Doyle Dykes is unequivocally one of today’s brightest-shining stars within the arena of fingerstyle guitar. In an era where indulgent, new age droning has become passé, Dykes has breathed new life into the form of contemporary acoustic guitar, amalgamating flamenco fire, sparkling balladic harmonics, virtuosic tremolo, molten-hot single-note passages, and southern alternating bass techniques into a form of all-too-rare steel-string ascendancy. But he is not just another in-your-face technician; his compositions teem with aggressive originality, and his takes on standard hymns are enough to convert even the most jaded listener. In a nutshell, Dykes draws deeply from his well of spiritual and musical influences, and pours out fresh water—music that both transfixes our ears and captivates our hearts. But Dykes’ ride to relative stardom has not been overnight.

Growing up in Jacksonville, Florida, Dykes was surrounded by a musical family. Receiving his first guitar in his early teens, he immediately went to work, extricating licks from his favorite records, including a lot of Chet Atkins and Merle Travis. Though he flirted with the singer/songwriter mode of expression, Dykes felt the strongest resonance when playing unaccompanied guitar. In his mid-teens, he added the banjo to his repertoire, and peppered his formidable guitar playing with banjospeak, engrafting frailing and rapid-fire chromatic single-note techniques. Traveling with his family, Dykes attracted increasing attention. He ultimately joined and toured with a gospel group called The Crusaders, then took a job touring with The Stamps, Elvis’ former backup band. Disenchanted with some of the backstage antics, he returned home to Jacksonville, Florida, got a day job, and married Rita, his high school sweetheart.

Though Dykes settled into a nine-to-five routine, Providence was lurking around the corner. Setting off a chain reaction of ripe opportunities, ‘Hee Haw’ senior statesman Grandpa Jones performed at a festival near Dykes’ hometown. Invited to audition, Dykes lost no time in trying out for Grandpa’s band and was subsequently hired. This was Dykes’ link to the Grand Ole Opry, where he later shared the stage with many of his long-time heroes, including Chet Atkins, Merle Travis, and Tennessee Ernie Ford.

Feeling restless, however, Dykes felt his church-roots beckoning. With the blessing of Grandpa Jones, he left to begin his own ministry as a pastor in Jacksonville, simultaneously playing occasional tour dates. He soon realized that his instrumental music was reaching people, so he dedicated himself to ministering solely through his six-string companion, playing stunning solo renditions of such hymns as Amazing Grace and The Lord’s Prayer. However, Dykes soon became frustrated again, as he found preaching to the choir too confining. He sought to minister, yet desired a larger audience. One night, while pouring his heart out in prayer Dykes told God that he wanted to be a musician, not a preacher/evangelist. "I felt a presence in the room," Dykes recounts, "and a very warm feeling came over me that let me know this was going to happen."