Pierre Bensusan

Event information

Pierre Bensusan is a French acoustic guitar virtuoso, vocalist, and composer whose distinctive voice has made him a defining figure in contemporary world music. Known internationally as “Mr DADGAD”, Bensusan has spent five decades bringing his singular sound to concert halls and festivals across the globe.

Widely regarded as one of the great guitarists of the 21st century, his influence is such that fellow innovators have paid direct tribute - most notably when Michael Hedges titled a composition “Bensusan.” Awards include the Rose d’Or at the Montreux Festival, the Independent Music Award Grand Prix for his triple live album Encore, and repeated recognition as Best World Music Guitarist by Guitar Player Magazine readers.

Celebrated by artists across genres- from Leo Kottke and Tommy Emmanuel to Mark Knopfler and Pat Metheny - Bensusan’s work has also attracted champions beyond the guitar world. Steve Vai released three of his albums on the Favored Nations label, and recent collaborations include studio work on Donny Osmond’s Start Again.

If world music is the artful fusion of tradition and innovation- blending folk roots with jazz, classical, and contemporary expression - Pierre Bensusan stands among its most eloquent voices. A pianist by training and self-taught guitarist, his pioneering approach to open tunings, especially DADGAD, has reshaped the acoustic guitar’s expressive possibilities.

On stage, Bensusan is at his most compelling. His concerts are immersive, lyrical journeys - intimate yet orchestral - where crystalline tone, rhythmic subtlety, and poetic storytelling converge. With over half a million albums sold and thousands of performances worldwide since his debut in 1974, Pierre Bensusan remains a master storyteller and an essential live artist.

“For me, so total is his mastery of the solo instrument, his dazzling harmony, his deft command of counterpoint, the jazz idiom, folk expression, and all genres between and beyond, an entire history unfolds as Pierre Bensusan plays. But really, the emotional depth – and this is where true artistry often likes to live – of many of his songs and compositions is all, well, breathtaking. Mr Bensusan can disassemble your heart and hand it back to you restored and renewed as he did to mine tonight. A true giant.”
James Volpe Rotondi (editor Guitar Player Magazine)

COLLABORATIONS

Donny Osmond, Jacques Higelin, Yoko Kano & Cowboy Bebop, Didier Malherbe (Gong), Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), Bobby Thomas Jr (Weather Report), Nana Vasconcellos, International Guitar Night (USA), Bill Keith, Larry Corryell, Gingua, Andrew York, Gene Parsons (The Byrds), ...

Awards

Ards Guitar Festival Lifetime Achievement Award (Northern Ireland 2014)
IMA Award for Best Live Album, for "Encore" (USA 2014)
"Album of the Month for "Encore" in Guitarra Totale Magazine (Spain 2013)
"Intuite" named second Best Acoustic Album of all times in Guitarra Totale Magazine (Spain 2013)
Guitar Player Magazine Readers choice award, for 2008 Best World Music Guitar Player (USA)
2002 AFIM (American Association for Independent Music) Award for Best Acoustic Instrumental Album
Album du Mois/Album of the Month (Journal de Montreal/Canada)
Album of the Year (fRoots/UK)
Best Albums (Guitarist Magazine/UK)
Bravo de la Redaction (Trad. Mag./France)
Naird Award for "SolilaÏ" (USA 1983)
Grand Prix du Disque Rose d'Or at the Montreux Festival for "Près de Paris" (Switzerland 1976)

https://www.pierrebensusan.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@bensusanhq