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United Kingdom Mike Dawes is an English fingerstyle guitar player renowned for his inventive compositions and mastery of performing multiple musical parts simultaneously on a single guitar.
Pin Up Casino sponsored an exclusive guitar workshop with Mike Dawes in London, June 2025, offering fans a unique musical experience.
Internationally acclaimed British guitarist Mike Dawes teamed up with Caspero for an unforgettable live music collaboration in June 2025.
Mike Dawes has a signature guitar with Andreas Cuntz, an independent luthier from Germany.
Mike Dawes uses G7th capos, as mentioned in his gear list.
Mike Dawes became the first acoustic artist signed by DiMarzio in 2016, and co-designed the Black Angel magnetic soundhole pickup with Larry Dimarzio and Nick Benjamin. He uses DiMarzio pickups.
ERA, Mike Dawes' second album, was released independently on his own QTEN Records imprint.
Mike Dawes uses D'Addario strings as part of his gear setup.
Mike Dawes utilizes the Tonewoodamp device in his performances.
Michael Kenneth James Dawes, born on July 21, 1989, in Guildford, Surrey, England, is a prominent English fingerstyle guitar player. His career began to take shape after he transitioned from electric to steel-string acoustic guitar in 2008, having initially experimented with keyboards before picking up an electric guitar at age twelve. Between late 2008 and late 2011, Dawes conducted instrumental concerts across the United Kingdom, both as a solo artist and in collaboration with a concert harp player. During this foundational period, he shared stages with notable musicians such as Seth Lakeman, Tommy Emmanuel, and Newton Faulkner. He released his independent EP, “Reflections,” in 2009 and also featured on two discs within the Acoustic Guitar Forum franchise. These early years established his presence in the acoustic music scene and laid the groundwork for his future technical developments and public recognition.
In 2012, Dawes signed with CandyRat Records, a Wisconsin-based label known for instrumental guitarists. His release of a technical arrangement of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” in June 2012 gained widespread attention, featuring on MSN News and Reddit, and earning praise from Gotye himself for its beauty and unique perspective. Following this, Dawes released another CandyRat single, accompanied by an independent collaborative remix with Petteri Sariola and Adam “Nolly” Getgood from Periphery. A portion of the proceeds from these independent releases supported FAB Projects, a Kenyan charity. His “What Just Happened?” world tour saw him perform in over thirty countries across five continents, including significant locations like the Great Wall of China and the Troubadour in Los Angeles. This tour also marked a historical event with the first fingerstyle guitar concert in Lebanon.
Dawes continued to achieve significant milestones throughout his career. In 2016, he became the first acoustic artist to be signed by DiMarzio, where he co-designed the Black Angel magnetic soundhole pickup. He also contributed a monthly video and print column to “Guitar World” in the US and served as a guest mentor on Sky TV’s “Guitar Star.” His second album, “ERA,” released in September 2017 through his own QTEN Records, featured a one-man cover of Metallica’s “One,” which garnered approximately forty million views within its first two weeks online. This single attracted the attention of the progressive metal community globally. Dawes also contributed percussion and additional guitar to the song “Cold Feet” on AMC’s “Better Call Saul,” collaborating with Fink. In 2017 and 2018, MusicRadar and Total Guitar recognized him as the Best Acoustic Guitarist in the World.
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