Clive Carroll-Fingerstyle Guitarist from the U.K.

Clive Carroll’s unique tone, versatility, and unmistakeable voice as a composer, have seen him become one of the world’s premier acoustic guitar players and “…arguably the most accomplished fingerstylist in the world today...” (Total Guitar Magazine).

Clive made his musical debut at age two as a banjo-strumming cowboy singing nursery rhymes. His parents had a passion for Irish, American country, and old-time music, and it wasn’t long before he was playing in the family band on a homemade banjo. By his early teens, guitar in hand, Clive was traversing the worlds of soul, pop, funk and traditional Irish music, balancing his affinity for Slayer with the etudes of Tárrega. This breadth of musical curiosity was to become one of his strengths; even as a child Clive was as comfortable accompanying a group of folk singers as he was jamming along to Nirvana or performing on banjo and guitar in the orchestral pits for musicals.

U.K. Guitar Virtuoso
When the music press describes someone as an ‘Incredible acoustic talent’ and
‘Peerless – no other word for it...’ and when people like Jean-Christophe Novelli and
Madonna are booking that same someone for their private parties then you know that
something pretty special is going on. Welcome to the world of UK acoustic guitar
phenomenon Clive Carroll.

Born into a musical family at the height of the 1970s, Clive’s musical career really
began at the age of two, when his father presented him with a homemade banjo. Even
at this early stage Clive was exposed to a variety of music – everything from traditional
Irish to rock, pop and soul. He enrolled in London’s prestigious Trinity College to study
composition and guitar, graduating in 1998 with a first class honours degree. However,
all the time he was playing the works of Bach, Dowland and Albeniz clutching a nylon
string classical guitar, the lure of the steel string instrument was working its charm.
Soon after graduation, Clive was given the opportunity to play at a gig with UK guitar
maestro John Renbourn, who, on hearing him play, suggested that Clive record an
album. In 2000, Clive recorded his first album ‘Sixth Sense’, which was greeted by
press and audiences alike as a breath of fresh air in acoustic guitar circles. Clive and
John spent the next two years on tour together in Europe and the United States.
In the meantime, Clive would occasionally return to playing classical repertoire,
recording the ever popular ‘Canon’ by Pachelbel for BMG/RCA Victor in 2002.
His next solo album, ‘The Red Guitar’ appeared in 2004 and this time it was guitar
legend Tommy Emmanuel’s turn to invite Clive to tour with him. After a jaunt across
Australia together, the pair continued to perform all over the world. The collaborations
with John Renbourn continued, meanwhile, and 2005 saw them work together on the
Sony Picture Classics film ‘Driving Lessons’ which starred Julie Waters and Harry
Potter star Rupert Grint.

After years of travelling with guitar giants Renbourn and Emmanuel, it was time to go
solo and so in 2006 Clive embarked on a series of tours under his own name,
accepting an invitation to appear at the highly regarded International Guitar Night of
America along the way. All the time, the buzz concerning this young virtuoso began to
grow ever louder.

“sensational instrumental music that knows no boundaries”
- Acoustic Magazine

“Stunning!!!” - MOJO

“The most original acoustic guitar player in Britain”
- Acoustic Guitar Magazine USA

“total mastery of just about every guitar technique imaginable”
- Guitar Techniques