First artist that got you hooked on acoustic guitar?

[Queequeg]

I've had some kind of guitar since I was about 13 years old. The Beatles were on top then.
And I never really put the guitar away, but I wasn't really serious about it.
By the time I hit middle age I knew all 3 cowboy chords   and I could fake a fingerpicking pattern as long as it repeated throughout from beginning to end.
Truth told, that's about all.

But about that same time it occurred to me that for a fellow my age it was rather unseemly for me to be singing songs about 'Sweet 16' and stuff like that.
I had to be honest with myself, as I knew I wasn't a great singer, and I really hadn't progressed with guitar very much, either. Still, my love of music drove me to continue somehow.
So I quit singing altogether and concentrated on guitar. I put away all the flat picks because I knew I would never be able to play like Tony Rice or Django.

I had been listening to Leo Kottke and John Fahey and Mississippi John Hurt for a long time; many years. I liked that music a lot and soon I discovered a whole world of beautiful fingerstyle guitar music and musicians.
At last I had found my place with the acoustic guitar. And I made so many new friends.

I'm always working on new music now. It's a great brain exercise.
Like so many of you here, I play every day, year 'round, and I can't even imagine what I might be doing without it. (Hopefully not sitting in front of the TV with a 6-pack every night.)

[teh]

My story is similar but I think it was a combination of junior high, high school, college, part time jobs and just being a kid that slowed me down. When I bought my first good guitar in 1977 at 21, I made some progress for a couple of years, but then Marriage, three kids in five years slowed me down again. I got my first Larrivee in 2004.

I got my first guitar, which I still have, when I was 12 and am mostly self taught. After wading through Home on the Range, Oh Susannah, 500 Miles and Red River Valley for a few months, I discovered Gordon Lightfoot in 1970. His songwriting style, lyrics and chord progressions made an impression on me. After 50+ years of playing his music, my son bought me an 8 song GL Tutorial for Christmas from Homespun by the late Pete Huttlinger and I have picked some cool tips already. Along the way, I picked up on Bob Dylan, Jim Croce, James Taylor, John Denver, Bruce Cockburn, Steve Goodman and John Prine and an host of others. When I lived in Philadelphia, I used to go to The Main Point, Tower Theatre and Philadelphia Folk Festival on a regular basis. There I listened to Michael Cooney, Arlo Guthrie, David Bromberg, Jackson Browne as well as a lot of unknowns.

58 years later, I'm often asked if I play the guitar and I usually tell them that most people ask me to stop playing after I start but I still have a lot of fun.

[BlueBowman]

I don't have a guru that led me to the acoustic guitar. I come from a family of musicians: everyone either sings, or plays piano, or plays guitar. The acoustic guitar was just there from the beginning, and I've always loved the sound.

But, being a young teen in the 90s, Clapton's Unplugged definitely influenced me. I also love classical guitar and flamenco music. I remember falling heavy for The Guitar Trio, too, but it was Paco de Lucia's playing that really stuck out. I guess there wasn't really a "first" for me.

[StringPicker6]

Paco is amazing.

[BlueBowman]

Paco is amazing.

That live version of Mediterranean Sundance is absolutely killer.

[Fil]

        
 The big 3 , discovered all at the same time in my Dad's lp collection ; Doc Watson , Leon Redbone, Mississippi John Hurt.
  My Dad had an amazing record collection and until my teens I thought he was some kind of aficionado... turns out my Dad had terrible taste in music and the collection belonged to an Uncle who stored them at our house before a lengthy prison sentence 🫤 There was about 20 LP's in that collection that sold very little when released ( late 60's/ early 70's ) that later became "lost" classics.

[B0WIE]

       
 The big 3 , discovered all at the same time in my Dad's lp collection ; Doc Watson , Leon Redbone, Mississippi John Hurt.
  My Dad had an amazing record collection and until my teens I thought he was some kind of aficionado... turns out my Dad had terrible taste in music and the collection belonged to an Uncle who stored them at our house before a lengthy prison sentence 🫤 There was about 20 LP's in that collection that sold very little when released ( late 60's/ early 70's ) that later became "lost" classics.

Welcome to the forum. Great story! Some of the greatest forms of art and media I discovered as a kid were from my uncles.

[John Lee Pettimore]

So many great acoustic artists in the past.  Hard to say which one got me hooked. A couple of standouts for me were worlds apart; Jerry Reed, Kurt Cobain.

[StringPicker6]

Definitely worlds apart, but great artists! I once saw Kurt Kobain's acoustic Martin at the Martin guitar factory's museum.

[Koamon]

This is a great topic. Starting out in the 60's like many others, I began learning chords from Dylan and Beatles songs, but what really got me hooked was learning how to play James Taylor fingerstyle songs and discovering open tunings from CSN&Y.

[John Lee Pettimore]

It is interesting for me to listen to my original compositions which are all on acoustic. Because I hear the influences of many artists/bands most of whom were very light on acoustics.  For example I can hear the late great Malcolm Young's application of rhythm and power chords with ample time/space for vocals and solos.  I also hear Eagles transition from country to rock, though mine is more the inverse.  I would be remiss if I failed to mention the influence of the greatest and most enduring rock band in American rock history, Aerosmith. I named my son Tyler.  Yet, acoustic guitar is my favored medium for expression. 

I sure wish my fingerstyle was more developed though.  I can't even get close to doing justice to Jerry Reed's influence. He was the very first influence for me. 

[StringPicker6]

Jerry Reed playing City of Nee Orleans live on YouTube is mesmerizing.

[Sandstorm]

When I started playing guitar at 10 years old back in 1995 I was taking lessons and started on acoustic guitar and learned Harvest Moon by Neil Young.  I didn't play it very well and I can't remember it now as I don't really learn to play other artist's songs but that was the start for me.  This was of course around the peak of the grunge era and Nirvana unplugged was new and current and although I spanned out to classical, classic metal, hard rock, jazz and middle eastern, I still thoroughly enjoy the entire Nirvana catalogue and particularly the acoustic versions.