Earl Klugh

Earl Klugh (/kluː/ KLOO; born September 16, 1953) is an American acoustic guitarist and composer.^[1] He has won one Grammy Award and received 13 nominations.^[2]

Earl Klugh
Klugh in 1999
Background information
Born	(1953-09-16) September 16, 1953 (age 71) Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genres	Jazz fusion, smooth jazz, easy listening
Occupation	Musician
Instrument	Guitar
Years active	1970–present
Labels	Blue Note, United Artists, Liberty, Capitol, Warner Bros., Koch
Website	www.earlklugh.com

Biography

At the age of six, Klugh commenced training on the piano until he switched to the guitar at the age of ten. At the age of 13, Klugh was captivated by the guitar playing of Chet Atkins when Atkins made an appearance on the Perry Como Show.^[3] Klugh was a performing guest on several of Atkins' albums. Atkins, reciprocating as well, later joined Klugh on his Magic In Your Eyes album. Klugh also appeared with Atkins on several television programs, including Hee Haw and a 1994 TV special titled "Read my Licks". Klugh was also influenced by Bob James, Ray Parker Jr, Wes Montgomery and Laurindo Almeida. His sound is a blend of these jazz, pop and rhythm and blues influences, forming a potpourri of sweet contemporary music original to only him.^[1]

Klugh's first recording, at age 15, was on Yusef Lateef's Suite 16.^[4] He played on George Benson's White Rabbit album and two years later, in 1973, joined his touring band.^[5]

For their album One on One, Klugh and Bob James received a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance of 1981. He has since received 12 Grammy nominations, millions of record and CD sales, and continues touring worldwide to this day. Klugh also was awarded the “1977 Best Recording Award For Performance and Sound” for his album Finger Paintings by Swing Journal, a Japanese jazz magazine.^[6]

Klugh has recorded over 30 albums including 23 Top Ten charting records—five of them No. 1—on Billboard's Jazz Album chart. With 2008's The Spice of Life, Klugh earned his 12th career Grammy nomination—his second nomination and release on the independent Koch label.

Each spring, Klugh hosts an event called Weekend of Jazz, featuring jazz musicians at the Broadmoor Hotel & Resort in Colorado Springs.^[7] Jazz greats including Ramsey Lewis, Patti Austin, Chuck Mangione, Bob James, Joe Sample, Chris Botti, Roberta Flack, and Arturo Sandoval have all performed at the annual event. In November 2010, Klugh brought the 'Weekend of Jazz' to Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina.^[8]

Discography

Klugh playing at the Festival de Jazz de la Riviera Maya in 2008

Studio albums

Year	Title	Label	Notes
1976	Earl Klugh	EMI
	Living inside Your Love	Blue Note
1977	Finger Paintings	Blue Note
1978	Magic in Your Eyes	Blue Note
1979	Heart String	Blue Note
1980	Dream Come True	EMI	Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Fusion Performance
	Late Night Guitar	Blue Note
1981	Crazy for You	Blue Note
1983	Low Ride	Capitol
1984	Wishful Thinking	EMI
1985	Nightsongs	Capitol	Grammy nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Performance
	Soda Fountain Shuffle	Warner Bros.
1986	Life Stories	Warner Bros.
1989	Solo Guitar	Warner Bros.
	Whispers and Promises	Warner Bros.	Grammy nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Performance
1991	Midnight in San Juan	Warner Bros.
1994	Move	Warner Bros.
1996	Sudden Burst of Energy	Warner Bros.
1997	The Journey	Warner Bros.
1999	Peculiar Situation	BMG
2005	Naked Guitar	Koch	Grammy nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Album
2008	The Spice of Life	Koch	Grammy nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Album
2013	HandPicked	Heads Up

Earl Klugh Trio albums

Year	Title	Label	Notes
1991	The Earl Klugh Trio, Vol. 1	Warner Bros.	with Gene Dunlap and Ralph Armstrong
1993	Sounds and Visions, Vol. 2		with Gene Dunlap, Ralph Armstrong & The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Duet albums

Year	Title	Label	Notes
1979	One on One	Tappan Zee	with Bob James - Grammy award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance in 1981
1982	Two of a Kind	Manhattan	with Bob James
1983	Hotel California/Super Guitar Duo	Verve	with Hiroki Miyano
1987	Collaboration	Warner Bros.	with George Benson
1992	Cool	Warner Bros.	with Bob James

Soundtrack albums

Year	Title	Label	Notes
1980	How to Beat the High Cost of Living	Columbia	Hubert Laws & Earl Klugh
1983	Marvin and Tige	Capitol	Patrick Williams & Earl Klugh
1986	Just Between Friends	Warner Bros.	Patrick Williams & Earl Klugh

Video

Year	Title	Label
2001	The Jazz Channel Presents Earl Klugh	Image Entertainment
2003	Earl Klugh In Concert	BMG/Image

References

1. Holland, Brian D. (1 February 2006). "Earl Klugh Interview: Guitars, George Benson and Naked Guitar". Modern Guitars Magazine. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015.
2. "Earl Klugh". GRAMMY.com. 2020-11-23. Archived from the original on 2021-08-30. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
3. Klugh, Earl. "Working with Chet Atkins". Mister Guitar (Interview). Interviewed by Tom Redmond. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
4. Yanow, Scott. "Earl Klugh Biography". AllMusic. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 10 January 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
5. Carr, Ian; Priestley, Brian; Fairweather, Digby (2004). The Rough Guide to Jazz. Rough Guides. p. 446. ISBN 978-1843532569.
6. "Klugh Gets Jazz Award" (PDF). Cashbox. January 28, 1978. p. 57. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-04-23.
7. "Earl Klugh's Weekend of Jazz". Weekend of Jazz. Archived from the original on 17 January 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
8. "Annual Weekend of Jazz". Kiawah Island Golf Resort. Archived from the original on 19 May 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2015.

External links

• Official website
• Earl Klugh discography at Discogs
• Earl Klugh at IMDb