British composer Clive Carroll has always pushed the boundaries of the guitar. He has a deep knowledge of music history, arranges, composes, can lay down blues with the best of them, and is a captivating performer to boot.Over his storied career he has toured extensively as a solo artist, performed with the late John Renbourn and International Guitar Night, has taught workshops including weeklong courses at Swannanoa Gathering and has released six CDs and two DVDs. His unique tone, versatility, and unmistakeable voice as a composer have seen him become one of the world’s premier acoustic guitar players.

​Clive made his musical debut at age two as a banjo-strumming cowboy singing nursery rhymes. 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. He went on to earn a 1st Class Honours Degree in Composition and Guitar from the famed Trinity College of Music in London, all the while balancing his classical work with forays into the world of the steel-string guitar.

A chance meeting with English guitar legend John Renbourn proved the catalyst for Clive’s debut album, “Sixth Sense”, which Renbourn deemed “a milestone in the journey of the steel-string guitar”. He subsequently took Clive on the road with him and the pair toured North America and Europe together, launching Clive’s solo performing career. Lauded guitarist Tommy Emmanuel has also brought Clive on tour across three continents, and he appears on Emmanuel’s album “Accomplice One”, flanked on the track listing by the likes of Rodney Crowell and Mark Knopfler.

In addition to Clive’s four solo albums—“Sixth Sense”, “The Red Guitar” (which Tommy Emmanuel cites as one of his desert island discs), “Life in Colour”, and “The Furthest Tree”—he has written music for television and film. 2023 saw the release of monumental project, “The Abbot – Clive Carroll plays the music of John Renbourn”, a double-album of solo works alongside ensemble interpretations, featuring 21 guest musicians and a medieval ensemble.

We hope you’ll join us at The Pickin’ Parlor for what’s sure to be another memorable night of music and fun. And don’t forget to to bring your friends and family.

“…arguably the most accomplished fingerstylist in the world today…” (Total Guitar Magazine).