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Brent McPike
B.G. McPike's original tunes combined with the swinging violin of Carolyn Dutton cooks up the saucy sounds of the Blues, spiced with some hip Latin grooves.
About Me
Brent Gordon McPike got his first full-time performing experience in 1987 as a guitarist at
Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. He had been selected (one of about 6 guitarists
from across the Eastern half of the U.S.) by Busch Entertainment Corporation's travelling
audition tour the previous autumn at his alma mater, Butler University. The following
summer, while working at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan, he got the opportunity to
perform live on public radio, WBLV (Michigan), with jazz clarinet legend Buddy DeFranco.
Since the 1980's he has been widely in demand as classical guitarist, jazz guitarist,
chamber musician, pit orchestra member, and instructor. McPike spent most of the 1990's
at Indiana University in Bloomington where he studied with Ernesto Bitetti, David Baker,
Luis Zea, and was coached in chamber music by such notable musicians as Helga Winold,
Franco Gulli, Eugene Rousseau, and Rastislav Dubinski.
While in Bloomington, Indiana Brent McPike became close friends with Brazilian guitar
virtuoso/composer/arranger, Marcos Cavalcante. He played guitar in Cavalcante's Choro
Band from 1993-1995, and in 1994 they gave a very successful performance at the first-
ever Lotus World Music Festival - helping to establish that event as one of America's most
important world music festivals. He has performed at numerous museums, colleges, and
festivals since. He also directed Indiana University's Young Guitarists Program from
1995-2001.
In 2001 McPike began his association with award-winning violinist, Carolyn Dutton, a
former regular on the NYC scene, and they continue to perform and record occasionally.
That same year he moved to Terre Haute, Indiana where he serves as guitar instructor and
guitar ensemble director at Indiana State University. Since living in Terre Haute he has
performed for the Summerstage theater (now the Crossroads Repertory Theater), engaged
in many performances for Arts Illiana, played numerous events with steel drum virtuoso
Jimmy Finnie, and was the guest soloist for the Terre Haute Symphony's 80th Anniversary
Gala Celebration Concert in the Fall of 2006.
McPike's interest in writing music was aided by studies in compostion, counterpoint,
and orchestration with Pulitzer prize runner-up Michael Schelle, and by
performing in a composition recital for a student of 1992 Pulitzer
Prize winner Wayne Peterson. Twelve of B.G. McPike's original
works are on the newly released CD: B.G. McPike and
The Haute Club, Smooth Landing, and McPike
performed several of those with guitarist Dan Sumner
at The Eitleljorg Museum in Downtown Indianapolis for
the Indiana Society of the Classical Guitar in November, 2007.
In his current efforts he desires to contribute on the
artistic front to the 'Downtown Renaissance' of
Terre Haute, Indiana - his home town of the last several years.