Mark began his musical studies on the trumpet at the age of 10, mainly through the influence of his father, an avid player. He continued to play the trumpet through high school in jazz bands, R&B groups, high school orchestras and switched to bass at age 16. In 1969, Egan enrolled in the University of Miami School of Music under the direction of Jerry Coker and also studied privately with the late, great Jaco Pastorius. www.markegan.com

Memphis-based guitarist/songwriter William Lee Ellis has been hailed a "wizard on steel strings" who "recalls Ry Cooder in his prime" (Blues Revue), while AllMusic Guide writes: "Not since the late John Campbell has there been a blues talent so original." The son of banjo composer Tony Ellis and the godson of bluegrass patriarch Bill Monroe, William Lee Ellis holds a Master of Music degree in classical guitar, though he has specialized for years in pre-war acoustic blues styles. In 2004, a House of Blues Radio Hour special on "New Voices of the Blues" spotlighted Ellis, and he has toured as a traditional musician in more than 20 countries from Japan to Norway. Recently, he accompanied his dad in concert in Havana, Cuba, and Minsk, Belarus, for the U.S. State Department as well as the New Yorker Festival with actor Steve Martin. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology at the University of Memphis. Among his recordings are Conqueroo, picked by Acoustic Guitar magazine as one of 2003's best albums, and his latest, the Jim Dickinson-produced God's Tattoos, called "one of the most welcome acoustic blues albums of 2006" by the Chicago Sun-Times and winner of the 2007 Bluestar award in Australia for "Best International CD Release" by a solo artist.

Two-time Grammy nominee Tommy Emmanuel has a professional career that spans over four decades. Inspired by Chet Atkins, Emmanuel's music and life are legendary in Australia. He began playing guitar at age 4, learning to play by ear without any formal instruction. Emmanuel was considered a child prodigy, starting his professional career in the 1960s. By the age of six, Tommy was already working as a professional musician with his family. In his teens, Tommy left home to pursue a professional career as a guitarist. Playing in clubs all over Sydney, his skills were on public display and he became a highly sought session player. In 1999, Chet Atkins honored Tommy Emmanuel the rare title of "Certified Guitar Player" for his lifetime contribution to the art of fingerstyle guitar playing. Recent accolades include induction into the Thumb pickers Hall of Fame in Muhlenberg, Kentucky, two Grammy nominations, and 16 recordings, and 2 instructional DVDs. In recent years, Tommy has performed all over the world. His dazzling performances, flawless guitar skills and voluminous repertoire never fail to amaze audiences and engage thousands of new fans everywhere. Tommy Emmaneul's Website

Guitarist/singer/songwriter Michael Falzarano has been a working musician for the past 35 years, most notably in Hot Tuna, the famed offspring of The Jefferson Airplane, and in The Memphis Pilgrims, a Memphis-style rock'n'roll/blues band that he founded in 1986. Presently he can be seen on the road with The New Riders of The Purple Sage, and has recently signed with Blues Planet Records.Michael has taught guitar in privately, and teaches regularly at Fur Peace Ranch with classes in Blues and his famous Jamstock sessions. Besides being an accomplished performer, Michael brings his experience and rock'n'roll roots together in his expert workshops. Michael is also a successful producer (Hot Tuna, Jorma Kaukonen, The New Riders of the Purple Sage, Marjorie Thompson) and studio sideman. www.michaelfalzarano.com

Born in Genoa, Italy, Beppe began his musical training in a classical plectrum orchestra before drawing on traditional European and American guitar techniques to develop his own original style. In 1977, he formed the acclaimed Italian bluegrass band Red Wine. As a dynamic solo performer he has toured Europe, America, Canada and Australia while rediscovering, teaching and promoting flatpicking. Beppe has collaborated with masters of the acoustic scene (Gene Parsons, Tony Trischka and many others) on ambitious projects such as reviving and contemporizing the energy of the "brother" duets with guitar master Dan Crary. Along with Carlo Aonzo, mandolin player from La Scala Orchestra in Milan, Beppe has conducted extensive interviews as part of his comprehensive study and revival of the musical forms present in Italy at the start of the twentieth century. The result of this research was the production of two acclaimed albums, Serenata and Traversata (recorded with American mandolin legend David Grisman.) An accomplished author and teacher, Beppe wrote the first Italian manual on flatpicking and recorded many instructional videos. www.beppegambetta.com

Mary Gauthier's third album 'Filth & Fire' appeared on many of the top CD of the Year lists throughout the country, with Jon Pareles in The New York Times ranking the album as the #1 Independent Album of the Year. "Unflinching honesty makes Filth & Fire a triumph, the best singer-songwriter album of the year..." reported NO DEPRESSION, shortly after the album's release in July 2002. "Filth & Fire should establish her as one of the finest artists in the whole alt country field," reported the Washington Post. "She is the People's Heart of Alternative Country," said media in Ireland after a recent European tour, and it is a sentiment that is shared by audiences everywhere. www.marygauthier.com

Ed Gerhard's music has touched concert audiences all over the world. He can captivate audiences with a combination of virtuosity, generosity and humor distinctly his own. Performing on 6-string, 12-string, slide guitar or Hawaiian Lap Steel, Ed blends musical intensity with a sly sense of humor. Gerhard's eight releases on Virtue Records have been praised by critics and guitar fans worldwide. His music has also been featured in the Ken Burns' film Mark Twain. Gerhard has recently been awarded a Grammy for his inclusion on the compilation CD Henry Mancini: Pink Guitar, that won Best Pop Instrumental Album of the Year for his arrangement and performance of Moon River. www.edgerhard.com

Beginning in his teens, Stefen Grossman was a student of the legendary Rev.Gary Davis. After studying with Davis for eight years in high school and college, he learned and studied with other country blues guitarists: Mississippi John Hurt, Son House, Skip James, Mance Lipscomb, and Fred McDowell. Other early influences included Elizabeth Cotten, Sam McGee, Willie Brown, and Charley Patton. In the early 1960s, Grossman formed the Even Dozen Jug Band and worked with the political rock band the Fugs. Grossman's solo discography goes all the back to 1966, when he recorded How to Play Blues Guitar for Elektra Records. Since the early 1980s he has toured infrequently, but recorded extensively. Grossman concentrates his efforts these days on running his instructional video business, Vestapol Videos, which feature guitarists from Merle Travis and Chet Atkins to Dave Van Ronk and Brownie McGhee. www.stefangrossman.com

Guitar virtuoso Fareed Haque enjoys a career that spans the spectrum of musical styles. Moving easily between jazz and classical guitar, Fareed's versatility has created a demand for him with prominent jazz and classical artists in the U.S. and abroad. He has performed all of the major guitar concertos, is an active transcriber of baroque as well as South American music and has had numerous modern works dedicated to him. Fareed's discography includes six albums. Haque has been featured on numerous television and cable shows and has twice been selected Talent Deserving Wider Recognition (Downbeat magazine.) Since 1989 Fareed has held an associate professorship at Northern Illinois University, Born in 1963 of Pakistani/Chilean heritage, his extensive travels exposed Haque to diverse music traditions. This natural eclecticism has become the hallmark of Fareed's music. The 1981 Recipient of North Texas State University's Jazz Guitar Scholarship, Haque studied with renowned jazz guitarist Jack Peterson. Fareed then turned to classical guitar and completed his studies at Northwestern University. In 2001 Fareed co-founded the jam super-group Garaj Mahal, joined the group Summit, and records and tours with the Fareed Haque Group. Most recently Fareed has become a staple of the 'Jamband' scene and was voted 'Most Valuable Player' at the 2002 High Sierra Music Festival. www.fareed.com

Ernie plays with a blend of personal experience of the acoustic blues that was passed on to him directly from some of the original masters (Rev. Gary Davis, Son House and Mississippi Fred McDowell, for examples.) It is inspiring to hear him as he weaves so cleanly the bass, middle and treble voices of the guitar into a fabric of time gone by. Ernie is a disciple of a form of Blues nearly lost in our times, that of the Piedmont style of guitar. Its complexity and beauty has a direct African link that speaks directly from and to the soul. Every Hawkins performance, live or recorded, achieves perfection balancing his passionate love of pre-war acoustic blues and honest songwriting. The genuine musical soul of Blind Willie McTell, Rev. Gary Davis and others are revived with every strum and pick. www.erniehawkins.com

Warren Haynes a has been named the 23rd greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, but to him, music doesn't feel like hard work. Haynes is just doing what he loves. He's a man who loves music. Everything about it, really: creating it, playing it, singing it, experiencing it, appreciating it, sharing it. Growing up in Asheville, North Carolina, he remembers getting his first taste of musical nourishment at the tender age of six when he heard black gospel on the radio. He was raised on Merle Haggard, Bill Monroe, Miles, Coltrane, Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, Dylan and Van Morrison. At 12, he began playing guitar and discovered rock n roll. Influenced by Clapton and Hendrix, Haynes traced his heroes' collaborations and influences, embarking on an ongoing journey of musical discovery, and expanding his own sound as he learned. By age 20, Haynes had a solid performance background and his guitar playing was starting to turn heads. One of those heads belonged to Dickey Betts, and in 1986 he was tapped by Betts to form a band and became a member of the Allman's in 1989. Warren's music affiliations also include Garth Brooks, with whom he co-wrote; and membership with by Gov't Mule, Allman Brothers Band, and The Dead. For audiences, to see and hear Warren Haynes perform in any capacity is to witness his love firsthand. To catch him alone on stage, with only his voice and acoustic guitar, drives the point deeper still. The pure emotion he pours into and gleans from music takes on the prominence of a lead instrument, sharing in the delivery rather than just inspiring it. www.warrenhaynes.net

Chris Hillman is a Rock n Roll Hall of Fame inductee whose impact on American music is exemplified over four decades via his contributions to the Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Manassas and the Desert Rose Band. He is an American icon and early pioneer of Country Rock, and his partnerships with numerous icons of American folk and Country Music have furthered this journey. A superb guitarist, mandolinist and songwriter, Chris continues to record quality music. He is also active in his community, eschewing the big"mega-benefit" concerts in favor of community concerns, as well as the causes he passionately believes in - including artists' recording rights and traditional family values. www.chrishillman.com

During the early '90's, John Denver's tour manager and producer Kris O'Connor heard Pete Huttlinger play guitar and was so impressed that he recommended him for Denver's band. Huttlinger toured, recorded and performed on television with Denver from 1994 until the singer's death in 1997. Huttlinger has performed on numerous Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated projects. He has also been nominated for an Emmy for music he both composed and performed for a PBS special. His performances have been used in several national TV series, including the PBS Nature special "Let This Be A Voice." He created the theme song for ESPN's Flyfishing America, a program on which he has made guest appearances. www.petehuttlinger.com

David Jacobs-Strain emerged from the rain soaked mountains of western Oregon storming the festival circuit as a dynamic blues prodigy. Like a diesel powerhouse of raw energy, David speeds across the landscape of the Country Blues to the earthbound grooves of the Mississippi Delta, with his driving slide guitar and fervent vocals. David has a passion for stretching the limits of the blues with blazing guitar breakdowns that verge on psychedelia and highlight his intimate knowledge of the fretboard. At age 22, David is already a veteran of the national club and festival circuit, with numerous acclaimed recordings, and a teaching resume that includes Port Townsend, Augusta Heritage, Ottawa Blues in the Schools, and Fur Peace Ranch Guitar camp. www.davidjacobs-strain.com

"For me, the blues is a point of departure," says guitarist, singer, and songwriter Steve James. "I like taking from the past and enlarging upon it." Born in New York City to a musical family, James was bitten by the blues bug early on, and after seeing Muddy Waters and Mississippi John Hurt, he decided to make music his life. In the early 1970s he migrated to Bristol, TN ("bothering old people and playing with fiddlers,") then Memphis (where he played with Lewis, Bukka White, and Lum Guffin,) and finally Texas in 1977. Throughout this time, he became acquainted with the classic music and many of the great musicians of the American South. A touring musician and recording artist, Steve is a font of historical knowledge, an engaging performer and a talented teacher. A long time contributing editor to Acoustic Guitar magazine, he has had two books and over a hundred articles published in recent years. www.stevejames.com

Robert's background includes nearly fifteen years experience as a blues performer, historian, radio broadcaster and educator. Jones is an extraordinary instrumentalist, playing guitar, slide guitar, harmonica, blues mandolin and banjo in a variety of regional styles. He uses vintage instruments typical of early blues in order to convey the tradition and feel of the music. He has been recognized nationally by "Living Blues Magazine," and he has twice been voted "Detroit's Best Blues Instrumentalist" by Metro Times Magazine. robertbjones.com [archived]

At Fur Peace Ranch he’s known as “The Captain,” but for music enthusiasts over more than four decades Jorma Kaukonen has been and is the leader in fingerstyle guitar playing, particularly of American roots music. A native of Washington D.C., Jorma started playing guitar -- often with his friend Jack Casady -- in high school before heading off to college, seeing the world, returning to college, and helping found a band called the Jefferson Airplane. He also became an adherent to the fingerstyle guitar of the Rev. Gary Davis. He and Casady then formed the enduring Hot Tuna, which continues packing venues with a robust tour schedule, even after 35 years. Jorma’s solo projects include the Grammy-nominated Blue Country Heart of 2002. His latest solo effort released in the spring of 2007 is entitled Star In My Crown available on Redhouse Records. He and his wife, Vanessa, founded Fur Peace Ranch in 1998, a true oasis of music instruction. www.jormakaukonen.com

Will Kimbrough's resume as both songwriter and guitarist is as impressive as they come. As songwriter and frontman for Will and the Bushmen, Kimbrough crafted hugely popular southeastern independent pop. Alongside bassist Mike Grimes and Government Cheese's Tommy Womack, he created a no-nonsense, unapologetic rock band with the Bis-Quits. As a guitarist, Kimbrough has played with some of the best of the independent rock and alt-country scenes, including Kim Richey, Todd Snider, Garrison Starr, Matthew Ryan and Josh Rouse. Along the way, he has honed the songwriting sensibilities that made Will and the Bushmen such a popular act. The results have been Kimbrough's critically loved solo debut This, and Home Away. He has been described as "an ordinary guy telling an ordinary story in a very extraordinary way." Will Kimbrough's Website

Bill Kirchen celebrates an American musical tradition where country music draws upon its origins in blues a nd bluegrass, and in the Western swing of Texas and California honkytonks Nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Instrumental Performance in 2001, Bill Kirchen first gained prominence as lead guitarist and a vocalist for Commander Cody & his Lost Planet Airmen, the renegade country-rock band that tuned a whole generation of rock fans into the joys of unvarnished country, boogie and rockabilly. A Titan of the Telecaster guitar (Guitar Player magazine May 1998 & June 2002,) it was the resonant twang of Kirchen's battered Tele that drove a Hot Rod Lincoln into the Top Ten in 1972. Kirchen has played guitar on recordings and performances with Gene Vincent, Link Wray, Danny Gatton, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Hoyt Axton, Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello. In 2002 Bill Kirchen was inducted into the Washington Area Music Association Hall of Fame along with Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana) and John Phillip Sousa as well as winning 10 additional Wammies including Artist of the Year and Musician of the Year. www.billkirchen.com

Fingerstyle guitarist Adrian Legg has more than lived up to the expectations stirred by an ongoing avalanche of praise from critics, fans, top guitar mags and peers alike. Joe Satriani once said, "He's simply the best acoustic guitar player I've ever heard... he plays like he has hammers for fingers." The genius that the Boston Globe has called "technical brilliance paired with a troubadour's tale-weaving skill" led him from 1993-96 to be voted Best Fingerstyle Guitarist four years straight by the readers of Guitar Player magazine. www.adrianlegg.com

Multi-instrumentalist David Lindley performs music that redefines the word "eclectic." David Lindley grew up in southern California, first taking up the banjo as a teenager, and subsequently winning the annual Topanga canyon banjo and fiddle contest five times as he explored the American folk music tradition. In 1971, Mr. Dave joined forces with Jackson Browne, serving as Jackson's musical co-conspirator until 1981. In 1979, Lindley had begun working with old friend Ry Cooder on 'Bop Till you Drop' and 'The Long Riders' sound track, a musical collaboration that lasts to this day, and has spawned many recording projects and several world tours as an acoustic duo. In 1981, Lindley created his own remarkable Band El Rayo-X, which integrated American roots music and world beat with a heavy reggae influence. Throughout this long and distinguished career, Lindley has been one of Hollywood's most in demand session musicians, lending his skills to the recorded works of Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, Linda Ronstadt, Crosby and Nash, Warren Zevon, and many others. www.davidlindley.com

Woody Mann began his guitar career as a youngster at the feet of the legendary Rev. Gary Davis. Mann complemented the tutelage of Rev. Davis with formal training at New York’s celebrated Juilliard School. He also studied with noted Chicago-born pianist Lennie Tristano, who introduced him to jazz. Mann has pursued a rich and diverse career, which ranges from playing with jazz great Attila Zoller, accompanying songwriter Dori Previn, and teaching guitar to legendary recording artist Paul Simon. He has recorded extensively and performed everywhere from the orchestra pits of Broadway to festivals, clubs and concert stages worldwide. He has also taught numerous workshops and schooled countless guitarists through his acclaimed books and DVDs including the series The Art of Acoustic Blues Guitar, The Complete Robert Johnson, The Blues Fakebook, and the recently published Lisboa -- the Guitar Of Woody Mann, a collection of his original compositions. www.woodymann.com

Steady Rollin' Bob Margolin is a guitar player and vocalist, carrying on the deep Chicago Blues style and creating original music. From 1973-1980, Bob played guitar in the band of Chicago Blues legend Muddy Waters, touring worldwide and recording, and learning from the source. In 1980, Bob started his own band. As a leader, Bob has recorded seven albums; his latest is The Bob Margolin All-Star Blues Jam, nominated for a 2004 W.C. Handy Award for "Traditional Blues Album of the Year." It features Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlin, Carey Bell, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, and Mookie Brill (The Bob Margolin All-Star Band,) and has been nominated for a Handy Award for "Blues Band of The Year Bob is instrumental in production and being sideman on Muddy Waters' late-'70s Blue Sky albums for Sony/Legacy. Touring full-time today, Bob tours with blues groups, including The Bob Margolin Blues Band, The Bob Margolin All-Star Blues Jam, and The Muddy Waters Tribute Band. Bob is a senior writer for Blues Revue magazine, and a regular contributor to BluesWax online. www.bobmargolin.com

John McEuen was a banjo teacher at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Long Beach, California, 1966 when he and others there formed the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. While John still tours with the band, he has had a broad solo career covering a range of instruments and musical disciplines. The music he performs today evolved from early inspiration from seeing The Dillards in his native Southern California,and music he made going down that early road with various artists, including Jose Feliciano and Michael Martin Murphey (prior to the formation of NGDB.) Onstage, McEuen incorporates his vintage instruments which he has taken to international venues, demonstrating his love for the history of acoustic music. He has performed or recorded with, and even taught a galaxy of stars including Steve Martin. For his diverse skills on banjo, fiddle, guitar and mandolin, John has been pronounced by reviewers and fans, 'The String Wizard.' www.johnmceuen.com

Barry Mitterhoff is a mandolinist who cannot be pigeonholed into one style. He performs a dazzling array of styles that include bluegrass, classical, swing and jazz, and a variety of ethnic styles such as Brazilian, Neapolitan songs, Klezmer and more. He has recorded on the BMG, Sony, Flying Fish, Rounder and other record labels with artists as diverse as Metropolitan Opera tenor Jerry Hadley, Julius LaRosa, Tom Chapin, Hazel Dickens, Tony Trischka and under his own name. He has performed at the White House, the Library of Congress, the Rainbow Room, Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall and Alice Tully Hall. He can be heard on the soundtracks of You've Got Mail, Mickey Blue Eyes, Two Family House as well as recording music for the Coen Brothers film, O Brother Where Art Thou. Mr. Mitterhoff has toured throughout Western Europe, the former Soviet Union, Czech Republic, Japan, the United States and Canada. Along with his performing and recording activities, he also is active as a mandolin teacher, including at the Fur Peace Ranch. He is a acclaimed now as sideman to Jorma Kaukonen in Electric and Acoustic Hot Tuna. www.mandozine.com

A live-wire on any stage, Peter Mulvey is an acoustic singer/songwriter/guitarist who, in fact, defies this categorization. His ferocious guitar playing whisks him through more tunings than he has fingers in the course of an evening, as he winds his way from full-throated rockers to deceptively plain-spoken musings. Whether solo or with longtime musical collaborator David "Goody" Goodrich at his, Mulvey is someone who commands a stage naturally. Between building his career as a singer/songwriter, Mulvey has also written and performed music for theatre and modern dance (Sam Shepard's A Lie of the Mind, Amiri Baraka's Primitive World, and for The Wild Space Dance Company,) penned articles for national magazines (Acoustic Guitar, Performing Songwriter, The Writer,) done voice-over work for various documentaries, and has had his songs placed in both film and television (the WB drama Felicity, independent films Origin of the Species and The Fisherman, the PBS documentary Wisconsin: An American Portrait.) www.petermulvey.com

Texan Lee Roy Parnell is a rockabilly blues artist who has had a long string of hit records -- his signature slide guitar is familiar to a generation of country music fans. He first took stage on Bob Wills' radio show in 1962, when he was six years old, and eight years later he was a professional musician with his own band, playing Texas clubs. Moving to Austin in 1974, he shared the stage with the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Delbert McClinton, and Joe Ely. Two years later, in New York, he joined Kinky Friedman's band. Then came Nashville and a series of critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums, the latest of which is 2006's "Back to the Well." Along the way, he's scored a number of Top-10 hits on the country chart.

Herb began his career in Berkeley, California in the early 60's playing 5 string banjo and acoustic guitar with the likes of David Grisman, Butch Waller, David Nelson, and Jerry Garcia. Herb has added accompaniments to the recordings of many prominent folk and country music artists, ranging from Emmylou Harris to Vince Gil, James Taylor, and Jesse Winchester, to name a few. Herb's discography reads like a Who's Who of the singer/songwriter scene prevalent in the 70s- 80s. His own groups include The Desert Rose Band, and The Laurel Canyon Ramblers. With his lifelong pal, Chris Hillman, Herb is in the process of continuing the type of music they both grew up playing and singing. There is a work in progress most of the time and that's the way Herb likes it. Herb is no stranger to the world of TV and movie sound tracks with credits including The Rockford Files, Smokey and The Bandit, Hunter, and The Simpsons employing Herb either on 5 string banjo or vocals. From Carnegie Hall to the Ryman auditorium, Herb is a respected artist with an established presence in the music scene. www.herbpedersen.com

Ann Rabson has been playing and singing the blues professionally since 1962. A member of Saffire - The Uppity Blues Women, she also performs solo and with various other bands. The year 2003 marks Ann's seventh nomination for a W.C. Handy Award as Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year. In 1998 her first solo album, Music Makin' Mama, was nominated as Album of the Year in both the Traditional Blues and Acoustic Blues categories. In 1992 her composition Elevator Man was nominated as Song of the Year. Ann has toured Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Greece, Holland, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain and Switzerland with Saffire, and Canada both with Saffire and with Jackson Delta. She has made two solo European tours, and in 1998 she toured Europe with piano legend Erwin Helfer. She has performed solo at the Jazz Club of Hong Kong, and in 2000 she headlined the BluesAlive international blues festival in Sumperk, Czech Republic. www.annrabson.com

Del Rey started playing classical guitar when she was four. As a teenager, she met bluesman Sam Chatmon who inspired her to become a blues queen. Her guitar playing combines country blues, stride piano, classic jazz and hillbilly boogie through the sensibility of an autodidact trailor-park esthete. Her live show is full of complex guitar grooves and sly humor. Del Rey plays concerts worldwide and also presents a concert/lecture on women musicians called Women in American Music . She collaborates and tours frequently with Austin guitarist Steve James and she plays ukulele with The Yes Yes Boys. Since 2004 she has been collaborating with Maria Muldaur on tributes to Sister Rosetta Thorpe and Johnny Cash, and she is featured on Muldaur's latest CD Sweet Lovin' Old Soul . Del Rey also writes about music for various publications, including Acoustic Guitar. http://hobemianrecords.com/delrey.html

Guitarist Wyatt Rice played in his brother Tony's bluegrass band before forming his own group in the late '80s. The Wyatt Rice Band has since recorded two albums in two different incarnations. The first version of the group, a sextet featuring violinist Rickie Simpkins and mandolinist Ray Legere released New Market Gap in 1989. By the mid-'90s, the group became a quintet and released Picture in a Tear in 1996. http://www.wyattrice.com/

Darrell Scott is a Grammy-nominated artist, an award-winning songwriter, and a first-call session guitarist, living and working (literally and figuratively) on the fringes of Nashville's Music Row. Darrell's tune "Hank Williams' Ghost" won Song of the Year at the Sixth Annual Americana Honors and Awards Show. The song appears on his 2006 release The Invisible Man, on Full Light Records. Scott occupies his own unique half-acre in that city's crowded musical landscape. In a town that's got pigeonholing down to an art, Darrell Scott stands out as a refreshingly mischievous artist. Born on a tobacco farm in the coal-mining center of London, Kentucky, by age 16, he was playing roadhouses in Southern California. In Nashville, Scott the instrumentalist gravitated toward the best, with singers like John Cowan, pickers like Sam Bush, and songwriters like Guy Clark employing his utilitarian string-slinging skills. www.darrellscott.com

Pete Sears has played keyboards or bass with a remarkable assortment of world class musicians including Rod Stewart , Steve Kimock, Jerry Garcia, Peter Rowan, Taj Mahal, Leftover Salmon, Ike and Tina Turner, David Lindley, Quicksilver Messenger Service, the Jefferson Starship, Hot Tuna, and the Flying Other Bros. Originally from England, Pete is a gifted blues pianist who was influenced in his early musician career by the great jazz, R&B, and blues pianists. He is also known for his charitable work for a variety of social causes. www.petesears.com

One of the most in-demand blues/rock guitarists in the world is a mysterious character who goes by the name of GE Smith. Millions of TV viewers know him from his ten years of fronting the Saturday Night Live band. GE has played with greats like Hall & Oats, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Tina Turner and Peter Wolfe. In 1985 Smith was named the musical director for Saturday Night Live. Leading the SNL band for 10 years, it was arguably the best late-night band on television at the time and GE won an Emmy for his role. Smith has played with the broadest possible spectrum of artists, from Red Buttons to Allen Ginsberg. www.greenmirror.com

What is immediately recognizable to anyone who has encountered Chris Smither on record or in live performance during the course of the last four decades are his been-there, done-that voice and the crystalline, eloquent sounds of his fingerpicked acoustic guitar. Familiar, too, are the arrangements of cover songs Smither has interpreted brilliantly. Smither is a distinguished songwriter, performer and talented teacher, and it is musical virtuosity that he has brought to his many Fur Peace Ranch workshops. He has released eleven albums since his critically acclaimed debut, I’m a Stranger Too! in 1970. His most recent is 2006’s Leave the Light On. He is omnipresent on an active international tour schedule. www.smither.com

Hailing from "The Home of the Blues", Santa Barbara, CA. Kenny Sultan has been teaching guitar for over 25 years. Whether from his private studio, or workshops, clinics, university residency or international guitar camps, he shows true passion in his teaching. Along with his partner, Tom Ball, he has released 8 CDs, and more recently 2 solo CDs of his own work. It was after the last CD "Guitar Blues" for the Grammy winning Solid Air Record label, that the Martin Guitar Company honored him with his own signature model. based on his trusty 1936 sunburst Martin 000-18. In addition to film and TV work, the Levi's Blues commercials, a busy touring schedule, books, DVD's, and CDs, he has been dedicated to his vocation of teaching guitar. www.KennySultan.com

Patrick Sweany is a force in blues and roots-oriented music. This young powerhouse musician from Massillon, Ohio performs a mixture of styles, drawing on the traditions of the Mississippi delta and Northeastern Hill country, the wild jug band sounds of Memphis, early Piedmont and ragtime blues finger picking, the driving boogie of the West Helena, Arkansas slide guitar tradition, the howl of the early Texas blues men, and a little West Coast Swing and New Orleans R&B. These diverse influences come together seamlessly in Patrick's recording debut to showcase a unique style, firmly rooted in the blues. His style was cultivated from years of listening to his father's playing and in church, plus an extensive record collection of blues and folk artists. In the music of artists as Patton, MacDowell, Hopkins, Memphis Slim, Witherspoon, Montgomery, and Leadbelly, Patrick found a universal element that has guided him. "...gave your CD a listen...... Wow! I can't remember when I have been so blown away... You really have put it all together!" - Roy Book Binder www.patricksweany.com

Marjorie is a singer/songwriter and fingerstyle guitarist from Providence , RI , who plays and sings in the time honored genres of the country blues, rags and roots music characterized by Rev Gary Davis, Mississippi John Hurt, Dave Van Ronk and many other pioneers of this field. She has a body of original work with over 90 songs reflective of this style but with contemporary and personal twists. Originally from New York City , she took up the guitar in the mid sixties and thus began a lifelong passion for fingerstyle guitar. She has also been a professional artist, catering entrepreneur, accountant, and has 25 years served as dean of undergraduate biology at Brown University. With over 20 return trips to Fur Peace Ranch beginning in 1999, she now serves as teaching assistant to Jorma , and will debut a solo workshop in May 2007. Her recordings to date are Driving to Distraction (2002,) Add Some More (2003,) Never Let Me Down (2005) and Driving Live (2005.) The latter three were produced by Michael Falzarano (Hot Tuna; New Riders.) All feature original songs and accompaniment by her band partner Greg Franklin and other guest artists. She tours actively, accompanied by bassist Greg Franklin and mandolinist/violinist Vincent Pasternak. www.mosugarmusic.com

Verlon Thompson picked on his Mom's mandolin, his Uncle Kenneth's guitar, his Aunt Bessie's piano, his Cousin Elmer Dee's lap steel and any other instrument he could get his hands on. Early songwriting inspiration came from Merle Haggard, Lefty Frizzell, Buck Owens and Roger Miller. Verlon became a Nashville resident and staff writer for Loretta Lynn's publishing company, Coal Miners Music. After that, he signed with CBS Songs, which later became EMI Music, one of the worlds largest publishing houses. Good fortune continued through the 90's with cuts by Joe Diffie, Billy Dean, Suzy Bogguss, Pam Tillis, Trisha Yearwood, Beth Nielson Chapman and more. Today he's found working on the road with Guy Clark and has found a new musical world in the theaters, small clubs and folk festivals. "Poetic listeners" he once called them; a little more in tune with the fine art of lyric and melody. www.verlonthompson.com

During the past forty years, Happy Traum's interest in traditional and contemporary music has brought him recognition as a performer, writer, editor, folklorist, teacher and recording artist. He has performed throughout the U.S. and abroad, and has appeared on recordings as a featured artist, as a member of various ensembles, and as an accompanist. He has played and recorded with Bob Dylan, Chris Smither, Maria Muldaur, Eric Andersen, Rory Block, Jerry Jeff Walker, Allen Ginsberg, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and innumerable others. Happy is the author of more than a dozen best-selling guitar instruction books, has written numerous magazine columns and articles, and for three years was editor of Sing Out! The Folksong Magazine. Perhaps Happy's most important and lasting musical contribution has been Homespun Tapes, which he and his wife Jane founded in 1967. They have a catalog of approximately 400 different music instruction lessons on audio cassette, CD and video tape, taught by top professional performing musicians. Happy produces all of the lessons, and brings to Homespun his many years of experience as a popular and productive member of the music community. www.happytraum.com

Chris Turner is a New Jersey native with the guitar-pickin' soul of a country boy. Early on, he was influenced by the sounds of Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens and rockabilly strains of Elvis Presley, Rick Nelson and the ground breaking country rock of the Clarence White era. Chris began playing guitar in his early teens and quickly developed a love for country music and the Fender Telecaster. Over the past twenty years he has been an integral part of the Tri-state area's country/roots music scene, playing lead guitar for such veteran groups as Amarillo, the Cadillac Cowboys, Dakota and the NJ Grand Opry. He currently performs extensively with his own group, while also keeping busy with teaching and session work.

For nearly three decades, Sally Van Meter has been considered among the best slide guitar players in the country. She is well-known for her performances and recorded works ranging from solo to collaborations with artists such as Jerry Garcia, Chris Hillman, Cyril Pahinui, Jerry Douglas, Mary Chapin-Carpenter, Alison Brown, Taj Mahal, Peter Rowan & the Rowan Brothers, Yonder Mountain String Band, Tony Rice, Kathy Kallick, the Nashville Bluegrass Band, Gerry O’Beirne, Maura O’Connell, Leftover Salmon, and others. She has been an IBMA Finalist Nominee for Dobro Player of the Year from 1990-1997 and in 1996 won two IBMA awards, Best Instrumental Recording and Recorded Event of the Year (The Great Dobro Sessions.) She has produced recordings for national touring acts that include The Yonder Mountain String Band and the Open Road Bluegrass Band. A dedicated teacher, she has given instruction at festivals and workshops across the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere. www.sallyvanmeter.com

Little Toby Walker brings forth a combination of raw southern-delta and North-Carolina-Piedmont-inspired blues, as diversely influenced by 1960's rock-and-roll as by traditional southern blues and mountain music. Walker has the uncanny ability to play Travis style bass lines and sizzling lead guitar licks simultaneously, giving the listener the impression that they are hearing two guitars. Walker's wealth of knowledge is also derived from travels to the deep south for study with many old time blues musicians. Blues Revue calls his guitar playing inspired. "His fingerpicking is as intricate as any linen finery... A pinch of Piedmont, a dash of Delta, a solid Chicago undercurrent minus the amplification but not the electricity - A brilliant, remarkable guitarist who has mastered everyone from Blind Blake to Buddy Guy.¹ Bob Margolin says "I am stunned and in awe of Toby Walker's pickin'! Not only does he master diverse blues styles, but plays them with both flash and depth." Winning the prestigious 2002 International Blues Challenge Award, Little Toby Walker is now endorsed by Martin Guitars, National Reso-phonic Guitars and John Pearse Strings www.littletobywalker.com