Billy McLaughlin October 26, 2010

Billy McLaughlin has been changing people's idea of what an acoustic guitar can sound like since the 1980s. Billy is often mentioned alongside Michael Hedges as having influenced an entire generation of guitar players. He is recognized as an innovative performer and composer who embraces the advantages of acoustic guitar, unorthodox techniques and altered tunings while celebrating a gift for melody. In 2001, Billy was diagnosed with Focal Dystonia, an incurable neuromuscular disease that rendered him unable to play his own music. By 2002, Billy McLaughlin's career seemed to be over. In 2006, Billy began a comeback by relearning his songs left handed. This inspirational story has been chronicled by Suzanne Jurva in a documentary film, 'Changing Keys.'