Pat Donohue: Difference between revisions

Pat Donohue
Pat Donohue
Born	April 28, 1953 (age 71); St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Genres	Folk, country
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter
Instrument	Guitar
Years active	1973–present
Labels	Red House, Blue Sky
Website	patdonohue.com

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Patrick Donohue (born April 28, 1953) is an American fingerstyle guitarist born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is a Grammy nominated, National Fingerpicking Guitar Champion songwriter. Donohue has several albums to his credit and his songs have been recorded by Chet Atkins, Suzy Bogguss, and Kenny Rogers. He has performed on A Prairie Home Companion for many years.

Biography

Donohue grew up in St. Paul but moved to Denver, Colorado in 1971 to study at Regis College (now Regis University). After two years at Regis, he transferred to Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.^[1] After his graduation in 1975, he returned to Denver.

Donohue was influenced early in his career by blues guitarists Robert Johnson, Mississippi John Hurt, and Blind Blake. He listened to folk singers Bob Dylan, Steve Goodman, and John Prine.^[1]

In 1985 Donohue's first album, Manhattan to Memphis, was released by Red House. After another album for Red House, he started his label Bluesky Records.^[2]

In the early 1990s, Donohue became a member of the house band on the radio program A Prairie Home Companion.^[2]^[3]^[4] He and his colleagues in the Guy's All-Star Shoe Band are on-screen throughout much of the film A Prairie Home Companion based on the radio show.^[1] Donohue wrote or co-wrote several of the songs on the soundtrack.

Some of the recordings feature his singer/songwriter side; he has also released instrumental albums.^[5]

Awards and honors

In 1982 he was runner-up in the National Fingerpicking Championship at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas. During the following year he won the championship.^[6]

In 2008 the Martin Guitar Company released a signature model, the OM-30DB Pat Donohue Custom Edition.^[7]

Donohue's songs have been covered by Kenny Rogers, Suzy Bogguss, and Chet Atkins.^[8]

Guitarist Chet Atkins said, "Pat Donohue is one of the greatest fingerpickers in the world today."^[2] Donohue wrote a song in praise of Atkins' skill and virtuosity called "Stealin' from Chet". He has recorded a studio version on his Backroads album and a live version on Radio Blues, a collection of his favorite performances from A Prairie Home Companion. Atkins joined him on each version. In the liner notes to the live version, Donohue wrote, "What can I say? The most exciting three minutes of my life. We miss you Chet." (Atkins died a short time before the album was released).

Discography

Manhattan to Memphis (Red House, 1985)
Pat Donohue (Red House, 1987)
Life Stories (BlueSky, 1991)
Two Hand Band (Bluesky, 1993)
Big Blind Bluesy (Bluesky, 1994)
Back Roads (Bluesky, 1996)
Ye Olde Wooden Guitar Christmas with Phil Heywood and Dan Neale (1997)
American Guitar (Bluesky, 2000)
Two of a Kind: Groovemasters, Vol. 8 with Mike Dowling (Solid Air, 2001)
Profile (Bluesky, 2005)
Freewayman (Bluesky, 2008)
Nobody's Fault (Bluesky, 2011)
Vicksburg Blues with Butch Thompson (Red House, 2012)
Blue Yonder (Bluesky, 2016)

As guest

Greg Brown, Bathtub Blues (Red House, 1993)
Mary Flower, Cookin' with Flower (Bare, 1982)
Mary Flower, Rosewood & Steel (Bluesette, 1996)
Tim O'Brien, Hard Year Blues (Flying Fish, 1984)
Peter Ostroushko, Postcards (Red House, 2006)

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Pat Donohue biography at C. F. Martin & Company". C. F. Martin & Company. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
^ ^a ^b ^c Vanderhoff, Mark. "Pat Donohue". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
^ Keillor, Garrison, Pat Donohue A Prairie Home Companion. Retrieved March 2011
^ Yanow, Scott (2013). The Great Jazz Guitarists. San Francisco: Backbeat. p. 218. ISBN 978-1-61713-023-6.
^ Boehm, Mike (7 April 1994). "Pat Donohue: A Force to Be Reckoned With". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
^ Walnut Valley Festival web site list of winners. Archived 2009-04-14 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Martin Guitar Introduces the OM-30DB Pat Donohue Custom Edition". GuitarPlayer.com. 20 August 2008. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
^ "Pat Donohue interview at Prairie Home Companion website". A Prairie Home Companion. Retrieved August 14, 2011.

External links

Official site

[Martin-1] "Pat Donohue biography at C. F. Martin & Company". C. F. Martin & Company. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2011.

[AM-2] Vanderhoff, Mark. "Pat Donohue". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 December 2018.

[3] Keillor, Garrison, Pat Donohue A Prairie Home Companion. Retrieved March 2011

[Yanow-4] Yanow, Scott (2013). The Great Jazz Guitarists. San Francisco: Backbeat. p. 218. ISBN 978-1-61713-023-6.

[Boehm-5] Boehm, Mike (7 April 1994). "Pat Donohue: A Force to Be Reckoned With". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 December 2018.

[6] Walnut Valley Festival web site list of winners. Archived 2009-04-14 at the Wayback Machine

[custom-7] "Martin Guitar Introduces the OM-30DB Pat Donohue Custom Edition". GuitarPlayer.com. 20 August 2008. Retrieved 9 December 2018.

[PHC-8] "Pat Donohue interview at Prairie Home Companion website". A Prairie Home Companion. Retrieved August 14, 2011.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|American fingerstyle guitarist}}
+{{for|the baseball player|Pat Donahue}}
 {{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians -->
 | name                = Pat Donohue
-| image                 =
+| background       = non_vocal_instrumentalist
-| caption            =
+| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1953|4|28}}
+| birth_place       = [[St. Paul, Minnesota|St. Paul]], Minnesota, U.S.
-| image_size            =
+| genre               = [[Folk music|Folk]], [[Country music|country]]
-| background          = non_vocal_instrumentalist
-| birth_name          = Patrick Donohue
+| occupation        = Musician, songwriter
-| alias               =
+| instrument        = Guitar
+| years_active     = 1973–present
-| birth_date                = {{Birth date|1953|4|28}}
+| label                 = [[Red House Records|Red House]], Blue Sky
-|birth_place =[[St. Paul, Minnesota]], [[United States|USA]]
-| death_date                =
+| website            = {{URL|patdonohue.com}}
-| instrument          = [[Guitar]]
-| genre               = [[Folk music|Folk]], [[Jazz music|jazz]], [[Country music|country]]
-| occupation          = [[Musician]], [[Songwriter]]
-| years_active        = 1973–present
-| label               = [[Red House Records|Red House]] <br> Blue Sky Records
-| associated_acts     = [[Garrison Keillor]], [[Guys All-Star Shoe Band]], [[Peter Ostroushko]]
-| website                 = [http://www.patdonohue.com Official site]
-| notable_instruments =
 }}
-{{About|the American guitarist|the early 20th American baseball player|Pat Donohue}}
-'''Patrick Donohue''' (born April 28, 1953) is an American [[Fingerstyle guitar|fingerstyle]] guitarist born in [[St. Paul, Minnesota]]. He is a [[Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album|Grammy]] nominated, [[Walnut Valley Festival|National Fingerpicking Guitar Champion]] and a songwriter. Donohue has several albums to his credit and his songs have been recorded by [[Chet Atkins]], [[Suzy Bogguss]], and [[Kenny Rogers]]. He has performed on ''[[A Prairie Home Companion]]'' for several years, both as a member of the house band and as a featured artist.
+'''Patrick Donohue''' (born April 28, 1953) is an American [[Fingerstyle guitar|fingerstyle]] guitarist born in [[St. Paul, Minnesota|St. Paul]], Minnesota. He is a [[Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album|Grammy]] nominated, [[Walnut Valley Festival|National Fingerpicking Guitar Champion]] songwriter. Donohue has several albums to his credit and his songs have been recorded by [[Chet Atkins]], [[Suzy Bogguss]], and [[Kenny Rogers]]. He has performed on ''[[A Prairie Home Companion]]'' for many years.
 ==Biography==
-Donohue grew up in St. Paul but moved to [[Denver, Colorado]] in 1971 to study at Regis College (now [[Regis University]]).  After two years at Regis, he transferred to [[Marquette University]] in [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]].<ref name="Martin">{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Pat Donohue biography at C. F. Martin & Company | work = | publisher = [[C. F. Martin & Company]]  | date = | url =http://www.martinguitar.com/artists/display_artist.php?d=383 | format = | doi = | accessdate = August 14, 2011}}</ref> While carrying a full academic load at Marquette, Pat maintained a rigorous musical regimen, often practicing up to six hours daily.  His performances during that time (mainly as part of Marquette’s “Traditional Music Society” as well as venturing out into the Milwaukee bar scene) often consisted of three or four forty-five-minute sets,  featuring an eclectic offering of folk, blues, and jazz material. After his graduation in 1975, he returned to Denver where he started establishing his musical reputation.
+Donohue grew up in St. Paul but moved to Denver, Colorado in 1971 to study at Regis College (now [[Regis University]]). After two years at Regis, he transferred to [[Marquette University]] in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.<ref name="Martin">{{cite web|title=Pat Donohue biography at C. F. Martin & Company|publisher=[[C. F. Martin & Company]]|url=http://www.martinguitar.com/artists/display_artist.php?d=383 |accessdate=August 14, 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326112113/http://www.martinguitar.com/artists/display_artist.php?d=383 | archivedate=March 26, 2012 }}</ref> After his graduation in 1975, he returned to Denver.
-Donohue was particularly influenced early in his career by blues guitarists like [[Robert Johnson (musician)|Robert Johnson]], Mississippi John Hurt, and [[Blind Blake]]. He also listened extensively to folk-oriented singer/songwriters like [[Bob Dylan]], [[Steve Goodman]] and [[John Prine]].<ref name="Martin" />
+Donohue was influenced early in his career by blues guitarists [[Robert Johnson (musician)|Robert Johnson]], [[Mississippi John Hurt]], and [[Blind Blake]]. He listened to folk singers [[Bob Dylan]], [[Steve Goodman]], and [[John Prine]].<ref name="Martin" />
+In 1985 Donohue's first album, ''Manhattan to Memphis'', was released by [[Red House Records|Red House]]. After another album for Red House, he started his label Bluesky Records.<ref name="AM">{{cite web |last1=Vanderhoff |first1=Mark |title=Pat Donohue |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/pat-donohue-mn0000791400/biography |website=AllMusic |accessdate=9 December 2018 }}</ref>
-Donohue established a solid reputation in and around Colorado as a 'guitarist's guitarist' and in 1982 was runner-up in the National Fingerpicking Championship at the [[Walnut Valley Festival]] in [[Winfield, Kansas]]. The following year he won the Championship.<ref>[http://www.wvfest.com/contests/bycontest.html?contestid=2 Walnut Valley Festival web site list of winners.]</ref> This award led to wider recognition of his skills and he started accepting engagements throughout the United States.
+In the early 1990s, Donohue became a member of the house band on the radio program ''[[A Prairie Home Companion]]''.<ref name="AM" /><ref>Keillor, Garrison, [http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/about/cast/donohue_pat.shtml Pat Donohue] A Prairie Home Companion. Retrieved March 2011</ref><ref name="Yanow">{{cite book |last1=Yanow |first1=Scott |title=The Great Jazz Guitarists |date=2013 |publisher=Backbeat |location=San Francisco |isbn=978-1-61713-023-6 |page=218}}</ref> He and his colleagues in the Guy's All-Star Shoe Band are on-screen throughout much of the film ''[[A Prairie Home Companion (film)|A Prairie Home Companion]]'' based on the radio show.<ref name="Martin" /> Donohue wrote or co-wrote several of the songs on the soundtrack.
-In 1985 Donohue's first album, ''Manhattan to Memphis'', was released on Red House Records. He released one more album on Red House before setting up his own label, Bluesky Records.<ref name="AM">{{cite web | last = Vanderhoff | first = Mark | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Biography of Pat Donohue | work = | publisher = AllMusic Guide  | date = | url ={{Allmusic|class=artist|id= p15006/biography|pure_url=yes}} | format = | doi = | accessdate = August 14, 2011}}</ref>
+Some of the recordings feature his singer/songwriter side; he has also released instrumental albums.<ref name="Boehm">{{cite web |last1=Boehm |first1=Mike |title=Pat Donohue: A Force to Be Reckoned With |url=http://articles.latimes.com/1994-04-07/entertainment/ca-43324_1_pat-donohue |website=Los Angeles Times |accessdate=9 December 2018 |date=7 April 1994}}</ref>
-In the early nineties, Donohue was asked to join the house band on [[Garrison Keillor]]'s radio program ''[[A Prairie Home Companion]]''.<ref name="AM" /><ref>Keillor, Garrison, [http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/about/cast/donohue_pat.shtml Pat Donohue] A Prairie Home Companion. Retrieved March 2011</ref> He has played on the show ever since, which has given him a chance to accompany some of the world's premiere folk and roots artists. He and his colleagues in the Guy's All-Star Shoe Band are on-screen throughout much of [[Robert Altman]]'s final film ''[[A Prairie Home Companion (film)|A Prairie Home Companion]]'' based on the radio show.<ref name="Martin" /> Donohue wrote or co-wrote several of the songs on the soundtrack.
+==Awards and honors==
-Guitar legend [[Chet Atkins]] once said, "Pat Donohue is one of the greatest finger pickers in the world today."<ref name="AM" /> Donohue wrote a song in praise of Atkins' skill and virtuosity called "Stealin' from Chet". He has recorded a studio version on his ''Backroads'' CD and a live version on ''Radio Blues'', a collection of his favorite performances from ''A Prairie Home Companion''. Atkins joins him on each version.  In the liner notes to the live version, Donohue wrote, "What can I say? The most exciting three minutes of my life.  We miss you Chet."  (Atkins had died a short time before the album was released).
+In 1982 he was runner-up in the National Fingerpicking Championship at the [[Walnut Valley Festival]] in Winfield, Kansas. During the following year he won the championship.<ref>[http://www.wvfest.com/contests/bycontest.html?contestid=2 Walnut Valley Festival web site list of winners.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090414164228/http://www.wvfest.com/contests/bycontest.html?contestid=2 |date=2009-04-14 }}</ref>
-Donohue's role as a major influence in the contemporary acoustic guitar scene was confirmed in 2008 when the [[C. F. Martin & Company|Martin Guitar Company]] released a signature model, the OM-30DB Pat Donohue Custom Artist Edition.<ref>[http://www.martinguitar.com/guitars/choosing/guitars.php?p=i&m=OM-30DB%20Pat%20Donohue C. F. Martin & Company entry for Pat Donohue signature model.]</ref>
+In 2008 the [[C. F. Martin & Company|Martin Guitar Company]] released a signature model, the OM-30DB Pat Donohue Custom Edition.<ref name="custom">{{cite web |title=Martin Guitar Introduces the OM-30DB Pat Donohue Custom Edition |url=https://www.guitarplayer.com/miscellaneous/martin-guitar-introduces-the-om-30db-pat-donohue-custom-edition |website=GuitarPlayer.com |accessdate=9 December 2018 |date=20 August 2008}}</ref>
-Donohue's songs have been covered by [[Kenny Rogers]], [[Suzy Bogguss]], [[Chet Atkins]], and others.<ref name="PHC">{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Pat Donohue interview at Prairie Home Companion website | work = | publisher = [[A Prairie Home Companion]]  | date = | url =http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/features/interviews/pat_donohue/ | format = | doi = | accessdate = August 14, 2011}}</ref>
+Donohue's songs have been covered by [[Kenny Rogers]], [[Suzy Bogguss]], and Chet Atkins.<ref name="PHC">{{cite web|title=Pat Donohue interview at Prairie Home Companion website | publisher=[[A Prairie Home Companion]]|url=http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/features/interviews/pat_donohue/| accessdate = August 14, 2011}}</ref>
+Guitarist Chet Atkins said, "Pat Donohue is one of the greatest fingerpickers in the world today."<ref name="AM" /> Donohue wrote a song in praise of Atkins' skill and virtuosity called "Stealin' from Chet". He has recorded a studio version on his ''Backroads'' album and a live version on ''Radio Blues'', a collection of his favorite performances from ''A Prairie Home Companion''. Atkins joined him on each version. In the liner notes to the live version, Donohue wrote, "What can I say? The most exciting three minutes of my life. We miss you Chet." (Atkins died a short time before the album was released).
-Donohue continues to divide his time between his regular performances on ''A Prairie Home Companion'', live concerts, and teaching workshops. He releases a new album every two years or so. His canon is somewhat eclectic: some of the recordings feature his singer/songwriter side; he has also released three instrumental albums.<ref name="Martin" /><ref>Boehm, Mike, [http://articles.latimes.com/1994-04-07/entertainment/ca-43324_1_pat-donohue Pat Donohue: A Force to be Reckoned With] April 1994, latimes.com. Retrieved March 2011</ref>
-Donohue is also a creative song parodist and the parodies are often performed on ''A Prairie Home Companion''. He hesitates to release them because he's afraid that the public might be distracted from what he sees as his primary calling: fingerpicking guitarist.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}
-==Personal life==
-Donohue married in 1983 and with his wife Susan, returned to St. Paul where he continues to live.
 ==Discography==
-* 1985: ''Manhattan to Memphis'' ([[Red House Records|Red House]])
+* ''Manhattan to Memphis'' ([[Red House Records|Red House]], 1985)
-* 1987: ''Pat Donohue'' (Red House)
+* ''Pat Donohue'' (Red House, 1987)
+* ''[[Life Stories (Pat Donohue album)|Life Stories]]'' (BlueSky, 1991)
-* 1989: ''[[Big Blind Bluesy]]'' (Bluesky)
-* 1991: ''[[Life Stories (Pat Donohue album)|Life Stories]]'' (Bluesky)
+* ''[[Two Hand Band]]'' (Bluesky, 1993)
-* 1993: ''[[Two Hand Band]]'' (Bluesky)
+* ''[[Big Blind Bluesy]]'' (Bluesky, 1994)
+* ''[[Back Roads (album)|Back Roads]]'' (Bluesky, 1996)
-* 1997: ''Ye Olde Wooden Guitar Christmas'' (compilation with [[Phil Heywood]] and Dan Neale)
+* ''Ye Olde Wooden Guitar Christmas'' with [[Phil Heywood]] and Dan Neale (1997)
-* 2000: ''[[American Guitar]]'' (Bluesky)
+* ''[[American Guitar]]''  (Bluesky, 2000)
-* 2002: ''[[Two of a Kind: Groovemasters, Vol. 8]]'' (with Mike Dowling) (Solid Air)
+* ''[[Two of a Kind: Groovemasters, Vol. 8]]'' with [[Mike Dowling]] (Solid Air, 2001)
-* 2003: ''[[Back Roads (Pat Donohue album)|Back Roads]]'' (Bluesky)
+* ''[[Profile (Pat Donohue album)|Profile]]'' (Bluesky, 2005)
-* 2003: ''Radio Blues'' (Prairie Home Recordings) (compilation of live performances from the radio program)
+* ''[[Freewayman]]'' (Bluesky, 2008)
-* 2004: ''[[Henry Mancini: Pink Guitar]]'' (Solid Air) ([[Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album|2005 Grammy Award]]-winning compilation of [[Henry Mancini]] songs arranged for acoustic guitar)
-* 2005: ''[[Profile (Pat Donohue album)|Profile]]'' (Bluesky)
+* ''Nobody's Fault'' (Bluesky, 2011)
+* ''Vicksburg Blues'' with Butch Thompson (Red House, 2012)
-* 2008: ''[[Freewayman]]'' (Bluesky)
-* 2011: ''Nobody's Fault'' (Bluesky)
+* ''Blue Yonder'' (Bluesky, 2016)
-===Videos===
+===As guest===
+* [[Greg Brown (folk musician)|Greg Brown]], ''[[Bathtub Blues]]'' (Red House, 1993)
-*''Rags to Rock'' (instructional video)
+* [[Mary Flower]], ''Cookin' with Flower'' (Bare, 1982)
-*''Jazz Classics Fingerstyle'', volumes 1 and 2
+* Mary Flower, ''Rosewood & Steel'' (Bluesette, 1996)
-*''Pat Donohue at the Freight and Salvage''
+* [[Tim O'Brien (musician)|Tim O'Brien]], ''Hard Year Blues'' ([[Flying Fish Records|Flying Fish]], 1984)
+* [[Peter Ostroushko]], ''[[Postcards (Peter Ostroushko album)|Postcards]]'' (Red House, 2006)
 ==References==
@@ Line 71: / Line 63: @@
 ==External links==
-{{Portal|Biography}}
 *[http://www.patdonohue.com Official site]
-*[http://www.prairiehome.publicradio.org Official website of ''A Prairie Home Companion''].
+{{Pat Donohue}}
 {{Authority control}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Donohue, Pat}}
 [[Category:1953 births]]
+[[Category:Living people]]
+[[Category:Guitarists from Minnesota]]
+[[Category:Jazz musicians from Minnesota]]
+[[Category:20th-century American guitarists]]
 [[Category:American blues guitarists]]
 [[Category:American folk guitarists]]
-[[Category:American male guitarists]]
+[[Category:American jazz guitarists]]
-[[Category:Fingerstyle guitarists]]
+[[Category:American fingerstyle guitarists]]
-[[Category:Living people]]
+[[Category:Red House Records artists]]
-[[Category:Musicians from Minnesota]]

v t e Pat Donohue
Albums	Life Stories (1991) Two Hand Band (1993) Big Blind Bluesy (1994) Back Roads (1996) American Guitar (2000) Two of a Kind: Groovemasters, Vol. 8 (with Mike Dowling, 2002) Profile (2005) Freewayman (2008)
Related articles	A Prairie Home Companion

Authority control databases
International	ISNI VIAF WorldCat
National	Deutschland Vereinigte Staaten
Artists	MusicBrainz