Born in Italy during the mid-1950s, self-taught guitarist Peppino D'Agostino first encountered the instrument when he watched his cousin perform and immediately developed a fixation that prompted him to persuade his mother to purchase an inexpensive model. After taking only a handful of lessons he chose to proceed on his own, devoting himself to Italian pop numbers and flamenco pieces. By the time he reached 18 he had mastered music notation and begun writing original solo works. His debut release, Bluerba, appeared in Italy in 1981 and quickly established his reputation for extraordinary technical command. Following several additional domestic albums he relocated to the United States in pursuit of further opportunities. He spent time performing as a street musician until 1993, when his first American album, Close to the Heart, received an enthusiastic audience response. That exposure led to the publication of composition collections, the creation of instructional videos, and a soundtrack contribution to the 1997 Italian film Ardena. In 1998 he issued the predominantly acoustic A Glimpse of Times Past on Rykodisc/Polygram, marking his broadest U.S. distribution up to that time. The 2002 album Every Step of the Way followed, offering a genre-blending survey that ranged from flamenco jazz to rustic folk. Bayshore Road appeared in 2005 as a collaboration with electric virtuoso Stef Burns on Steve Vai’s Favored Nations Entertainment imprint.
