Pete Huttlinger Interview

by Rick Landers.

On May 3, 2009, fingerstyle guitarist Pete Huttlinger and the lovely LeAnn Rimes shared the stage at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C., as part of the 2009 Kennedy Center Spring Gala presentation, A Celebration of Women in the Arts. Pete and LeAnn have performed together before with Pete's guitar work a perfect complement to the singers vocals, much like Pete's work during the '90s with the late John Denver and with many more of the world's finest troubadours. But, one thing that sets Pete apart from the crowd is his strong work ethic and precise professional focus.

Although born in Washington, D.C., early on after his father passed away his mother moved the family to California. Soon enough, Pete would discover the world of guitars and practice, study and perform his way to a solid music career. After high school, he moved to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music where he graduated cum laude in 1984. He and a friend would plant themselves on Beantown street corners to make some loot and gain some streetwise insights into performing.

Moving to Nashville, he soon got attention as an A-list session player, as well as respect as a composer, arranger, bandleader, songwriter and performer. By the early '90s he was asked to join John Denver's band and enjoyed several years working with Denver on tour and on television. In 2000, Pete outgunned 37 of the world's top guitarists to win the National Fingerpicking Guitar Championship at the the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas.

Listen to samples from various albums by Pete Huttlinger, including his latest, Things Are Looking Up:

Huttlinger has produced a number of guitar instructional DVDs including the very popular series, Learn To Play The Songs of John Denver (Vol 1 - IV). Others include: Learn the Songs of Jim Croce; Essential Exercises for Fingerstyle Guitar; Arrangements for Solo Acoustic Guitar; The Songs of Gordon Lightfoot; and several more. Pete's also been busy recording several impressive CDs of his own that include: Catch and Release; The Santa Rita Connection; First Light - A Pete Huttlinger Christmas; Finger Picking Wonder - The Music of Stevie Wonder; Hymms for Guitar; Two Friends - Two Guitars, Some John Denver Favorites and his 2009 release, Things Are Looking Up.

Modern Guitars caught up with Pete on May 2, 2009 to find out more about the background of a guy who's performance philosophy we found spot on: "Perfect your art, but play to the crowd."

Rick Landers: Tell us a bit about the inside music scene in Nashville and what it’s like being surrounded by so many other great pickers.

Pete Huttlinger: Right now Nashville is the greatest place to be for a musician. The best players are here, their attitudes are easy going and it’s just pure fun to play.

Rick: As a fingerpickin’ champion, can you tell us how many variations and are there crossovers to other instruments, like pickin’ a banjo?

Pete: I think each instrument has it’s own unique challenges. However, playing one of them well does help to learn the next one. That isn’t to say you won’t have to put in the time in the woodshed, but it does get a bit easier.

Rick: Can you give us a sense of what it was like to be one of the contenders at the 2000 National Fingerstyle Championship in Walnut Valley? What did you play that nailed it down for you to win and become the National Fingerstyle Champion award?

Pete: Because it is an open competition and a player can play whatever he or she chooses, I tried not to listen to any of the other performances. I didn’t want to get thrown off track, so I just stuck to my plan and tried to focus. Four tunes are required, but I think the two that closed the deal for me were Steely Dan’s "Josie" and my own tune, "Brown Bomber."

Rick: I use to busk in the streets of Washington, D.C. years ago and I had to laugh when I saw that you did the same up in Boston when you studied at Berklee. I got lunch leftovers and a half a bottle of wine once, but I understand you got more than a little pocket change. How about telling us about what it was like getting out on the sidewalk and earning some bucks?

Pete: I had already had a few years of performing experience before I went to Berklee. There were so many great jazz and classical musicians playing on the streets and in the subways that I knew I would be out of my league. So I grabbed my banjo and a buddy who played acoustic guitar and we played bluegrass tunes. We only had a minute or so to get people’s attention and bluegrass music makes people feel good!

Rick: How did you end up working with John Denver?

Pete: I was playing on a record for a friend of mine in Nashville and it was being produced by John Denver's long time friend and road manager, Kris O’Connor. At the end of the week he asked me if I’d like to join John’s band.

Rick: John always seemed to be a happy go lucky kind of guy and full of sunshine. What can you tell us about your time with him, as a friend and as a professional?

Pete: John was the consummate entertainer and every night was like a lesson in performance. He was the best boss and most generous person I’ve known in the music business.

Rick: Were you working with John when his plane went down?

Pete: Yes, we had just done three nights with the Houston Symphony and two weeks later he passed away.

Rick: Most fingerpickers tend to be pretty straightforward in their acoustic playing and they seem to not rely on use of effects pedals. Is that something you pickers shun or has that changed?

Pete: I actually see lots of player using effects. I go either way depending on the music I am playing. I have a few toys that I take with me, but I just use a little here and there to enhance what I’m doing.

Rick: What are your guitars of choice?

Pete: I play Collings guitars most of the time. My OM-1 and my D1-A are my favorites. I also play a couple of CB guitars made locally by Chris Bozung. I have a J-45 style guitar and a resonator. They are both great instruments. For electrics, I’m pretty standard with Tele’s and Strat’s.

Rick: You played the score for ESPN’s Flyfishing America. How’d you find that project and did you take up fishing as a result?

Pete: That fell in my lap from John Denver’s office manager. I had already been flyfishing for a long time before then and was a fan of the show.

Rick: Your guitar seems to be some sort of “magic carpet” for you taking you all over the planet to play. Are audiences the same in all countries or do you find them to be similar? Any funny or interesting audience stories to tell us?

Pete: I’m the luckiest guy I know in that I get to travel the world and play my guitar and when all goes well I get paid for it! In the U.S. I do more humor in my shows and because English comes fairly naturally to me, it goes over pretty well. [Laughs] In Europe, I get to do a lot more playing and the audiences are so appreciative and so attentive. It’s a real joy to play overseas.

Rick: Our Berklee X columnist, Matt Baamonde, tells me that he’s got a grueling schedule, although he’s always got extra personal projects going all the time. Was that a tough curriculum to get through and how did your experiences at Berklee change you or help you?

Pete: Yikes, that was 24 years ago! I don’t remember it being hard per se. I was so into what I was learning that I just did what was required of me and pushed ahead. I still use things I learned at Berklee every day. I had a teacher who told me I would be learning all this material for the rest of my life. He was right!

Rick: Can you tell us of any good guitar teaching DVDs available that our readers might want to have a look at?

Pete: I have done several DVDs for Homespun Tapes. We have some on different artists styles – John Denver, Jim Croce, Gordon Lightfoot. I also have three that every aspiring player should look at – Essential Exercises for Fingerstyle Guitar, A Guitarists Guide to Better Practice and Pete Huttlinger’s Wonderful World of Chords. Those three have all received great responses from students and in reviews, as well.

Rick: Do guitarists who want to be full-time professionals need to consider broadening their skill sets in order to thrive? I suppose you can’t just do session work to make a living and you need to augment that with performing, guitar instruction and other money makers. What’s a good mix to keep the guitar the professional center of your life and to maintain a reasonable life style?

Pete: Any player who wants to make a living at it needs to understand that there is only one Eric Clapton, only one one Steve Vai, only one Sting, et cetera. So the chances of being “that guy” are slim at best. Therefore, the more versatile you are, the better your chances of survival. Learn lots of styles, learn the tunes, learn the licks. And most importantly enjoy the work. If it seems like too much to tackle, then it probably is. It’s okay to play for fun.

Rick: Tell us about your CD where you pay tribute to Stevie Wonder. Any idea what he thinks of it?

Pete: Fingerpicking Wonder: The Music of Stevie Wonder is a collection of Stevie Wonder songs that I arranged for solo guitar. It was a joy and a challenge to try and capture the essence of the song and pare it down to just six strings. As far as I know, Stevie has not heard the project. Though if he does, I hope he feels that I have honored his music in some small way.

Rick: What’s going on at the moment for you as far as touring, writing, recording and becoming a better guitar player?

Pete: I’m very busy with all of that these days. Lots of touring to support this new CD that's called Things Are Looking Up and recording projects for myself, as well as others. I have a home studio and I do tracks for clients all over the States.

Rick: Some players have great talent, some are especially tenacious or disciplined, and others learn a few chords and get a lucky break. What do you look for in students that tell you whether they’re going to be successful or just wannabes?

Pete: It’s their drive that I look for. If I see someone who really has his or her eye on a goal of being a great player and they are willing to put in the time, like all of their time for several years, then that is the one I think will have the best shot. I’ve known many fantastic players who could play circles around me, but maybe didn’t have a good business sense or were hard to get along with or their head gets a little too big. Those are the ones who will remain great players, but may not necessarily get the breaks.

Related Links
Pete Huttlinger
MySpace: Pete Huttlinger

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