Eric Madis began his musical journey during the early 1960s, a journey that has taken him from coffeehouses, to the blues clubs of Chicago, to the honky-tonks of Dallas, to clubs, concerts and recording studios of the Rocky Mountain West and Pacific Northwest. As a soloist and a bandleader, Eric has developed both his acoustic music and his electric ensemble music to a high level in a lifelong commitment to excellence and mastery. He has also worked as an accompanist to numerous recording artists, from (Chicago blues greats) Big Walter Horton and Sunnyland Slim, to Hawaiian greats Irmgaard Aluli, Kekua Fernandes and Bill Tapia, to many of the Pacific Northwest's finest blues, swing and jazz artists. Eric has been a studio musician since 1979, appearing on numerous recordings and composing music for film soundtracks. He was a finalist in the New Folk Awards at the 1981 Kerrville National Folk Festival and a finalist in the 1991 Seattle Guitar Starz competition. He has received 16 nominations from the Washington Blues Society for best acoustic guitar, best recording, best group and best writer. As a respected guitar instructor and ethnomusicologist since 1975, Eric has guest lectured at the University of Illinois and has taught numerous workshops at University of Washington's Experimental College, Denver Free University, NW Folklife Festival and Dusty Strings Music. He is currently on the faculty of the National Guitar Workshop. Eric has released five recordings: Nine Shades of Blue (1991), Traveling Light (1997), Third Step (2002), Wood, Wires & Bone (2003), and The Dues Will Never Be Paid in Full (2009), which have received numerous nominations, enthusiastic publication reviews and airplay on Pacific Northwest radio stations. Eric's acoustic guitar instrumentals have consistently been among people's favorite tunes on his recordings, regardless of fans' individual musical preferences. These instrumental compositions are a true representation of Eric's musicianship, since they reflect his tendency to create and innovate with the skills that he has acquired from his years of studying traditional musical styles.