Andy McKee American fingerstyle guitarist. Date of Birth: 04.04.1979 Country: USA

1. Biography of Andy McKee
2. Art of Motion (2005)

Biography of Andy McKee

Andy McKee is an American fingerstyle guitarist who has gained worldwide recognition for his unique playing style and compositions. He first gained popularity in late 2006 with his composition "Drifting," which quickly became a hit on YouTube and MySpace, garnering nearly 50 million views as of August 2014. Several of Andy's other compositions, such as "Rylynn" with over 26 million views, have also achieved great success on YouTube. His composition "Africa" accumulated over 9 million views before being removed by Candyrat Records.

In 2012, Andy participated in Prince's "Welcome 2 Australia" tour, and in February 2014, he performed a concert in Moscow. Andy's father bought him his first guitar when he was 13 years old, and his sister, who played electric guitar, took him to a concert by guitarist Preston Reed on his 16th birthday. Andy later obtained a videotape of Reed's lessons and began mastering his playing technique. His musical influences include Michael Hedges, Billy McLaughlin, Pat Kirtley, and Don Ross.

In 2001, Andy independently released his first album, "Nocturne." That same year, he placed third in the National Fingerstyle Guitar Competition. In 2003, he traveled to Taiwan with Jacques Stotzem, Isato Nakagawa, and Masaaki Kishibe, winning first place in the acoustic instrument competition with Ron Spillers, who played a harp guitar that Andy had purchased from Stephen Bennett in 2002. This guitar can be heard in several of Andy's compositions, such as "Into The Ocean" and "Gates of Gnomeria."

Andy released his second album, "Dreamcatcher," in 2004. The album featured cover versions of "Africa" and "The Friend I Never Met," dedicated to Michael Hedges. Andy used the title track to perform with bassist Michael Manring, with whom he began touring. The album was later re-recorded due to its popularity on YouTube.

Art of Motion (2005)

Andy's third album, "Art of Motion," was recorded at Candyrat Records' studio in November 2005 and received high praise from renowned guitarist Don Ross, with whom they currently work in the same studio. The album includes most of the compositions that became popular, as well as several tracks from the "Dreamcatcher" album. At the beginning of Andy's YouTube success in late 2006 and early 2007, "Art of Motion" was the only album in his career recorded at Candyrat Records.

After gaining popularity through his YouTube performances, Andy embarked on a tour that lasted most of 2007. Upon returning home, he began recording his fourth album, "Gates of Gnomeria." The album featured six new tracks, one of which can be heard on YouTube ("Gates of Gnomeria"), as well as two cover tracks. He spent most of 2008 on a world tour, performing compositions from "Gates of Gnomeria" and his album collaborated with Don Ross, "The Thing That Came From Somewhere."

In the same year, Andy released a new album with studio mate Antoine Dufour, with each recording eight tracks, two of which were from "Gates of Gnomeria." In between tours and promoting his joint album with Don Ross, Andy re-recorded two tracks from "Dreamcatcher" and covered a composition by Japanese guitarist Masaaki Kishibe. The album was released in digital format, with a video recording available on iTunes.