HARVEY REID INTERVIEW
(Originally aired on August 13, 2009)
Multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Harvey Reid is one of America's finest acoustic musicians, known for his vast repertoire that includes folk, blues, bluegrass, old-time, ragtime, classical and Celtic tunes. A superb flattop guitarist and autoharp player (he won the 1981 National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship and the 1982 International Autoharp competition), he also shines on mandolin, bouzouki, Dobro and 6-string banjo. Reid has pioneered techniques using partial capos on guitar, using them in innovative and deeply musical ways. Reid has 20 albums to his name, all on his own Woodpecker Records label.
In 1996, Acoustic Guitar magazine rated his Steel Drivin' Man one of the 10 Essential Folk albums of all time. Reid was also the first artist to endorse Taylor Guitars, and began doing promotion for the guitar company in 1983.
A staunch advocate for home recording, Reid started his own label in the late '80s, well before "indie" became a household word. In our exclusive interview, Reid details how he approaches home recording, reveals partial-capo secrets, explains why playing traditional music is so important, and takes us behind the scenes of his new album, Blues & Branches. We'll also hear tracks from Blues & Branches that showcase Reid's powerful playing and partial-capo techniques.
