al petteway tour

Sing Me Home: A tribute to Al Petteway

Al Petteway was a beloved luminary, not only in the acoustic music world but also in his adopted hometown of Asheville, NC.

He and his wife and musical partner, Amy White, made a home in Asheville filled with music, art and dogs and cats. Petteway passed away in September 2023.

Amy White visited BPR to share stories and memories of her life with Al.

“Our first house in the area was in Fairview, above 4500 feet,” White recalls. “It just felt like home (here) from the very first moment. We visited that house and both broke into tears of joy.”

Al’s passing brought forth an outpouring of tributes and memories, including an obituary in Acoustic Guitar magazine, as well as hundreds of cards, letters and emails.

“Reading those tributes (did) my heart good to see how much Al and his music have touched others’ lives,” White said. “He and I had such an amazing life together. I want to celebrate our love forever.”

Al Petteway’s had many identities in the acoustic guitar world: Grammy winner. Composer. Producer/engineer. Multi-instrumentalist. Educator.

Petteway was known known for his versatility, humility and ease as a fingerstyle guitarist.

“He could play effortlessly with any musician,” writes Sean McGowan for Petteway’s obituary in Acoustic Guitar  magazine, “and (he) could easily transcend classic and contemporary folk, blues, modern string-band music, and the traditional music of the British Isles.

In addition to being Al’s life partner, Amy White was his primary musical partner as well. Together the two multi-instrumentalists recorded numerous albums for which they received several awards and honors. Their work was featured in Ken Burns' documentaries, and they held artist residencies at the Kennedy Center as well as Warren Wilson College.

“Thank you for celebrating Al’s artistic work, and for remembering his kind and gentle nature,” Amy wrote in a Facebook post. “(And) for keeping him in your heart, and for holding me safe in your heart right alongside him. The world has lost so very much with his passing.”

Al Petteway & Amy White

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Al Petteway: A Favor for a Guitar-Collecting Friend Leads to a New Album

• March 26, 2018

I n the summer of 2017, Grammy-winning guitarist Al Petteway got an interesting proposition from Anthony Russo, a former student and guitar aficionado. Russo was feeling pretty good about how his collection of fine instruments had evolved in recent years. He wanted Petteway to visit his house and play the luthier-built guitars, so that he could hear what they sound like from a listener’s perspective, and, more important, document them on a recording. “I immediately accepted Tony’s invitation,” says Petteway, himself a collector. “It would have been great just to hang out with Tony, but this was quite a special opportunity.”

Russo, an attorney and lobbyist in the Washington, DC area, offered to fly Petteway from his home in Asheville, North Carolina, to Northern Virginia. Petteway soon began assembling gear for the informal recording sessions. He packed a pair of matched Sennheiser MKH 40 microphones and, wanting to travel light, an Apple iPad Pro. “I also found a small and inexpensive interface that would work with the iPad—Roland’s Duo-Capture EX—and I downloaded a $20 recording app called Auria LE. I figured that this setup would be good enough for memorializing the guitars.”

When Petteway arrived at Russo’s house in mid-August, he was floored by the top-shelf guitars that his friend had assembled—a couple of Traugotts, a BK Fan Fret and an R; a Somogyi OM; a Smallman nylon-string; an Olson SJ; a Greenfield G1.2; a Walker OM; a Lowden O-35; a Martin OM-45 GE; and a Ryan Mission Grand Concert. “I’ve played thousands of great guitars at Dream Guitars,” Petteway says, referring to the shop not far from his house, where he often does video demos of instruments, “but this collection was something else.”

Russo says, “I knew I had some nice guitars, but I didn’t understand just how great they were until I heard Al, this master guitarist, playing them.”

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Petteway spent a day playing Russo compositions from his catalog, and Russo selected a couple of dozen to use for the project. Afterwards, Petteway set up his rig and made a test recording. When he listened back with headphones, he found an unpleasant surprise. “It was really hot outside, and the air conditioning was really loud. Tony was so used to the sound of the air conditioning that he had blocked it out and hadn’t considered that it would detract from the sound of the recording.”

The next day Russo and Petteway repaired to an un-air-conditioned portion of the house, a small porch with a glass enclosure. Petteway played a few notes on a guitar, and he and Russo were struck by how good the room sounded. The guitarist set up his recording equipment, placing the iPad on a TV-dinner tray and arranging the Sennheisers in a close-miked stereo configuration (the ORTF technique, which was pioneered in 1960 at the Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française in France), to minimize background noises, like children playing outside. Russo selected the best Petteway composition for each guitar, and the guitarist, trying to ignore how hot it was inside, worked for hours on end. “It felt so inspiring to be playing in that room and putting on what was essentially a private concert for Tony,” Petteway says. “I must have recorded 16 tunes in a row, most of them in only one take.”

Things didn’t go as well the day after that. “It felt like everyone in the area decided to mow their lawns on the same day,” Petteway says, laughing, adding that the noise made additional recording in the sunroom all but impossible.

Still, Petteway had plenty of good material in the can. Reviewing things with Russo, he was pleased by how naturally he had played and didn’t mind the occasional anomalies, like unintended notes. And both Petteway and Russo were surprised by the sonic quality of the recording, which greatly exceeded their expectations. “We just couldn’t believe how much warmth and detail we’d gotten from the iPad and cheap interface,” Petteway says.

On the last day of Petteway’s visit, Russo asked if he could buy the recording rig, microphones included, and Petteway obliged his friend. By the time he was back in North Carolina, it had occurred to Petteway and Russo that they had made not just an audio document of Russo’s collection, but music for public consumption. It didn’t feel quite complete, though, so Petteway got to work in his home studio. Using a matched pair of Miktek C5 microphones, an API preamp, and MOTU Performer 9.5 audio software, he recorded his most recent compositions on some of his own favorite guitars: a custom Martin 00-42, a Circa OM-28, a Tippin Al Petteway Signature, a Sifel Dryad dreadnought, a Knaggs/Sifel Night Sky, and a Thompson 000-12. “I was extremely pleased at how well the iPad recordings held up to the ones done at my home with much more expensive equipment,” Petteway says.

Still, to prepare the album for general release, it seemed ideal to use a skilled mastering engineer, especially since the job would involve matching levels on 16 guitars recorded in two different rooms with two different rigs. Petteway and Russo enlisted two of the best in the business—Greg Lukens and Bill Wolf, the latter of whom has worked with acoustic legends like Tony Rice and Doc Watson—to master the audio.

The end results are heard on Petteway’s latest album, The Collector’s Passion (a transcription of “Midsummer Moon” appears in the same May issue as this article), all solo guitar and without any overdubs. “Not only is the album a celebration of fine handcrafted guitars, it just goes to show that you don’t necessarily need to spend lots of time in the studio with the clock ticking to get beautiful results,” Petteway says. 

This article originally appeared in the May 2018 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine.

Adam Perlmutter

Adam Perlmutter holds a bachelor of music degree from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and a master's degree in Contemporary Improvisation from the New England Conservatory. He is the editor of Acoustic Guitar .

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Wednesday, Oct 4, 2023 – Remembering Al Petteway

Al Petteway's Dream Guitars: An Echoes Remembrance.

We remember Al Petteway . The fingerstyle guitarist left the planet on September 25th after a short battle with an aggressive cancer. We’ll hear several tracks from his long career and revisit an interview with Al and his wife and musical partner,  Amy White . They played on Echoes live in 2005 and we talked to them about their folk-based sound. Among their many album, Winter Tidings , is a perennial part of our Holiday programming.

We’ll also hear music from Florida based DJ, Floret Loret . He’s got a downtempo, melodic sound that’s heard on his new album, Tales from the Terrarium .

Hear it October 4 on the air or on Echoes Online Right Now!

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Al Petteway Obituary And Death Cause: Where Is His Wife Amy White Now?

Al Petteway obituary celebrates the accomplished guitarist, talking about his influential, melodious journey in the music industry.

Al Petteway obituary fills our hearts with sadness as we recall a person who shared music with countless people.

Al Petteway, a celebrated guitarist who turned strings into emotions, now resonates as an echo in the world of beautiful acoustic fingerstyle stories.

His departure has left a silent guitar on the stage but his music continues to play in the memories of those who admired him.

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Al Petteway Obituary

Al Petteway obituary is a heartfelt tribute to a legend who left an indelible mark on the music world.

His sudden demise on Monday, September 25th, 2023, has left many in shock and deep sorrow.

Al was not just a talented musician but also a beacon of inspiration for younger artists and enthusiasts.

Born and raised in the United States, Al Petteway emerged as an iconic figure in the world of acoustic fingerstyle guitar.

With skillful fingers and a natural sense of rhythm and melody, he captivated audiences with his music.

Whether playing solo or collaborating with famed folk artists, Al’s music was a celebration of tradition and innovation.

He was renowned for his expertise in the Dadgad tuning, a signature that many tried to emulate but few could master with the grace that Al displayed.

This tuning became one of the defining aspects of his music, giving his compositions a unique and resonant sound.

Throughout his illustrious career, Al had the privilege of working with some of the most respected names in the folk music scene.

From, his wife, Amy White and Tom Paxton to Bonnie Rideout and Maggie Sansone, Al’s collaborations were always eagerly awaited by fans.

His bond with these artists was not just professional but also deeply personal.

Their combined efforts frequently displayed a pleasing mix of different music styles and philosophies.

One of the highlights of Al’s career was his original compositions that drew heavily from the Appalachian and Celtic traditions.

Al Petteway Death Cause

He passed away due to cancer, an illness he had been courageously fighting for a long time.

His fight against the disease showcased his undying spirit and resilience.

Even in the face of adversity, Al continued to inspire many with his music and determination.

Al’s battle with cancer serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictability of life.

While Al may no longer be with us in the physical realm, his music lives on. His tunes still inspire and offer comfort to those who require it.

Where Is Al Petteway Wife Amy White Now?

Amy White resides near Asheville, North Carolina.

In this peaceful place, Amy finds comfort and continues to immerse herself in the artistic endeavors that both she and Al were so deeply passionate about.

Moving forward after the loss of her beloved husband Al, Amy channels her energy into keeping the musical spirit alive.

They had always been not just life partners but also co-creators in the musical realm.

After Al’s passing, the music community and fans have showered Amy with immense support and love.

Her ability to gracefully handle this challenging time is a testament to her strength and the enduring bond that she and Al shared.

His memories stay vibrant through the music they created together and the impact they have had on people’s lives through their harmonious creations.

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Aaryush Shrestha, a talented content writer with a passion for creating engaging and informative content. With his experience, he has developed a talent for crafting articles, blog posts, and website copy that captures the attention of readers and drives engagement.

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Little Big Town, Sugarland Announce 2024 ‘Take Me Home’ Tour

By Joseph Hudak

Joseph Hudak

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

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INSTRUMENTS, STRINGS, PICKUPS, MICS, RECORDING, ETC.

Amy and I both purchased guitars from Kevin Ryan after those CDs were recorded.  Amy had a Nightingale with a Boznian spruce top and Brazilian rosewood sides and back.  I used a Brazilian/Cedar Mission Grand Concert for my Shades of Blue recording and Steve Baughman used that same instrument on the "Celtic Summit" album with Robin Bullock.  I used a Brazilian/Boznian Spruce  "Nightingale" on the DVD I recorded for Solid Air Records and Warner Bros. Publications. It's tone is rich and complex with lots of bass and plenty of high overtones.  That guitar was also played on  "Acoustic Journey," "Land of the Sky," and "Winter Tidings" and has since been sold.

The guitar I used on Caledon Wood is the Larry Sifel dreadnought "Dryad" that I played in concert for over ten years. It is arguably the best sounding instrument in its class that I've ever played.  It was returned to Jean Sifel in 2014 in order to be a part of the Pearl Works museum.

We own an Appalachian dulcimer built by Tom Fellenbaum and an Old-Time banjo built by Lo Gordon .  I don't play electric guitar very often, but when I do,  I like to use an old Stratocaster that I built from spare parts that is outfitted with custom pickups, wound by Joe Barden, through my 1960's Ampeg SB-12 flip top amp.  Both sound great. For recording, I also use a Rob Allen MB-2 Fretless acoustic bass guitar.

For live performance, Amy uses Neumann and Earthworks microphones and I use whatever is available, generally Shure SM beta 58s.

Here's a photo of me and Paul Reed Smith jamming at the Grand Opening celebration of Pearl Works in Southern MD. quite a few years back.  I'm playing the Sifel Rosewood Cutaway.  This guitar was given back to Jean Sifel after Larry's untimely death in May, 2006.  I still play the maple "Petteway Cutaway" and I think it will always be my all-time favorite guitar.  

  STRINGS & ACCESSORIES

I use the Elixir Phosphor Bronze HD on all of my guitars.  Amy prefers the 80/20s.  We also use Elixir nanoweb strings on our mandolins I haven't found another string that is as consistent or has such perfect intonation.

G7th Heritage Capo

I use the Heritage model capo by G7th.  These are the only capos that automatically adjust to the fretboard radius on any guitar.  You can slide them back behind the nut when they are not in use and they are very lightweight.  The bumpers along the sides keep the capo from scratching the neck. 

Amy also has a custom G7th Heritage capo, but she also likes the Planet Waves NS Capo Tuner which is also strong enough and long enough for capoing high on the neck, but has a tuner built in.  If I'm playing an acoustic concert and need a tuner, I attach the micro headstock tuner.  It practically disappears on the headstock and it works really well.

Karura 00 Case                        Colorado Case Cover                          Karura 000 Case                          Accord Case

                                                        Visesnut , Harptone  and Martin Cases                                                                

My Circa 00 and my Tippin are both in cases made by the Karura Case Company in Bangkok, Thailand.  This is definitely one of the best cases you can buy.  It's made of a carbon fiber composite material that makes it lightweight and extremely protective.  My new Circa guitar needed a good case and I ended up purchasing a Visesnut case that has an adjustable interior size.  This case has become my number one flight case for any of the 000 or OM sized guitars I use.  The Visesnut also has a padded thermal case cover and straps that are quite comfortable.  For the rest of our cases, we use Colorado Case covers, especially when flying.  You can zip these covers to completely cover the latches and elminate the need for taping them down.  They also offer an extra layer of thermal protection in hot and cold weather.  We often use gig bags for the RainSong guitars since they are practically indestructable.  I love the new vintage style cases by Harptone and Martin and have them for a couple of my guitars, but I only use them when driving to gigs.

I "pluck" the strings with my right hand fingernails in combination with either my thumbnail or a plastic thumb pick. Sometimes I feel like I have more control when using a thumb pick, especially when I'm playing harder, but I like the sound of the thumbnail, since it is more balanced with the fingernails. I also use the back of my fingernails for strumming and "popping" effects. Hammer-ons and pull-offs figure prominently in my playing, which makes it sometimes difficult to tell which hand is "plucking" the notes. Recently Amy and I both started getting "UV Gel" nails on our right hands.  I keep my nails filed and polished smooth around the edges so the attack on the string is clear and pure .  I use very little force in my left hand and strive to keep both hands relaxed at all times.  I've found that I can get more power this way. When flatpicking, I like to use a heavy pick, preferably tortoise shell or something that imitates it.  When I'm backing up Irish jigs and reels, I use a thinner pick. 

We have a little home studio setup that uses an Apple Mini computer and Digital Performer 9 for OS X with a API 1324+ 4 channel mic preamp and a MOTU thunderbolt digital interface. We also have a MikTek CV4 tube mic, a matched pair of MikTek C5 microphones, a matched pair of Sennheiser MKH-40 microphones and a matched pair of AKG 414B TLII's with C-12 capsules installed in them. Our Boston grand piano (by Steinway) sounds wonderful in this space.  I record at 88.2 kHz, 32 bit floating.  Billy Wolf does all of  our mastering at Wolf Productions in Virginia. My most recent album was mastered by Billy and my good friend Greg Lukens.

In the past, we used a vintage AKG C-24 stereo tube mic to record the guitar for "Whispering Stones," "The Waters and the Wild,"  and some of "Midsummer Moon."  We used vintage Neumann U-47 microphones on nearly all of the stringed instruments for "Caledon Wood."  Jim Robeson, the engineer at Bias Recording Company in Springfield, VA placed the mics about 1-3 feet away from the guitar at the spots that sounded best to him. We rarely ever used any EQ on the guitar during recording or mixing. The project was mixed to 20-bit digital using the Rane "Paqrat" and then mastered in 20-bit at Airshow by Dave Glasser (the good ole' days of digital recording)

To record the guitars at home for the first few self-recorded albums, I ran the microphones directly into an ADAT XT-20 digital eight track recorder. However, I've since purchased the Macintosh and MOTU 896HD Firewire recording interface and I'm very impressed with the capabilities this equipment offers me.  Until recently,I used a Mackie 1604 VLZ PRO mixer and a pair of Genelec 1029A's with the Genelec subwoofer for monitoring.  I still use the Genelecs but no longer need the mixer since the new MOTU 896HD has a virtual mixer built in.  Headphone monitoring is done through a Rane HC6 and a choice of Shure SRH840, Sony MDR-7506, AKG K 240 DF, AKG K 240, or Audio Technica ATH-M40 headphones. My favorite mic preamp is the four channel API 3124+ .  I also use Presonus MP20 preamps for electric bass and direct pickup signals

I prefer to mic guitars by placing one microphone facing the 12th fret and the other placed about a foot from the lower bout, pointed behind the bridge. I've also used the XY and ORTF placement for close micing where phase issues may occur.  I've been experimenting with mixing and matching different mics and mic placements and have come up with some pretty great results but I still prefer to use a matched pair.   I  borrowed a pair of Senken Mics from Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer to record the "Celtic Summit" CD by Robin Bullock and Steve Baughman. They were an excellent choice for recording Steve. On my solo guitar album "It's Only the Blues"  I used the two AKG's with C12 capsules and added the MikTek CV4 as a center mic.  The results were amazing.  I also used this technique to mic Amy's guitars on "Home Sweet Home."  For my most recent project, The Collector's Passion, I recorded on location using an iPad Pro and a Roland interface.  I used the ORTF placement for the mics and recorded using the Auria app.  The results were so good that it changed my concepts of recording solo guitar music.

Mixing with Jim Robeson using the wonderful API console at Bias Recordings in Springfield, VA - Photo by Amy White  

Fairewood Studios - Takoma Park, MD

 "Racing Hearts" was mixed by Jim Robeson at Bias Recording in Springfield, VA.  This time we mixed to 24-bit digital and then mastered in 24-bit with Bill Wolf at Wolf Productions in Falls Church, VA.  "Gratitude," our Indie-winnging duo guitar project on James Jensen's Solid Air Records was also mixed and mastered the same way with the same engineers.  Those guys are so good!

"Shades of Blue" was mixed at home using MOTU's Audiodesk software and mastered with Bill Wolf.

"Golden Wing," "Acoustic Journey,"  "Land of the Sky," "Winter Tidings,"  "Dream Guitars, Vol. I" "High in the Blue Ridge," "It's Only the Blues,"  and "Home Sweet Home" were all recorded and mixed at home, using Digital Performer software.  Mastering was done by Bill Wolf once again. "The Collector's Passion" was recorded "live" on location and mastered by Bill Wolf and Greg Lukens.

I never use any processing or EQ when tracking.  I'd rather leave that till the mixing stage and even then, I use very little, if any, EQ and minimal processing. My computer software has a number of wonderful processing plug-ins, including the new ProVerb reverb plugin.  I now use it instead of my Lexicon MPX-500 for overall reverb effects. I've been using the computer for mixing all of our recent projects. We still like to send our files to Bill Wolf's mastering suite at Wolf Productions for the final mastering before manufacturing.       

  TUNINGS  

My favorite tunings are EADGBE, DADGAD, DADF#AD, CGCGCD, CGDGAD, and DGDGBD. I've experimented with many tuning variations but find myself returning to DADGAD as my "standard" tuning.  I've also been experimenting with the use of partial capos.  All of my capo positions and tunings are listed in the liner notes of my solo albums and on the transcriptions in my books.  On "Racing Hearts," I used DADGAD tuning exclusively, so I didn't bother listing it.  I did use a partial capo across the first four strings at the second fret for "Hidden Wings."  I just couldn't figure out any other way to play it at the time.  Now I can play it in CGDGAD.   Everything else is straight DADGAD either open or with a capo.  For the duo guitar album I stayed in DADGAD most of the time, but snuck back to standard for a couple of the jazzier numbers.  Amy also played primarily in DADGAD but she wrote some really cool tunes in a tuning she learned from David Wilcox:  BGDGBD.  She put a partial capo on the fourth fret and used the low B as her root.  Another variation she used was BGDGAD. On the "Shades of Blue" album I used DADGAD and Standard tunings, but I also used DGCFAD(standard tuning down a whole step) for a couple of tunes to give me that slinky electric feel.  The solo CD "Dream Guitars Vol. I & II"  feature Standard and DADGAD tuning primarily, but there are tunes CGDGAD.  "It's Only the Blues" is almost entirely in DADGAD except for "This Just In" which was in CGCGAD.  "The Collector's Passion" features all of these tunings as well as CGCGCEb for one tune.

  Al & Amy-Home ~ Biography ~ Discography ~ Technical Stuff ~ Reviews ~ Awards  

F a i r e w o o d   S t u d i o s P.O. Box 1093 Weaverville, NC 28787