[Leo Kottke onstage playing "Rings"]

Leo Kottke, who has been referred to as "quite possibly the greatest guitarist on earth," will give a special performance at McCurdy Pavilion on October 5, at 7:30 pm. Listen to Kottke’s classic hard-driving tune "Vaseline Machine Gun" here.

"Once you fall prey to Kottke’s rollicking groove, it’s hard to deny its allure, year after year," writes critic Josef Woodward. "He doesn’t sweat the small stuff. It’s all about an energy force, captured in well-honed musical terms."

Kottke’s unique sytle of music draws on blues, jazz, and folk music influences. Growing up in Muskogee, Oklahoma, Kottke played trombone and violin before moving to the guitar. A mishap with a firecracker permanently damaged his hearing in one ear, a condition that would be exacerbated during firing practice during his service in the Navy.

After receiving his discharge, Kottke attended St. Cloud State University in central Minnesota where he was known for skipping class and instead going to the auditorium and playing his guitar for hours on end!

He calls his guitar playing "fussin’" with the guitar. And sometimes during performances, his mind floats off the stage, he says. "It just plain leaves," he says. "Gone until the night’s over. There’s no room for me. Sometimes when I come back I don’t have a clue where I’ve been, I mean, while I was playing. Where I go when I’m gone is another story. I’m not there, either."

Kottke has collaborated on his records with his mentor John Fahey, as well as with Chet Atkins, Lyle Lovett, Margo Timmins, and Rickie Lee Jones. He is also a frequent guest on A Prairie Home Companion. For Tickets to the October 5 show, call Centrum toll-free at 800.733.3608 or 360.385.3102, x117 or visit our secure online Acteva site.