British acoustic guitarist Clive Carroll is one of the world’s premier fingerstyle players, praised by Total Guitar Magazine as one of the most accomplished fingerstylists performing today. Raised on Irish, American country, and old-time music, Carroll’s musical curiosity led him through soul, pop, funk, and classical guitar — studying the etudes of Tárrega alongside the riffs of Slayer and Nirvana. He went on to earn a First Class Honours Degree in Composition and Guitar from Trinity College of Music in London.

A pivotal meeting with English guitar legend John Renbourn launched Carroll’s international career, with Renbourn calling his debut album Sixth Sense a milestone for the steel-string guitar. Carroll has since toured extensively across five continents and collaborated with Tommy Emmanuel, John Williams, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Xuefei Yang, and Ralph Towner, among others. He appears on Emmanuel’s album Accomplice One alongside Mark Knopfler and Rodney Crowell.

Carroll has released four solo albums and composed music for television and film. His 2023 double album The Abbot: Clive Carroll Plays the Music of John Renbourn features 21 guest musicians and a medieval ensemble, and was described by Now Spinning Magazine as a rich, immersive experience.