John Doyle

John Doyle

John Doyle is an Irish guitarist, singer and songwriter from Dublin, Ireland. He is known for folk music and for a style of guitar accompaniment that supports other performers as well as his own solo work. He serves as an acoustic guitarist with the Irish-American group Solas, and he also performs as a solo artist.

Career

Doyle plays left-handed and is noted for a distinctive backing style. His approach combines bass-string damping with the heel of the left hand, a steady strumming pattern and quick movement along the neck with the right hand to bring in bass lines and chord changes. He also uses additional techniques such as string choking with the right hand. He plays in several tunings, and is particularly associated with dropped D tuning, often used when accompanying other musicians.

He works not only as a performer but also as a producer. His production and performance credits include recordings by Heidi Talbot, Liz Carroll, his father Sean Doyle and Karan Casey. On Heidi Talbot’s Distant Future, he contributes the song “I Dream of You”. He also plays acoustic guitar and uses a volume pedal on Karan Casey’s solo album Songlines, on the track “She Is Like the Swallow”.

Songwriting and collaborations

Doyle writes songs that draw on traditional forms, and he collaborates with a range of folk musicians. He has worked with Kate Rusby. He is also associated with several group projects, including Solas, Usher’s Island, The Alt and the Transatlantic Session Band.