Mike Dawes is a 25 year old English virtuoso Fingerstyle guitar player known for composing, arranging and performing multiple parts simultaneously on one instrument using unique extended and micro-techniques. He sits at the forefront of the modern acoustic guitar movement alongside players like Andy Mckee and Tommy Emmanuel. Mike is influenced heavily by folk, pop and rock music as well as other fingerstyle players such as Michael Hedges, Pierre Bensusan and Eric Roche. He has released numerous recordings both independently and with CandyRat Records, notably a viral virtuoso arrangement of Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye that gained over 1.5 million hits on YouTube alone in its first week of release. He has received strong critical acclaim from the international press and musical community. He is also lead guitar player for Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues for Justin's solo tours and live DVD, debuting at #2 on the Billboard charts. Mike's debut album 'What Just Happened?' gained rapid acclaim worldwide with the total associated videos gaining in excess of 10 million views. Fans of Mike's work include James Valentine or Maroon 5, Newton Faulkner, Gotye and Steve Vai.

Biography

Mike began his musical adventure aged four, when his parents introduced him to The Blues Brothers. In his early childhood he experimented with keyboards before picking up his first electric guitar at age twelve^. Mike switched to Steel-string acoustic guitar in 2008 but suffered with tendinitis for eight months^.
From late 2008 to late 2011 Mike performed hundreds of instrumental concerts at venues and festivals throughout the United Kingdom both solo, and with a Concert harp player. During this time he performed alongside a large selection of musicians including Seth Lakeman, Tommy Emmanuel and Newton Faulkner. In 2009 he released an independent EP titled 'Reflections', as well as gaining features on two discs in the AGF (Acoustic Guitar Forum) franchise.
In 2012 Mike signed with Wisconsin based CandyRat Records, the popular guitar label home to many of Mike's influences (Including Andy McKee and Don Ross (guitarist)) He released a unique and technically virtuosic arrangement of Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye on June 19 that went instantly viral, gaining acclaim from the international music community. The likes of MSN News and Reddit all featured him on the front page of their websites. A headline on the US MSN browser spawned a huge influx of American fans whilst Gotye (Walter De Backer himself publicly praised the arrangement in numerous international publications:
It's 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.
Mike's next release was another Candyrat single, this time duel released with an independent collaborative remix featuring Helsinki-based guitarist Petteri Sariola and Adam 'Nolly' Getgood from the US band Periphery. This unique release was typical of Mike's experimental approach to the constantly changing music industry. 10% of the proceeds of all independent releases are currently going to FAB Projects, a Kenyan charity providing Food, Aid and Building in the region.
According to John Stropes, Michael Hedges' transcriber and founder of the UWM fingerstyle course in Milwaukee, Mike Dawes has had the fastest rise in the history of the new acoustic guitar scene. His 'What Just Happened?' world tour has hit 25 countries in 4 continents to date, including performances on the Great Wall of China and the Troubadour in Los Angeles, as well as the first fingerstyle guitar concert in Lebanon's history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Dawes