Known as a true guitarist’s guitarist and one of the most legendary acoustic players to come from Minnesota, Pat Donohue has become the gold standard for talent with his solo performances. Born and raised in Saint Paul, Donohue has traveled around the country to perform intricate melodies, perfected through decades of experience.
His initial foray into music was a little louder. “My parents bought me a drum set when I was only about 10,” Donohue says. But it wasn’t long before he traded in his drumsticks for an acoustic guitar at age 11, fueling his growing passion for live music. “I finally found my direction with blues and American folk, country, rock and roll, and jazz,” Donohue says.
In 2004, Donohue marked a significant milestone in his musical career, winning a Grammy Award as part of a collaborative effort with a number of talented acoustic performers including Mike Dowling and Ed Gerhard. The project, Pink Guitar, is a compilation of Henry Mancini tunes played on acoustic guitar and was named instrumental album of the year.
At age 62, there is no slowing down the fingerpicking rhythms of Donohue, who, for approximately 20 years, was part of the American Public Media radio program, A Prairie Home Companion. On July 22, Pat Donohue can be heard locally at The Village at Mendota Heights with his off-shoot band from A Prairie Home Companion called the Prairie All-Stars. The concert begins at 6:30. Donohue will also be releasing a new CD this summer called Blue Yonder. More information is available on his website here.
