English fingerstyle guitar player Mike Dawes is an internationally recognized acoustic guitarist and has been voted Best Acoustic Guitarist In The World by Total Guitar Magazine and MusicRadar.
Originally from Surrey, England, Dawes started playing the steel-string acoustic guitar in 2008. From 2008 to 2011, Dawes performed instrumental concerts at venues and festivals all around the UK, solo and with a concert harpist. Around this time, he also performed alongside musicians such as Seth Lakeman, Tommy Emmanuel and Newton Faulkner.
In 2009, Dawes released an independent EP called Reflections. He was also featured on two discs from the AGF (Acoustic Guitar Forum) franchise. In 2012, Dawes signed with the Wisconsin-based label CandyRat Records. He shared an arrangement of Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know," which Gotye publicly praised, calling it "a really beautiful piece of music. It's wonderfully arranged. It's just a fantastic piece of music. I also like the instrumental interpretation because it gives a different perspective on the musical arrangement. It's not about how somebody's voice transmits the story of the relationship."
In 2012, Dawes released "The Impossible," which appeared on his 2013 debut solo LP, What Just Happened? His supporting world tour visited 30 countries on five continents, including performances at the Great Wall Of China and the Troubadour in Los Angeles. Dawes also visited Lebanon for the first fingerstyle guitar concert in the country's history.
In 2016, Dawes became the first acoustic artist to be signed by DiMarzio -- a manufacturer best known for its direct-replacement guitar pickups that also has John Petrucci, Steve Vai and Joe Satriani on its roster. Dawes co-designed DiMarzio's Black Angel magnetic soundhole pickup with Larry DiMarzio and guitar maker Nick Benjamin. Dawes also launched a monthly video and print column with Guitar World and taught as a special guest mentor on season two of Sky TV's "Guitar Star."
In September 2017, Dawes released his second album, ERA, on his own imprint, QTEN Records. ERA featured a one-man cover of Metallica's "One," which generated 40 million hits in two weeks and was massively popular in the progressive metal community. Around this time, Dawes' music was featured on AMC's "Better Call Saul," playing percussion and guitar on the song "Cold Feet," which he'd written in a session with English singer/songwriter Fink (Fin Greenall).
In addition to touring as the lead guitarist for Moody Blues' singer Justin Hayward, Dawes also performs in the Las Vegas popwave trio Nik Mystery with Periphery vocalist Spencer Sotelo and music producer/former Sunrise Avenue member Jukka Backlund.
In September 2022, Dawes released a joint EP, Accomplice Series, Vol. 3, with Australian guitarist Tommy Emmanuel. The EP features five cover songs, including reimaginings of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and John Mayer's "Slow Dancing In A Burning Room."
