Leo Kottke

On Tour

428,831 plays (32,736 listeners)

Listening now: t_pariot

folk, guitar, acoustic, acoustic guitar, singer-songwriter… see all

Leo Kottke (born September 11, 1945 in Athens, Georgia) is a legendary acoustic guitar virtuoso who has developed a cult following of fellow guitarists and fans over the span of a 30-year career of recording and performing.

Blending folk, jazz, and blues influences into a signature finger-picked style of syncopated, polyphonic music, Kottke’s work pre-dated and predicted much of the New Age instrumental music movement, and is often considered part of the American Primitivism movement, partly because he was signed to John Fahey’s Takoma Records label.

Kottke has collaborated on his records with his mentor John Fahey, Chet Atkins, Lyle Lovett, Margo Timmins of the Cowboy Junkies, and Rickie Lee Jones. He has recorded tunes by Tom T. Hall, Johnny Cash, Carla Bley, Fleetwood Mac, The Byrds, Jorma Kaukonen, Kris Kristofferson, Randall Hylton and many others. He is also a frequent guest on the radio variety program A Prairie Home Companion.

Kottke has recently joined up with Phish bassist Mike Gordon to produce two new albums, clone and sixty six steps. This duo created a new tone resembling what can be described almost like island music.

1	Vaseline Machine Gun full track	120
2	Ojo full track	107
3	Busted Bicycle full track	99
4	The Fisherman full track	93
5	Cripple Creek full track	88
5	The Driving of the Year Nail full track	88
7	Watermelon full track	84
8	Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring full track	77
9	Jack Fig full track	75
10	Crow River Waltz full track	73
11	The Last of the Arkansas Greyhounds full track	61
12	The Sailor's Grave on the Prairie full track	58
12	Coolidge Rising full track	58
12	The Tennessee Toad full track	58
15	The Brain of the Purple Mountain full track	51

Top Albums

6- and 12-String Guitar
Leo Kottke
Buy
- Amazon
- eBay
Download
Essential Leo Kottke
Leo Kottke
Buy
- Amazon
- eBay
Download
Mudlark
Leo Kottke
Buy
- Amazon
- eBay
Download
One Guitar, No Vocals
Leo Kottke
Buy
- Amazon
- eBay
Download

Shoutbox

Leave a comment. Log in to Last.fm or sign up (it’s free).

WastedYouth1 wrote:
last month

sardonicus13 i'm with you there, but youre talking to a girl with spice girls in her top played haha! anyways this dude is one of the most incredible guitarists i've ever heard.

View Profile | Leave WastedYouth1 a shout
tonofbricks wrote:
last month

Best musical talent ever to emerge from Athens Georgia?

View Profile | Leave tonofbricks a shout
wphockey wrote:
last month

haha i like the phrase "musically retarded"

View Profile | Leave wphockey a shout
ferniczer wrote:
July 2008

poor guy

View Profile | Leave ferniczer a shout
Sardonicus13 wrote:
July 2008

You obviously underestimate the joy I receive from laying typewritten smackdowns on the musically retarded...

View Profile | Leave Sardonicus13 a shout
peach-chulip wrote:
July 2008

Haha! I'll listen to what I want thankyou very much, just as you will. Theres no use throwing a hissyfit over one opinion if I'm just gonna laugh it off ;)

View Profile | Leave peach-chulip a shout
Sardonicus13 wrote:
July 2008

Hey Peach, go back to listening to Gwen Stefani and put a fucking cork in it. Your grasp of musical talent is embarrassing to say the least.

View Profile | Leave Sardonicus13 a shout
peach-chulip wrote:
May 2008

I noticed that today, when I was looking at Ayumi Hamasaki O.o I expected him to be dead famous, or at least slightly good. But he's neither..

View Profile | Leave peach-chulip a shout
THEMARioSVOLTA wrote:
May 2008

thats exactly what i was wondering

View Profile | Leave THEMARioSVOLTA a shout
incluso wrote:
May 2008

Does anyone know why does this guy keep popping on every 'Listeners also bought' list on iTunes, no matter the artist?

View Profile | Leave incluso a shout
Toopato wrote:
May 2008

amazing artist, anyone know some similar artists like Peter Lang or something

View Profile | Leave Toopato a shout
honeybeeman wrote:
May 2008

whoah! ths sound is so fat and vibrating

View Profile | Leave honeybeeman a shout
margybee wrote:
April 2008

brilliant playing!

View Profile | Leave margybee a shout
Big_Dip wrote:
April 2008

Leo Kottke is one of the godfathers of acoustic guitar playing.

View Profile | Leave Big_Dip a shout
fahrrad26 wrote:
February 2008

music is melting ....

View Profile | Leave fahrrad26 a shout
KaiBailey wrote:
December 2007

Some fantastic American music.

View Profile | Leave KaiBailey a shout
juantag wrote:
December 2007

I've been a great fan since the 1970s, when I never missed a tour date near Omaha. Always a distinctive, original sound--even since courageously recreating his sound when his wrists went bad a few years back.

View Profile | Leave juantag a shout
YOMOTHAINLAW wrote:
November 2007

Stumbled upon him by chance lurking youtube...wow!

View Profile | Leave YOMOTHAINLAW a shout
brob wrote:
September 2007

6- and 12- string guitar is a lovely album

View Profile | Leave brob a shout
fvgazi wrote:
August 2007

damn, he has an incredible voice.

View Profile | Leave fvgazi a shout

12 Next

Listeners

bergdj
Top Listener
SuperJoeStalin
Top Listener
MrGerritson
Top Listener
carlson4906
Top Listener
uranther
Top Listener
egg_suckler
Top Listener

Events

Sep 27 Leo Kottke Clowes Hall, Indianapolis, United States
2 shouts | 5 attendees
Nov 15 Loudon Wainwright III McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage, Chicago, United States
Add shout | 1 attendee

Add event | See more

Recent Activity

lifelesscloak, chidzrus, claw314 and 3 other people added Leo Kottke to their libraries. 4 hours ago
Hekerui tagged Leo Kottke with ‘instrumental’ and ‘acoustic’. Wednesday evening
jlinstrom, jamesjohnoboyle, sndmarks and 7 other people added Leo Kottke to their libraries. Tuesday evening
musinum connected Leo Kottke to the group SlowerSound. Saturday evening
musinum tagged Leo Kottke with ‘slodio’. Saturday evening
ahutton, anna_bki, JGKC and 7 other people added Leo Kottke to their libraries. Saturday evening
lalarabbit tagged Leo Kottke with ‘folk’ and ‘guitar’. last month
Tmendeli, squarebracket, la_luciernaga and 3 other people added Leo Kottke to their libraries. last month
HeywoodB added Leo Kottke to the lineup of Leo Kottke at Aula Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Gymnasium. last month
greghor connected Leo Kottke to the group Amazing guitarists. last month