he has regularly accompanied folk legend Tom Paxton, who considers him one of the world's best guitar players, and Bartley was instrumental in the creation of the 2004 Tom Paxton signature model Martin guitar. Can Tab Lounge and the bluegrass connection In 1991, he began hosting a folk singer-songwriter open mic at the Can Tab Lounge in Cambridge every Monday evening. The success of the folk open mic led the venue asked him in 1993 to host Tuesday evenings as well, and he decided to make that a bluegrass event. Bluegrass Tuesdays eventually became what master fiddler and Berklee professor of music Matt Glaser called "the epicenter of bluegrass in Boston," and multiple bluegrass bands have met each other and gained experience through jamming in the Cantab's basement and stairwells and performing on its stage. In 2016, the Boston Bluegrass Union recognized Bartley's contributions to bluegrass with its Industry Heritage Award. Songwriting A widely respected and prize-winning songwriter and composer, Bartley's songs have been recorded by numerous artists and licensed for film and television. His song "Sunny Side of Town" won the 2015 Podunk Bluegrass Festival Songwriters Competition. His recordings Put the Big Stone Down (2009) and Mercy for the Dispossessed (2011) both reached number one on the international Folk DJ Radio chart. Through his open mics, he has been a mentor to many aspiring songwriters. The folk press has called him a world-class guitarist, a brilliant songwriter, and the prophet and spiritual godfather of the Boston folk scene. Discography Blues Beneath the Surface (1984) Interstates (1986) I Am the Heart (1989) One Kind Word (1998) Hear That Wind Howl (1999) Bones and Breath (with Timothy Mason) (2003) Interstates (2005) Blackbirds in the Pie (2008) Put The Big Stone Down (2010) Mercy for the Dispossessed (2011) Uncle Wiggly's Bicycle Ride (2015) Particles of Light (September 2016) References External links Official Website AllMusic – Geoff Bartley Geoff Bartley Music video channel 1948 births Living people American folk guitarists American male guitarists American folk musicians Fast Folk artists American singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters American blues singers American blues guitarists Waterbug Records artists