Billy McLaughlin is an American new age acoustic guitarist, composer and producer.

Background

McLaughlin, of Irish ancestry, graduated with honors from the University of Southern California. He is one of nine children. In 1998, Mclaughlin began noticing symptoms of focal dystonia, a neurological condition which severely limits his ability to play guitar. He began retraining himself to play left-handed, ultimately developing a tapping style holding the neck of the guitar toward his right shoulder. A documentary entitled Changing Keys was made about this phase of his career. He returned to performing publicly in 2006, both solo and with his band. During his December 2006 concerts with Simple Gifts, the sextet he formed in 2002 to play Christmas music, he performed the hammering style left-handed and more traditional strumming style right-handed, using separate sets of guitars tuned for the manner in which he was playing. McLaughlin is a voluntary ambassador for the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation.

Performance

McLaughlin has toured around the United States since before 1988, and also performs in Japan and across Europe. The National Association for Campus Activities has awarded McLaughlin with three National Campus Entertainer of the Year Awards (Jazz) and a Hall of Fame Achievement Award.

Discography

With The Billy McLaughlin Group

Compilation appearances

Accolades

McLaughlin received the 2010 Public Leadership in Neurology Award from the American Academy of Neurology.