Edward Gerhard

Ed Gerhard (Edward Gerhard) is an American Grammy Award winning guitarist. He is known for his acoustic fingerstyle guitar. and lap steel guitar music.

Gerhard was born in Abington, Pennsylvania, and began playing the guitar at age fourteen. Initially influenced by an Andrés Segovia performance on television, Gerhard was also exposed to the playing of Mississippi John Hurt, Blind Willie McTell, Dave Van Ronk and John Fahey.

Gerhard most often performed solo, but would often act as an accompanist and sideman for other musicians. His ensemble work can be heard on recordings by Arlo Guthrie and Jorma Kaukonen. Influenced by John Fahey, Gerhard began composing and arranging music for solo guitar in an array of alternate tunings.

In 1987, Gerhard released his first album, Night Birds. Virtue Records was established in 1991 as a record label for instrumental acoustic guitar and as the exclusive label for Ed Gerhard.

Every December since 1982, Gerhard has performed a seasonal concert in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Recent shows over two nights included a food drive for the Seacoast Family Food Pantry. In addition, a portion of proceeds from the concerts benefited the ACT ONE; Artists’ Collaborative Theatre of New England.

Gerhard was awarded a Grammy award for his participation in the 2004 CD Henry Mancini: Pink Guitar (Solid Air SACD2048), for which he arranged and performed “Moon River.”

In 2012, after six years of work, Gerhard release the album There and Gone.

Gerhard tours in North America, Europe, and Asia. He lives with his wife Kelli in rural New Hampshire, where he moved in 1977.

Breedlove Guitars released the “Ed Gerhard Signature Model” guitar in 1997. The guitar became one of Breedlove's best-selling guitars and won the "Player's Choice Award" by Acoustic Guitar Magazine in 2000.

In collaboration with Gerhard, Breedlove also released a Weissenborn guitar in which traditional design is combined with modern features and contemporary wood combinations.

Albums

• 1987 Night Birds VRD 1919 CD. Nine songs written by Edward Gerhard and "Si Bhig, Si Mhor" (O'Carolan)
• 1991 Christmas VRD1920 CD. Fourteen instrumental, acoustic arrangements of Christmas pieces. Cameo appearance by Arlo Guthrie.
• 1993 Luna VRD1921 CD. Ten original compositions.
• 1996 Counting the Ways VRD1922 CD. Ten contemporary and traditional love songs from around the world. Features guest musicians Arlo Guthrie, Martin Simpson and Bob Brozman.
• 1997 On A Cold Winter's Night VRD 1923 CD. Sequel to "Christmas"
• 1999 The Live Album VRD 1924 CD. Live concert arrangements of new and previously-recorded material played on 6 and 12-string guitars, Hawaiian lap steel and mandoguitar.
• 2006 Sunnyland Solid Air Records SACD 2057. Homage to early blues heroes.
• 2006 House of Guitars VRD 1925 CD. Performed on inexpensive pawn shop guitars.
• 2012 There and Gone VRD 1926.

In Compilations

• 1996 "Crow" in Fingerstyle; A Narada Collection (Narada B000005OZU)
• 1997 "Duet" in Masters of Acoustic Guitar (Narada B000005P0C)
• 1988 “The Handing Down” in Guitar Sampler Vol.1 (Hal Leonard 0793524881). “The Handing Down” is an extended version of the third movement of “Suite” from Night Birds.
• 2001 Mark Twain soundtrack (Sony B00005R62L)
• 2004 “Moon River.” Henry Mancini; in Pink Guitar (Solid Air SACD2048)
• 2010 Donna Lombarda (Italy) BR10018AD

Soundtracks

• 2001 Mark Twain; Ken Burns
• 2005 Le Vie Di Sempre; Ivano Ponzini (Italy)
• 2009 The National Parks: America's Best Idea; Ken Burns

In works by others

• 1986 Bill Morrissey North Produced by Edward Gerhard (Philo PH 1106)
• 1992 Arlo Guthrie Son of the Wind (Rising Son Records B0000030MX)
• 1996 Arlo Guthrie Mystic Journey (Rising Son Records B0000030N1)
• 2007 Jorma Kaukonen Stars in My Crown (Red House Records B000MM1F3M)

Video

• 1996 All-Star Guitar Night (Homespun) 1-59773-094-7
• 2003 Ed Gerhard Solo Guitar Performance (Rittor) 4-8456-0985-1
• 2007 A Fingerstyle Summit with Martin Simpson and Adrian Legg (Alfred Publishing) 0-7390-2865-0

• 1994 Gerhard’s composition “The Handing Down” featured in Windham Hill Guitar Sampler; 18 Transcriptions from the Modern Masters of the Acoustic Guitar (Hal Leonard) 0-7935-2488-1
• 1996 Ed Gerhard: Selections From Night Birds & Luna 7 38467 20041 0 (originally released by Mel Bay; currently by Virtue Records Publishing).
• 1996 Gerhard’s arrangement of “O Holy Night” featured in Portraits of Christmas (Mel Bay) 0-7866-2669-0
• 2003 Gerhard featured in Andy Volk's "Lap Steel Guitar" (Centerstream Publications) 978-1-57424-134-1
• 2004 Ed Gerhard; The Guitar Songbook (Warner Brothers) 0-7579-2011-X
• 2004 Gerhard’s arrangement of “Moon River” featured in Henry Mancini: Pink Guitar (Warner Brothers/Alfred) 0-7579-2367-4
• 2009 Songs & Pieces for Guitar (Virtue Records Publishing) 978-0-9825763-0-4 Six compositions from “Sunnyland” and five from previous CDs.