French-Algerian acoustic guitar virtuoso, vocalist, and composer Pierre Bensusan—affectionately nicknamed “Mister DADGAD”—has been captivating audiences around the world for five decades with his deeply personal sound and breathtaking technique.
Winner of the Independent Music Award for his triple live album Encore and voted Best World Music Guitarist by Guitar Player Magazine readers, Pierre is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of our time.
When Michael Hedges titles one of his compositions “Bensusan”, you know that the inspiration behind it must be special and Pierre Bensusan certainly is. Guitarists from Leo Kottke to Larry Corryel, to Tuck Andress, Tommy Emmanuel, Mark Knopfler, Andrew York, Andy Timmons, to Steve Lukather… have sung his praises, and Steve Vai released three Bensusan albums on his label Favored Nations. And it's not just guitarists who are so inspired by Pierre's music, as a recent studio collaboration with him on Donny Osmond’s latest album “Start Again” goes to show.
Self-taught on guitar after beginning as a pianist, Pierre pioneered a singular approach to the DADGAD tuning, fusing traditional, contemporary, jazz, classical, and world music into something unmistakably his own. His live performances are both intimate and orchestral, weaving intricate counterpoint, dazzling harmony, and soulful improvisation into an experience that is at once virtuosic and profoundly moving.
Since his debut in 1974, Pierre has sold over half a million albums and played thousands of concerts across the globe, earning honors such as the Rose d’Or at the Montreux Festival and the Grand Prix of the Independent Music Awards. His music, described as “almost sacred,” invites listeners on a journey that stirs the heart, challenges the mind, and leaves the spirit renewed.
“For me, Pierre can only justly be compared to someone of the stature of Keith Jarrett; so total is his mastery of the solo instrument, his dazzling harmony, his many innovations, and his deft command of counterpoint, the jazz idiom, folk expression, and all genres between and beyond. An entire history unfolds as he plays. But really, like Jarrett, the emotional depth – and this is where true artistry often likes to live – of many of his songs and compositions is all, well, breathtaking. With only his steel-string-acoustic guitar – and sometimes his rich, affecting voice – Mr Bensusan can disassemble your heart and hand it back to you restored and renewed. As he did to mine tonight. A true giant.”
James Volpe Rotondi (editor at Guitar Player Magazine)
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