 Led
Zeppelin has to be my all time favorite Rock and Roll band but
since I only owned an acoustic guitar "Ocean", my favorite
Led Zeppelin song, was a very tough song to play. So I had to lean
on my more acoustic influences to help shap e
my playing and song writing.
The artist to have the most influence on me has to be The King of
finger style guitar, James Taylor.
The first cover I ever learned was "Fire and Rain" and is
still one of my favorite songs to play. I use to spend hours trying
to read and play his tabs. This pretty much defined my finger style
technique and continues to challenge my playing. No doubt James Taylor
has had the most influence on my playing.
The person who has had
the most influence on my  songwriting
is Lyricist extraordinare Canadian folk singer Bruce
Cockburn. I first heard of Cockburn when I lived in Canada in
1983. I was just learning to play the guitar so most of his songs,
written in numerous tunings, were too hard to play. But I was in awe
of his lyrics. They were different than anything I had heard before.
His album "Dancing in the Dragons Jaw" is still one of the
best written albums I have ever heard. Bruce writes with such imagery
that puts you in the place he is describing either emotionally or
physically. Bruce challenges my song writing.
 Pierce
Pettis, a more recent performer on the folk scene, has influenced
my mind set and ability to perform a song. Pierce can immerse himself
so well into a song he is performing that you become unaware that
he is even there. You get lost in what he is singing about and the
emotion that spills over from an artist that is himself engrossed
in the moment. Pierce challenges me to treat each song I sing as a
sacred piece of life given as an offering to fellow brothers and sisters.
Two other  artist
of mention are unknown to the general populace. The are British folk
singer John Martyn and quasi
Christian folk musician Mark Heard.
John Martyn is a bit jazzy but he uses a lot intricate bass lines
and his voice is incredible. Mark, who is no longer alive, was an
artist before his time. Mark who was on a Christian label didn't quite
fit in and struggled to find his place. He is a legend among those
familiar with his work. These two are definitely worth a listen.
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