John Fahey

Ranked the 35th in the Rolling Stone Magazine's "The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time" in 2003, John Fahey was a fingerstyle guitarist who pioneered the steel-string acoustic guitar as a solo instument. Often described as the founder of American Primitivism, Fehey's roots can be found in the folk and blues traditions in American music and he later introduced classical, Portuguese, Braziliam and Indian music to his sound. He died of heart surgery complications in 2001.