Press Kit
R.D. King is an award-winning fingerstyle guitarist and composer known for cinematic instrumental music and dynamic live performance.
“[King's] penchant for flair and lightning-quick fretboard work left me with my jaw on the floor.”
—Red Line Roots
“His style is...his own intricate, meticulous instrumental material that could be called pastoral psychedelia or cinematic folk. Either way, it’s a hell of a lot more energetic and epic.”
—New York Music Daily
“Here is fire, flourish, and every fancy thing: a melody that tears at the heart, runs that trace the tears we shed for those missing and lost, and an opening up of harmonic yearning that keeps us reaching for the sky.”
—Minor 7th Magazine
Bio
R.D. King is an award-winning fingerstyle guitarist, composer, and music educator based in Boston. A captivating and energetic performer, he blends technical virtuosity with cinematic, evocative instrumental music. King is a TEDx Cambridge performer, winner of the 2017 Canadian Guitar Festival’s International Fingerstyle Guitar Competition, and a finalist at the Walnut Valley Festival. He has opened for artists including Grammy-nominated Ari Hest, Andy McKee, and Liz Longley.
Inspired by literature, philosophy, art, and meditation, King uses instrumental music to explore modern anxiety, alienation, and the search for deeper meaning. He has released six albums of solo fingerstyle guitar music, most recently Songs of Spring (2023), and serves as an associate lecturer at UMass Boston.
Awards and Distinctions
Performing
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2019 Finalist, Walnut Valley Festival International Fingerstyle Guitar Competition
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2017 Winner, Canadian Guitar Festival International Fingerstyle Guitar Competition
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TedX Performer
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Candyrat Records Artist
Composing
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2024 Outstanding Achievement in Songwriting, Great American Songwriting Contest
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2024 Outstanding Achievement in Songwriting, Great American Songwriting Contest
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2023 Finalist, Instrumental Category, International Acoustic Music Awards
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2018 Winner, Instrumental Category, NewSong Showcase, Walnut Valley Festival
Teaching
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Associate Lecturer, UMass Boston
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Jamplay and TrueFire Guest Lecturer
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R.D. King Music, Owner
Notable Performances
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Fingerstyle Collective Festival (Morrilton, AK)
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Walnut Valley Music Festival (Winfield, KS)
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Monadnock Healing Arts Festival (Keene, NH)
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Boston Greenfest (Boston, MA)
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Celebrate Music Brookline Festival (Brookline, MA)
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The Center for the Arts in Natick (Natick, MA)
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TedX Cambridge (Cambridge, MA)
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D'Angelico Headquarters (New York, NY)
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Club Passim (Cambridge, MA)
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Rockwood Music Hall (New York, NY)
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The Spire Center (Plymouth, MA)
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Rockwell Davis Square Theater (Somerville, MA)
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Sherman Showcase (Stroudsburg, PA)
Videos
Photos
Photos © respective photographers. Press use permitted with credit as indicated in file name.
