Leo Kottke

Leo Kottke
Kottke at the Clearwater Festival, 2007
Background information
Born	(1945-09-11) September 11, 1945 (age 71) Athens, Georgia, U.S.
Genres	American folk music Americana New Acoustic American Primitive Guitar
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1966–present
Labels	Capitol, Chrysalis, Private Music, Oblivion Records
Associated acts	Mike Gordon, John Fahey
Website	Official website
Notable instruments
Gibson, Taylor, Bozo

Leo Kottke (born September 11, 1945) is an acoustic guitarist. He is known for a fingerpicking style that draws on blues, jazz, and folk music, and for syncopated, polyphonic melodies. He overcame a series of personal obstacles, including partial loss of hearing and a nearly career-ending bout with tendon damage in his right hand, to emerge as a widely recognized master of his instrument. He currently resides in the Minneapolis area with his family.

Focusing primarily on instrumental composition and playing, Kottke also sings sporadically, in an unconventional yet expressive baritone described by himself as sounding like "geese farts on a muggy day". In concert, Kottke intersperses humorous and often bizarre monologues with vocal and instrumental selections from throughout his career, played solo on his 6- and 12-string guitars.

Born in Athens, Georgia, Kottke moved with his parents so frequently that he was raised in twelve different states. As a youth living in Muskogee, Oklahoma, he was influenced by folk and delta blues music, notably that of Mississippi John Hurt. Kottke learned to play trombone and violin before trying the guitar and developing his own unconventional picking style.

A mishap with a firecracker permanently damaged the hearing in his left ear, a condition that would be exacerbated by exposure to loud noise during firing practice while he served in the United States Navy Reserve, when the hearing in his other ear was also damaged.