Tony Furtado
| Tony Furtado | |
|---|---|
 Fox Theater, Boulder, Colorado, February 8, 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Born |
October 18, 1967 Pleasanton, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Bluegrass, country, rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | banjo , slide guitar, electric guitar |
| Labels | Rounder, Funzalo |
| Website |
www |
Tony Furtado (born October 18, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter, banjoist, and guitarist.
History
Furtado was born in Pleasanton, California. He was interested in music and the banjo from an early age. He studied music and art at California State, Hayward. During college, he won the Grand National Banjo Championship in Kansas. Then he toured with bluegrass musician Laurie Lewis. Rounder Records released his debut album, Swamped, in 1989.[1][2]
Furtado played with Béla Fleck and Earl Scruggs. His second album, Within Reach (1992), featured bluegrass veterans Alison Krauss and Jerry Douglas. Comparisons to Ry Cooder were rooted in Furtado's combination of jazz, Celtic, and old-time music. On his third album, Full Circle (1994) he concentrated on acoustic blues and slide guitar, with Cooder as an influence. He recorded a duet album with Dirk Powell.[1]
Awards and honors
- Won National Bluegrass Banjo Championship, Winfield, Kansas, 1987 and 1991
Reception
"Furtado mixes Americana, folk, indie-rock, blues, and jazz styles."[3]
"As a banjo virtuoso, Furtado is well-known for his envelope-pushing, progressive bluegrass stylings. His picking is rapid-fire quick, sharp and clear, and puts him in the school of Béla Fleck and David Grisman."[4]
"He mixes bluegrass roots with a mainstream pop streak, easily holding the spotlight, thanks to his restrained virtuosity on acoustic and slide guitar and a warmly engaging voice reminiscent of T Bone Burnett, sans preachiness. – Paste magazine
Discography
- Swamped (Rounder, 1989)
- Within Reach (Rounder, 1992)
- Full Circle (Rounder, 1994)
- Roll My Blues Away (Rounder, 1997)
- Tony Furtado & Dirk Powell (Rounder, 1999)
- Tony Furtado Band (Rounder, 2000)
- American Gypsy (What Are, 2002)
- Live Gypsy (Dualtone, 2003)
- These Chains (Funzalo, 2004)
- Bare Bones (Funzalo, 2005)
- Thirteen (Funzalo, 2007)
- Deepwater (Funzalo, 2008)
- Golden (Funzalo, 2010)
- The Bell (Funzalo, 2015)[5]
References
- 1 2 Wilson, MacKenzie. "Tony Furtado | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
- ↑ "Tony Furtado Interview" by Tom Watson, January 18, 2007 Modern Guitars.
- ↑ "Tony Furtado goes for a lucky 'Thirteen'" by Jason MacNeil, January 2007, Country Standard Time
- ↑ "Furtado brings eclectic bag of tricks to Opera House" by Katie Klingsporn, March 8, 2007, Telluride Daily Planet.
- ↑ "Tony Furtado | Album Discography | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
External links
- Official website
- Funzalo Records
- Tony Furtado Band collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive
- allmusic Biography: Tony Furtado
- "Tony Furtado: Thirteen" by George Graham The Graham Weekly Album Review No. 1460, as broadcast January 10, 2007 on WVIA-FM.
- Oregon Art Beat: Musician and Sculptor Tony Furtado