Martin McNeill is an award-winning guitarist steeped in traditional blues styles, especially slide.

He'll take you through many of the techniques at the heart of Mississippi and Chicago blues, demonstrating the work of players including Elmore James, Fred McDowell, Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters.

He will show how a solo guitarist can provide a complete package by combining lead breaks and fill-ins with chords and bass runs.

Martin's live performances, recordings and livestreams have received high praise. Radio presenter Stephen Foster calls him “one of the country’s finest bottleneck blues guitarists.”

He is an acoustic act finalist in the 2024 UK Blues Awards and was in the top 20 shortlist last year. His Cat Squirrel album was runner-up as record of the year in the 2020 awards. He was instrumentalist of the year in the 2022 GSMC awards for grassroots acts.

Martin started gigging during the British blues boom of the late 1960s. As a teenager, he supported touring American acts including Fred McDowell and legendary duo Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee.

More than 50 years on, he is still performing regularly in solo, duo and band formats.

Please note this is a masterclass, where Martin will discuss and demonstrate styles, rather than a participation workshop. Please do not bring instruments as it will not be practical to join in.

www.bottleneck-blues.com

www.facebook.com/martin.mcneill.710/

Photographs by Tony Cole.

This masterclass is part of the FREE education programme of the Sidmouth International Jazz & Blues Festival 2024 - don't miss out on the 15 acts performing in Blackmore Gardens in the daytime - tickets from only £25 for the weekend or £12.50 per day!!