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 From
swing to jazz to bottleneck blues to folk, Grammy-winning
acoustic guitarist Pat Donohue plays it all with a flourish
of artistry and melodic inspiration. Chet Atkins called Pat
one of the greatest finger pickers in the world today; Leo
Kottke called his playing “haunting.”
Pat is certainly one of the most listened to finger pickers
in the world. As the guitarist for the Guys All-Star Shoe
Band of Minnesota Public Radio’s A
Prairie Home Companion, Pat gets to show
off his savvy licks and distinctive original songs to millions
of listeners each week.
His decade-long association with Garrison Keillor’s
popular program has led to some unusual gigs: There was the
after-show club date in Berlin, when Wynton Marsalis showed
up to sit in with Pat and the Prairie Home band. Or playing
music on camera for the Prairie Home Companion movie with
director Robert Altman and stars Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin,
Kevin Kline, John C. Reilly, Woody Harrelson and Tommy Lee
Jones.
Besides the weekly radio broadcasts, Pat plays about 30 concerts
a year nationwide and teaches at such popular music camps
as Augusta Heritage Center and Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp.
Pat’s musical tastes are eclectic. Though he considers
himself foremost a folk guitarist, Pat’s influences
are rooted in bluesmen Blind Blake, Robert Johnson, Charlie
Parker, Duke Ellington, Muddy Waters and Miles Davis. He manages
to blend jazz and blues with folk, and the mix is seamless.
Over the years he has captivated audiences with his unique
original compositions, dazzling instrumentals and humorous
song parodies, including Sushi-Yucki and Would You
Like to Play the Guitar?
Honors include a 2005 Grammy for his participation on Pink
Guitar, a compilation of Henry Mancini tunes on acoustic
guitar, several Minnesota Music Awards, and the title of 1983
National Finger Picking Guitar Champion. His original tunes
have been recorded by Chet Atkins, Suzy Bogguss and Kenny
Rogers. Pat has also been a featured performer at major music
festivals including the Newport, Telluride and Philadelphia
Folk Festivals.
Pat has been obsessed with the guitar since he first picked
one up at age 12 and began learning simple chords and melodies
from a Pete Seeger instructional book. His background as a
drummer in a garage rock band helped with the transition and
he never looked back. As a youth, the St. Paul, Minnesota
native pestered guitarists playing at Twin Cities coffee houses
and blues venues, seeking tips on playing. Borrowing bits
and pieces of the styles of finger picking pioneers he admired,
he taught himself to play, building a repertoire flavored
by Blind Blake, Django Reinhart and Chet Atkins.
“I was very lucky to see some of the old-timers
that aren’t around anymore,” says Pat. “The
University of Minnesota had summer concerts in the early 70s
and I got to see Lightnin’ Hopkins, Big Joe Williams
and Jesse Fuller. I wasn’t shy about going up to them
and trying to befriend them and find out what I could about
playing the blues. By and large, they were very accommodating.
Big Joe Williams invited me to his hotel and we wound up playing
guitar together.”
Six of Pat’s eight recordings
are on Minnesota’s Bluesky Record label. His most recent
is Profile,
a collection of original and traditional tunes ranging from
folk to blues. He also has two instructional videos and a
concert video on Stefan Grossman’s Vestapol
Videos, which not only display his guitar wizardry,
but also feature the warmth and humor he brings to his live
performances. Pat recently recorded an instructional DVD with
buddy Mike Dowling, “A Guide to Two Guitar Jamming,”
or Learning to Play Well with Others. Produced by Homespun
Tapes, the DVD comes with tablature and is nearly two hours
of strategies, examples, and advice on making good music together,
no matter your playing level.
Pat currently lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.
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