Peerie Willie Johnson Guitar Festival
Shetlopedia - The Shetland Encyclopaedia
The Peerie Willie Johnson Guitar Festival named after one of Shetland’s most respected musicians is a celebration of guitar music and the musical versatility of that instrument, Peerie Willie Johnson.
Peerie Willie, who passed away in May 2007, had a profound influence on many traditional accompanists across the folk and jazz world. He merged influences picked up from American radio transmissions with the Shetland Traditions. The Music of Django Reinhardt played a huge part in the development of his guitar playing style. Willie’s use of bass runs and complicated jazz chords combined with percussive rhythmic phrasing breathed a new life into fiddle accompaniment.
This innovation is acknowledged by many international guitarists. Respect for Willie and his musical legacy led Martin Taylor MBE, one of the UK’s most acclaimed jazz guitarists, to break off his holiday to take part in the first festival in 2005, after which he agreed to become the patron of the annual event
