Instructors - Great Guitar Camp Jan 16-18, 2026
Whether you’re ready to learn some new chords, get your fingers strolling up and down the guitar neck, or just want to jam out on some favorite tunes, there’s an instructor who can make it happen!
Danny Gotham’s musical roots spread deep and broad, a master flatpicking and fingerpicking instrumentalist, cutting his musical teeth playing in various rock, jazz, blues, bluegrass and country bands. In 1980, Gotham took Second Place in the prestigious National Fingerpicking Guitar Championship in Winfield, KS. His musical collaborations include accompanist to the great folksinger Tom Paxton and original "Prairie Home Companion" music director, Peter Ostroushko. As a teacher, he has maintained an extensive private student roster, and, since 1974, conducted numerous workshops in the US and Canada. Gotham, along with Jane Peppler and Bob Vasile, founded Picknbow in 2011.
Danny teaches flat-pick, fingerstyle guitar technique, repertoire, and arranging.
Jon Shain, from Durham, NC, is a veteran singer-songwriter who’s been turning heads for years with his words, fiery acoustic guitar work, and evolved musical style that combines improvised Piedmont blues with bluegrass, swing, and ragtime. In 2019, Shain won the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN in the solo/duo category. Jon has released nine solo albums to date, along with two albums with duo partner FJ Ventre, a Jon Shain Trio live album, and one album of co-writes with Joe Newberry. Shain’s newest album, Restless Soul Syndrome, recorded at Good Luck Studios was released April 9, 2024 and went to #5 on the Folk Radio chart.
Shain is also the author of the music books ‘Gettin’ Handy With the Blues – a Tribute to the Legacy of W.C. Handy’ and ‘Jon Shain’s Fingerstyle Guitar Method’, both published by Mel Bay. Jon is the Teaching Workshop Coordinator at Picknbow and teaches classes in songwriting, fingerstyle guitar, blues, and improvisation.
Jon teaches all aspects of guitar technique, slide, songwriting, and blues.
Multi-instrumentalist Charles Pettee plays mandolin, octave mandolin, guitar, banjo, and harmonica. He is a founding member of the internationally touring Flying Fish recording artist, The Shady Grove Band, composing the lion’s share of their original songs. During his 30-year career as a full-time professional musician, Mr. Pettee has traversed North America, Canada, and Europe logging over 7,000 performances, and racking up some 13 albums to date with his bands, collaborations, and solo projects, which showcase nearly 100 of his compositions. Charles also has a strong commitment to music education, especially that of children and youth. He has been a teaching artist in schools throughout North and South Carolina, as well as offering private instruction on mandolin and guitar. Charles and his son, flatpicking wiz Jackson Pettee, look forward to the release of their first album “Slippery Hill Bluegrass” in December 2024.
Charles teaches flat-picking guitar technique, mandolin, and songwriting.
FJ VENTRE plays some of the most brilliant, kick-ass upright and electric bass you’ll ever see and sings honky-tonk and country-swing as if he’s borrowed Bob Will’s hat and string tie. He performs with numerous acts from The Triangle area, including Jon Shain, Wes Collins, and others. He’s also played with the Chris Stamey Group, the Swang Brothers, Rebecca and The Hi-Tones, Mel Melton and the Wicked Mojos, The Stars Explode, and Tom Maxwell. As a highly sought-after teacher of upright acoustic and electric bass, he’s one of the most popular music teachers in the area. Many local musicians, and nationally touring ones as well, have benefited from his decades of expertise as a recording engineer. His studio, Good Luck Studio, has recorded and mixed projects for Jon Shain, The Swang Brothers, Jeff Hart, Hailey Clark, The Infidels, Tad Walters, Tom Maxwell, and many others, including a number of Picknbow campers.
FJ teaches all levels of acoustic and electric bass as well as sound system use, home recording, and music theory.
Canadian blues artist Suzie Vinnick is known for her powerful voice, skilled guitar and bass playing, and engaging performance style. Over her career, she has earned 12 Maple Blues Awards, 2 Canadian Folk Music Awards, and 3 Juno Award nominations, reflecting her status as one of Canada’s top roots and blues performers. In the US, she has opened for blues legend John Hammond at Madison Square Park Conservancy, played New York’s Rockwood Music Hall as part of John Platt's On Your Radar series, and performed at the Listening Room Festival in St. Petersburg, Florida. Across Canada, she has performed with Burton Cummings, Blackie & the Rodeo Kings (with special guest Daniel Lanois), and opened for the Downchild Blues Band.
Her work has received international recognition as a finalist in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis and a two-time winner in the Blues category of the International Songwriting Competition. She has also received the CBC Saturday Night Blues Great Canadian Blues Award and the SiriusXM Canada Blues Artist of the Year Award. In 2024, Suzie toured Europe, performing with Beppe Gambetta and Abbie Gardner in Genoa, Italy, and solo shows in Bern, Switzerland, and at the Eutin Blues Festival in Germany. She has toured with Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Café and the John McDermott Band and performed for Canadian Peacekeepers overseas. Her latest album is Fall Back Home.