Features

Since 1989, I’ve had the privilege of interviewing some of the finest songwriters and guitarists of our time, as well as writing in-depth explorations of their musical legacies, through my work as founding editor (and, currently, editor at large) of Acoustic Guitar magazine. Artists have been extraordinarily generous with me in sharing their creative lives, and I have learned so much from their insights and from going under the hood of their songs.

Below is a selection of Acoustic Guitar features from across these years. Images link to the complete text (and in some cases, video and guitar tab) where available.

The book Rock Troubadours collects some interviews from the ’90s, including Ani DiFranco, Jerry Garcia and David Grisman, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Paul Simon, Indigo Girls, Ben Harper, Chris Whitley, Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, and Barenaked Ladies.

The book Play Guitar Like the Great Singer-Songwriters includes my feature lessons, with tab and video, on the guitar styles of Joni Mitchell, John Prine, Bruce Cockburn, Bill Withers, Joan Armatrading, and more.

Dig deeper

Acoustic Guitar Podcast | JPR on NPR | Creative nonfiction