Pete Huttlinger

Huttlinger suffered a second stroke on January 11, 2016, and died four days later at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center at the age of 54. He resided in Nashville, Tennessee. He was married to Erin Morris-Huttlinger.

In 2013 he released the long-awaited McGuire's Landing Project during a house concert on his birthday in Baltimore, Maryland. He was a regularly featured performer with the Nashville Chamber Orchestra and had appeared with a number of other symphonies.

In 2007, Huttlinger made his debut at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. He was invited back in 2008 and made his first appearance there as a solo artist. He performed again at Carnegie Hall on January 9, 2010.

In November 2010, Huttlinger suffered a stroke, paralyzing his right side and making him lose the ability to speak. Despite his recovery, Huttlinger eventually suffered end-stage heart failure, the result of congenital cardiac abnormalities. He was airlifted to the Texas Heart Institute in Houston, where he was outfitted with a heart pump known as a VAD (Ventricular Assist Device) and spent the next four months in the hospital recovering. He took what he learned from surviving both a major stroke and end-stage heart failure and turned it into "Don't Just Live, Live Well," a presentation on how he overcame what seemed to be insurmountable obstacles. "Don't Just Live, Live Well" was embraced by audiences.

As a recording artist Huttlinger released numerous albums and received wide-acceptance ranging from his critically acclaimed Naked Pop to Things Are Looking Up. In 2009 (on Instar Records) Huttlinger released Fingerpicking Wonder: The Music of Stevie Wonder. His most current release (2013) "McGuire's Landing" was a CD plus a short story that was written by Huttlinger.

In 2004, 2007 and 2010, he was invited to participate in both of Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festivals. Huttlinger also made appearances as a side-man. He toured with John Denver for many years and appears with Country/Pop superstar LeAnn Rimes, including the BBC Television’s “Live From Abbey Road,” a series taped at the famous London studios, and ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars.”

During the early 1990s, guitarist John Denver’s tour manager and producer Kris O’Connor heard Huttlinger on another project and recommended him to join Denver's band. Huttlinger toured, recorded and performed on television with Denver from 1994 until the singer’s death in 1997.

Peter John Huttlinger (June 22, 1961 – January 15, 2016) was an American guitarist. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Huttlinger was a Nashville studio artist. In 2000, he won the National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas. He performed around the world with such artists as John Denver, LeAnn Rimes and many others. As a solo artist, he performed across the U.S. and Europe.