Patty Larkin

Patty Larkin is a central figure in the late 20th-century American folk revival, specifically within the influential Boston music scene. A Berklee College of Music alumna, her sound identity is rooted in a level of technical guitar proficiency rarely seen in the singer-songwriter genre.

She is known for 'slap-steel' and percussive fingerstyle techniques that incorporate jazz harmonies into a folk-rock framework. Her career arc moved from the humorous, topical songwriting of her early days to more atmospheric, sonically adventurous territory in the 1990s and 2000s. As a founding member of Four Bitchin' Babes and the producer of the La Guitara compilation, she has been a vocal advocate for female instrumentalists, challenging gendered assumptions about technical skill. Critical consensus highlights her as a 'guitarist's guitarist' who never sacrifices emotional resonance for virtuosity. Her influence can be seen in the technical acoustic movements of the 2000s and among peers like Patty Griffin and Shawn Colvin who bridge the gap between traditional folk and sophisticated adult alternative pop.