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Artist
Pat Donohue
12+ albums
guitarjazzacousticacoustic guitarblues
about
Pat Donohue (born April 28, 1953) is an American fingerstyle guitarist born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He grew up in St. Paul but moved to Denver, Colorado in 1971 to study at Regis College (now Regis University). After two years at Regis, he transferred to Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While carrying a full academic load at Marquette, Pat maintained a rigorous musical regimen, often practicing up to six hours daily. His performances during that time (mainly as part of Marquette’s “Traditional Music Society” as well as venturing out into the Milwaukee bar scene) often consisted of three or four forty-five minute sets, featuring an eclectic offering of folk, blues, and jazz material, all featuring his dazzling guitar technique and warm vocal stylings. After his graduation in 1975, he returned to Denver where he started establishing his musical reputation. Donohue was particularly influenced early in his career by Delta blues guitarists like Robert Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson. He also listened extensively to folk-oriented singer/songwriters like Bob Dylan, Steve Goodman and John Prine. Donohue established a solid reputation in and around Colorado as a 'guitarist's guitarist' and in 1982 was runner-up in the National Fingerpicking Championship at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas. The following year he won the Championship. This award led to wider recognition of his skills and he started accepting engagements throughout the United States. He m
