Jim Earp is an enthusiastic, 'righteous' six-stringer from San Diego, California (USA) who reveals his style as noveau-celtic-classical-folk, as one can clearly experience on his latest album, "Smiles To Go".  His favorite guitars include a Custom Rosewood 6-String Cutaway and a Steinberger GM. Earp has played guitar since 1973, and freely declares his career aspiration, "To be an established guitarist in the professional fingerstyle guitar community."
When requested to divulge his ultimate effect for the guitar, Earp came back with, "Compression. When used on two-handed "tapping" compositions, it helps even out the guitar's signal," and then pointed out his musicial goals, "Best offered in a quote from San Diego's SLAMM Magazine (5/15/96), "...The central vibe of (Rosewood) has a healthy, spiritual quality...Earp suceeds in giving his pieces unique identities...(his) lovely melodies and his gifted guitar playing meld into a sweet, finely crafted sound..." That quote reflects every goal I intend to reach with my music, both now and in the future." He fervently hopes to one day study the Uilleann pipes ("Davy Spillane is king!"), and is at this time listening to San Diego indie singer/songwriter and producer of his CD, Joe Mersch, Billy Mclaughlin, Bruce Cockburn and Riverdance . His primary fulfillment? "Honoring God," he affirms categorically.
 Earp concludes by listing continuing and future undertakings succinctly, by saying, "Released August 1999, my newest project is a solo instrumental follow-up to Rosewood entitled "Smiles To Go", which is available through Solid Air Records. Also available from Solid Air is a sampler entitled "Acoustic Guitar Highlights Volume II", where a track from Rosewood was included alongside cuts from, among others, Elton John's bandleader Davey Johnstone, The Hellecaster's John Jorgenson, and ex-Wings guitarist Laurence Juber."
Guitar Nine Records visitors have compared the playing style and/or musical approach of Jim Earp to guitarists such as Phil Keaggy and others.
Earp's discography (available here at Guitar Nine Records) includes several solo albums ("Rosewood", "Smiles To Go", "Be Thou My Vision") and participation on a number of other recordings (Joe Mersch "The Forbidden Anthems", Joe Mersch "Freestyle", San Diego Instrumentalists "Enough Talk, Acoustic Guitar Compilation, Vol. 1").
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