Louisville, Kentucky native Gary Brewer has been enjoying a steadily rising stature in the bluegrass community. With an active performance roster (which included a well-received European junket in 1994) and an impressive array of recordings on Copper Creek, Gary is poised for even greater acclaim in the near future. Chief among the highlights is his solo instrumental project, Guitar.

Legendary guitarist Norman Blake has high praise for the new release. He notes that “Gary has chosen a wide range of tunes to perform and does a great job on all the styles showcased. He plays with great tone and timing. The arrangements are straight ahead, no gimmicks, with the melody being the main focus. As Bill Monroe once said, ‘He doesn’t just note, note, note for the sake of noting.’ Gary has a long-time respect for the music and the tradition that shows through in all his playing.” And the grand-daddy of all the bluegrass guitar pickers – George Shuffler – commends Gary for his work on his new project. He related recently that “Gary Brewer displays his talents very well on the guitar. I would recommend this release to anyone who likes good solid picking.”

Praise for the project is well deserved. It is a wonderful match of musicianship and material. With talent to spare, Gary offers masterful interpretations of seventeen selections – nearly half of which are Brewer originals. His guitar leads are augmented by tasteful licks from members of his Kentucky Ramblers (Ron Stewart on fiddle and banjo and Dale “Punch” Taylor on bass) as well as those of special guests Bill Monroe, Larry Sparks, and Josh Graves. A special highlight of the set is the appearance of two new Bill Monroe compositions that he wrote especially for the guitar. Gary was honored that Bill chose him as the vehicle to showcase them. To show his appreciation, Gary titled one of his own tunes, “Touring With Monroe,” for Bill.