When the late, great Vassar Clements heard Mike Dowling play guitar way back in 1975 he did the sensible thing; he hired him! Mike was the guitarist in Vassar’s first touring band, and Clements described him as “one of the finest guitarists there is, anywhere.” Before embarking on a solo performance and teaching career, Mike also worked and recorded with jazz violin great Joe Venuti and mandolinist Jethro Burns. A well-known teacher of fingerstyle guitar skills, he has recorded several instructional DVDs for Homespun and taught at such prestigious music camps as the Swannanoa Gathering, Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, Augusta Blues & Swing, California Coast Guitar Camp, and Ashokan Guitar Week, not to mention his own Greater Yellowstone Music Camp. Mike won a Grammy Award in 2014 in the Pop Instrumental Category; his latest CD is Tracks, on his own Windriver label.
Mike Dowling
