I was at Berklee when Pete was there and we performed in a concert together backing a friend. Even then he was the consummate professional, an amazing player, and a super nice guy. He is missed.
Pete Huttlinger was a genius. Purest sound, which is the result of expertise and a great ear. Pete was the Bach of modern guitar. i am blessed to have heard him live with Brian Henke and Michael Kelsey (Akron 2007) and to remember Pete on youtube in my hometown of Bozeman, Montana. Thank you for this post.
I show his videos to my guitar class. Not only are they amazed but also inspired to continue after they leave my class. This man and his music will be sorely missed.
the greatest living guitar player without a pulse - what a line ! ....saw Pete perform in his younger days in Nashville before the stroke. ..was good to see him happy in this video and enjoying life ...how cool was that for you to play with Pete and have this happy memory of him.
What a great guitarist! To be able to come back from such tragedy and not only get the drive back to play, but to succeed with flying colors! Thanks for sharing this with us Tony, it's inspiring and gives us all a little 'kick in our complacency.' RIP to Pete, the world is a little darker now without him being with us.
Thanks Tony. My takeaway from this, apart from the inspiration (and that each of your two lungs are different...) is how Pete was transformed by the joy of playing with you. The grin on his face was priceless and the years just fell away..
Inspirational to say the least! It's embarrassing to us who don't work as hard as we should, yet have no excuse. He "lived well". God bless his wife Erin and stepchildren who are his legacy along with his fantastic music!
Pete was a dear friend of my wife from HS in Newbern NC. We reunited at a concert in Middle Tennessee (Shelbyville) in which he completely surprised her by calling her out as a fellow band mate. We saw him again at his benefit at Mercy Lounge in Nashville which was a whos-who of artists there... only for Pete. Pete Huttlinger was one of the most talented, most kind, most humble person I have ever had the privilege of knowing. If you have missed it, watch the John Denver bio in which Pete appears as a long time band member. There is also a fund raising event called "for Pete's sake" . God love you Pete!
Thank you Tony, so much, for sharing the interview with Pete ! It was truly Inspirational, & moving ! What a talented guitar player. His story was so touching ! God bless him.
Tony, Thanks for this video. I never heard of Pete Huttlinger and now I know him and he was able to share a sa, but encouraging story. Good interview Tony. Thanks, Robert
I still loving him, Pete Huttlinger. I did what fans do. Buying some CD's and imitate his style. He was some kind of Tommy Emmanuel, some kind of Adam Raferty and very brilliant as an guitarist, composer and did some wonderful arrangements for the acoustic guitar. And he was a wonderful sideman for some great artsits. Fans of the acoustic guitar and the natural music should apreciate his work and his heratige an keeping him in mind.
What a great interview Tony, it must have been a joy to interview and PLAY with him. How was the way Pete starting smiling as you two were playing, he loved it!
R.I.P Pete - such an amazing guitarist and wonderful human being - gone too soon. Your memory will live on to teach us all finger style guitar and how to play JD. Love your DVDs. Just ordered your companion volume 2 and book. An inspiration to all.
Truly one of the greatest of all time. So dedicated to his art, and so disciplined. And funny as hell. I was very lucky to have a lesson with Pete back in '04 in Asheville when he was passing through town. He was very generous in not accepting money for the lesson, though he let me pay for breakfast. As far as the lesson went, I was a bit nervous. It was early in the morning, i was not warmed up....and I was nervous. So I did not play too great. He was very supportive, and at the same time called me on my stuff as far as practice routine, and my own standards. It was very inte4sting. Great dude and very much missed by all of us. He led a good life and was a happy guy. And luckily, Pete left us a good legacy of study with his Homespun and TrueFire lessons. Each one worth their weight in digital gold.
Pete nails it when he says, "big," is defined by the individual. My big right now is to grab that light bulb moment in learning the guitar all up and down the fretboard. Someone else's big may be to lose 50 lbs. in 6 months, or maybe learn to draw on a harmonica! His point is so clear; follow your passion and you'll never regret it!
Wowwww.....jump in at 16:35+ about his reveresed organs and all....amzing he lived that long even. Great musician and I am glad he and Denver played together as well. Indeed...he was the greatest guitar player in the world...living...without a pulse.
I don't want to die, I don't want to sit and watch tv - Whatever happens to you is big for you, what ever happens to me is big for me. Story of Love, Resilience, Marigolds & Guitars 29:40
Thank you for sharing this inspiring interview. Now I know there lived a great guitarist by the name Pete Huttlinger. May he rest in eternal peace. Tony, which guitar are you playing in the interview.
