Suni Mcgrath

Harold James “Suni” McGrath July 7 1943 - January 11 2017 Was An Innovative 12-String Guitarist Whose Experimentation With Exotic Scales Modes And Polyrhythms Were Captured On Recordings In The Late 60s And Early 70s. McGrath’s Distinctive Style Earned Him A Reputation Among Instrumental Guitar Aficionados Alongside His Contemporaries John Fahey Robbie Basho And Leo Kottke Despite Having A Small Long Out-Of-Print Discography And Limited Live Performing Career. Born And Raised In Indiana McGrath Grew Up In A Musical Family Of Irish And French Descent. His Grandfather Played Celtic Music On The Flute He Would Hear Traveling Appalachian Fiddlers Who Came Through Town And He Listened To A Gypsy Music Program On The Radio. In 1960 Suni Began Hanging Around The “Greenwich Village Of The Midwest ” Antioch College In Yellow Springs OH Playing At A Local Spot The Bakery. He Married An Antioch Student Named Janice A Classmate Of Fellow Guitarists Ian Buchanan And John Hammond. McGrath Signed To Maryland-Based Adelphi Records In 1969 Which Produced Three Albums Cornflower Suite 1969 The Call Of The Mourning Dove 1971 And Childgrove 1972 . Full Of Odd Time Signatures And Wildly Diverse Musical Cues The Albums Feature Japanese Flamenco Mississippi Blues Gypsy And Celtic Influences. Despite Never Having Been Reissued In Any Format Or Perhaps Because Of It The Albums Have Taken On A Hallowed Reputation In Guitar Circles. Suni Began Playing Guitar In 1956 . In 1960 He Gave His First Performance At A Talent Show - There Were About 300 In The Audience. He Began To Create The Fingerpicking Style And In 1961 He Was One Of The First 12 String Solo Artists. WYSO Radio Had Suni McGrath Play His Fingerpicked Solo 12 String On Radio At Antioch College Where He Became Friends With Ian Buchanan And Others At “the Bakery” . In 1962 In Detroit He Was Asked By Detroit Folklore Society To Give His First Concert On His 12 String Gibson. In 1963 He Takes Lessons With Rev. Gary Davis And Mississippi John Hurt. A Record Scout Heard Suni McGrath At Newport R.I. Festival And Signed Him To The Piedmont Label Mississippi John Hurt’s Label . In 1965 Suni Invents Far-Out Odd-Time Rhythms Fingerpicking Results In Tape Sent To Folkways Records . In1968 Suni McGrath Rediscovered By New And Different Label Taken To East Coast To Record First Issued Album In 1971 He Recorded The Earliest Version Of The Celtic/Irish/modal He Is Irish ! “The Star Of County Down” In 1972 Suni McGrath’s Records Were Enthusiastically Reviewed In Many Magazines Newspapers And Played On Many Radio Stations Nationwide. He Was Nominated For “Guitarist Of The Year” For His Three Albums Cornflower Suite The Call Of The Mourning Dove And Childgrove .In 2001 McGrath Was Surprised To Find 27 Entries To His Name On The Internet. In 2005 Suni McGrath’s Track Called “Train Z” Included On Tompkins Square's Imaginational Anthem Compilartion Gets Great Reviews From Critics And Magazines Such As BILLBOARD And MoJo England As Does His Single “Seven Stars” On The Same Label. read less