A Grammy Award winning recording artist and performer, Al Petteway has played nearly every type of popular, folk and classical music. Though his primary instrument has always been the guitar, he has also studied lute, string bass, percussion and music composition.
His compositions for acoustic fingerstyle guitar are strongly influenced by his love of Celtic music and his own roots in folk, rock and blues. His recordings, music books, and instructional videos have helped to win him international acclaim and appearances on National Radio and Television Programs.
Al has been awarded FORTY FIVE”Wammies” by the Washington Area Music Association including the top honors of ” ARTIST OF THE YEAR ” and ” MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR “. He was the recipient of two Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Awards for Music Composition and has performed at the Vice President’s House and The White House . His playing is featured on more than sixty recordings by some of the World’s best known Folk and Celtic musicians . In 2005, he was voted one of the Top Fifty Acoustic Guitarists of all Time by the readers of Acoustic Guitar Magazine and in 2008 he won Silver and Bronze medals in the magazine’s Player’s Choice Awards .
He performs exclusively with his wife, Amy White. In addition to his concerts and workshops, Al records and teaches private lessons in their home studio in Fairview, NC and is the Guitar Week coordinator for the world famous ” Swannanoa Gathering” music camp at Warren Wilson College near Asheville, N.C.