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Entirely self taught, Gary started to play the guitar when he was eleven years old. Appearing professionally in country bands at just twelve. He was voted Best Country Guitarist one three occasions and looked set to become a Nashville legend with an early elevation to the Country Music Hall of Fame.
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His path towards jazz started when a friend gave him a recording of Django Reinhardt when he was fifteen. This had an immediate impact on him and from then on he decided to make jazz his career. He has won many awards for jazz and is regarded as one of the best jazz guitarists in the world, regularly appearing at major guitar festivals worldwide.
Gary's musical experience is extensive and covers Jazz, Country, Classical, Pop, Funk and Blues and his versatility is renowned and respected as a player of all these music genres.
He is a virtuoso in Country fingerpicking, his unique approach to finger style having developed when he was fifteen, after a visit to see Segovia. Later, playing with Country bands, he discovered that playing finger style was as natural to him as using a pick.
More recently, Gary has embarked on arranging and composing.
He is an accomplished teacher of music, giving workshops worldwide.
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Gary has released five CDs to date and was the first amongst Gypsy Jazz musicians to record a DVD - "Hotter than Hot"
National Arts Awards for Jazz - British Country Music Award
British Jazz Awards 1994 - Guitar Section - Second