Walter Strauss

Walter Strauss is a California-based guitar wizard who's redefined fingerstyle acoustic guitar by blending the fiery grooves of West African dance parties, the lush textures of string orchestras, and the soulful twang of American roots music. This innovative composer, songwriter, and producer started fingerpicking as a kid, honed a quirky cross-picking technique in his teens, and dove deep into global sounds during college—translating the intricate, multi-layered vibes of the 21-string kora (shoutout to legend Toumani Diabaté, who called his renditions "inspirational" and even invited him to Mali) and the kamale ngoni into mind-bending solo guitar magic.

With polyrhythms, percussive palm-muting, and layers of melody that make it sound like he's playing a whole band, Walter's dropped gems like *For Melody, Wherever She May Find Me*, *Guitars On Life*, and *Planet Solitaire*, earning raves for his "jaw-dropping fretwork" from spots like Rhythm and Roots and features in Acoustic Guitar and Vintage Guitar mags. He's gigged worldwide—from Kennedy Center to Celtic Connections in Scotland and Le Diplomat in Mali—collaborating with kora masters like Sidiki Diabaté on projects like Fula Brothers, always chasing that joyous crossroads of cultures with heart, humor, and virtuoso flair.