Craig Claxton

Craig Claxton is an Australian born Guitarist Singer Songwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years he has played or recorded with artists as diverse as Robben Ford, Mick Hadley, Carol Lloyd, The Purple Hearts, Wendy Saddington, Chris Wilson, Tim Gaze, Barry Sullivan and Barry Harvey(Chain), Kim Durant and Caroline Hammond.
A lot was happening in 1959... 
Gibson produced the 'burst Les Paul Standard which would would go on to be the most highly sought after and valuable solid body electric guitar of all time. Castro came to power in Cuba.  The Cold War is in full swing and there was a constant, looming threat of a global, nuclear holocaust. The Dalai Lama was forced to flee Tibet. NASA introduces America's first astronauts to the world. The US Grammy Music Awards Started and another baby boomer kid , Craig Claxton was born into a largely placid & suburban existence in Brisbane, Australia. 
"I remember hearing the Beatles on the radio for the first time in the mid sixties and thinking whoa!... what was that?  "
Pretty soon (courtesy of an older brother with a great record collection) Craig was exposed to Jimi Hendrix, Cream, The Rolling Stones, Santana, Led Zeppelin, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Jethro Tull, Frank Zappa and much more. Soon he started looking deeper into the music that inspired the 'British invasion'. Blues was well and truly on the radar. Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy and Robert Johnson to name just a few. By his late teens he had discovered jazz via Miles Davis, Django Reinhardt, Weather Report, John McLaughlin and Mike Stern, Steve Khan, Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour and Robben Ford. Attending Griffith University from 1977 thru 1980 Craig (amongst other things) discovered the music of Steely Dan! That's rock music? What a revelation! 
Craig got his first guitar aged 8 and never looked back. By age 12 he was teaching at the local guitar academy of music and playing gigs around town.
Since 1972 Craig has performed with many Australian bands including Karma, Spellbound, Speakeasy, The Pedestrians, No No No, The Last Shout, The Electric Blue Chameleons, The Atomic Boogie Band, The Mercurys and his own band over the past several years The Barbarians. Craig appeared in a series of 'Celebration of Guitar' concerts featuring US session legend Louie Shelton and Australian greats Peter Cupples, Kirk Lorange, Cameron Ford and  Michael Fix. As well as 2000+ live gigs Craig has been in demand for recording sessions for Albums, TV, Cinema and Radio, as well as teaching and running guitar workshops, which have included many legendary guitarists including Robben Ford, Mike Stern, Bob Brozman, Louie Shelton, Phil Emmanuel, Eric Johnson, The Hellecasters, Billy Sheehan, Tony McManus, Kirk Lorange, Jim Kelly, Rex Goh, James Muller, Michael Fix, Flying Burrito Brother John Beland, Tim Gaze and many more.. 
His lifelong love of guitar grew into him opening 'Guitar Brothers' Australia's premier guitar shop in 2006..... Guitar Brothers has become a destination for international and local guitarists alike, stocking some of the world's finest new and vintage guitar gear.