William Eaton is a

New Age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars conside ...

guitarist and

luthier A luthier ( ; AmE also ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments that have a neck and a sound box. The word "luthier" is originally French and comes from the French word for lute. The term was originally used for makers o ...

, known for building unique instruments, particularly

harp guitar The harp guitar is a guitar-based stringed instrument generally defined as a "guitar, in any of its accepted forms, with any number of additional unstopped strings that can accommodate individual plucking." The word "harp" is used in reference to ...

s. Eaton is currently the director of the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery. In 2015, Eaton was conferred the Governor of Arizona Arts Award. Eaton lives in

Sedona Sedona is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2010 census, its population was 10,031. It is within the Coconino National Fo ...

, Arizona.

Biography

In 1971 Eaton lived in Tempe, Arizona, where he was trying to sell guitars he had built. He met John Roberts, a luthier from Phoenix, who would later found the Roberto-Venn school. His interaction with Roberts sparked his interest in building guitars, and a short while later he built a guitar in Roberts' shop. Eaton went on to complete an MBA at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

in 1975. He returned to Tempe after this, and accepted a position as instructor at the newly established Roberto-Venn school. He designed his first harp guitar in 1976, which he called a 26-string guitar. Based on a standard guitar design, it had extra strings stretched over the body. Many of his instruments have been featured in museums, including the Hollywood Bowl Museum. The instruments he designs, builds and plays include unique instruments like the "koto harp guitar," and the double-necked "o'ele 'n strings". He is based in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

. The "o'ele 'n strings" have two sets of strings over a carved and engraved body, inspired by an ''

armoire A wardrobe or armoire or almirah is a standing closet used for storing clothes. The earliest wardrobe was a chest, and it was not until some degree of luxury was attained in regal palaces and the castles of powerful nobles that separate accommo ...

''. Eaton has released 16 recordings on the

Canyon Records Canyon Records of Phoenix, Arizona is a record label that has produced and distributed Native American music for 56 years. History Canyon was founded in 1951 by Ray and Mary Boley, who had opened the first recording studio in Phoenix, Arizona ...

label, including several with collaborators. Four of these are with members of the "William Eaton ensemble," which he leads. He has been nominated for four

Grammy awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

. Eaton has collaborated for more than 25 years with Native American flutist Carlos Nakai. The music they write is often inspired by the culture and landscape of the southwestern United States, and has been described as "haunting, highly resonant, and riginal"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eaton, William (guitarist) Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American experimental guitarists American male guitarists Male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians