John Fahey died last February at the age of 61. Tonight six of his colleagues honor the "godfather" of solo acoustic guitar music. Fahey breathed new life into folk music with instrumentals that both celebrated and convoluted country blues. In 1959 he recorded the album, Blind Joe Death. Throughout the 1960s, guitar players listened to the album with reverence, entranced by its dark aura and raw emotional power. Fahey subsequently formed Takoma Record company, and released another 40 albums through the course of his career, including two additional staples of the 1960s, The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death and Death Chants, Breakdowns, and Military Waltzes. His self-described American Primitive style, which drew from the techniques of such pioneer bluesman as Skip James, Bukka White, and Charlie Patton, explored the harmonic richness of combinations of open strings and basic chord voicings, first anticipating, and then later, re-capitulating late twentieth century alternative rock. While remaining rooted in this approach, Fahey always exhibited a spirit of adventure and, through the years, incorporated elements of raga, ragtime, gospel, jazz, and free improvisation. Peter Lang is a brilliant fingerstylist whose emotive style was first brought to the public by Takoma. From Nashville, percussive fingerpicker extraordinaire, Michael Gulezian, recorded for Takoma before founding his own Timbreline Records. From Portland, Oregon, bluesman Terry Robb was a frequent duet partner on Fahey's albums and in concert. Master of free improvisation, Berkeley-based Henry Kaiser offers a delightfully twisted interpretation of Fahey's vision. Based in Cambridge, Glenn Jones founded the instrumental psych band, Cul de Sac, which combined elements of fingerpicked guitar, electronics, and rock 'n' roll. The band's 1996 album, The Epiphany of Glenn Jones, is a collaboration with John that has been described variously as "a hellish sensory deprivation experiment," "a psycho-drama," and "a morality play." Bay Area native, Phil Kellogg, an adventurous fingerpicker who often opened shows for Fahey, organized tonight's event with generous assistance from John's friends and family.