Trad Nua Celtic Series: John Doyle

Originally from Dublin, and a longtime resident in the mountains of Asheville, NC, John Doyle is a compelling singer and songwriter, producer, multi-Grammy nominee, and an extraordinary master of the Irish guitar whose singular percussive style has influenced a generation of players.

A founding member of the acclaimed group Solas, John’s singular percussive guitar sound took the traditional music world by storm and has likely forever influenced the role of guitar in Irish music. John regularly performs solo, in duos, groups and has been the choice guitarist for the likes of Joan Baez, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Linda Thompson, Jerry Douglas, The Alt, Usher’s Island, Liz Carroll, Eileen Ivers, Tim O’Brien, Michael McGoldrick and John McCusker, Alison Brown, Mick Moloney, Kate Rusby and a host of other world class performers in America and abroad.

John’s duo recording, Double Play, with the great Chicago fiddler and previous National Heritage Fellowship recipient, Liz Carroll, received a 2009 Grammy Nomination for Best Traditional World Album. That same year, John and Liz performed for President Obama, Vice- President Biden and Congress. John has been featured on over 130 recordings of traditional Irish, folk, old time, and bluegrass music, many of which he produced, including 2016 National Heritage Fellowship recipient Billy McComiskey’s Outside the Box. He has performed at every major folk, bluegrass, and Irish festival in the U.S., Canada and Europe, some many times over as well as NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion, E-Town, Mountain Stage, and World Café and is a longtime member of the acclaimed ‘house band’ for the BBC’s Transatlantic Sessions with Aly Bain and Jerry Douglas.

John is a great lover of traditional song, an encouraging and enthusiastic teacher, and his nearly non-stop schedule of touring, producing and recording attests to his high standing in the world of traditional Irish and American music. From a family of musicians in Dublin and Co. Sligo, and having been exposed to traditional music at a young age through his grandfather, father, and uncle, all of whom were musicians, John’s roots run deep in collecting songs and tunes. His influences include Arty McGlynn, Andy Irvine and Paul Brady as well as the great impact of his musical elder family members. Having been long established as the premier guitarist in traditional Irish and Irish/American music, John’s 2011 solo cd, Shadow and Light is a showcase for John’s acclaimed talent as a songwriter in the traditional genre. He has the rare ability to pen new songs that for all the world, sound decades or hundreds of years old and are well on their way to becoming standards in the Irish folk canon. He makes seemingly ancient subjects such as the Irish experience of deportation, war on the battle fields, ship disasters, and unrequited love seem riveting and relevant. John’s reputation as a generous, patient and encouraging producer of new and established artists alike often finds him at the helm of several recording projects at once. Likewise, he commits himself to several weeks of teaching yearly in his efforts to encourage young and older players alike and his classes are consistently sold out.

Though he could no doubt play and record with any of the world’s best acoustic musicians, and often does, John’s heart is always in the traditional music of Ireland.

Food & Bar: Our full food and drink menu will be available before and during the show.