Rainer Ptacek

While never rising above cult status, especially in America, Rainer Ptacek did impact many fans of the blues, including some famous performers, during his brief recording career. He combined the traditional style of Robert Johnson with a dexterous finger-picking technique more reminiscent of a folk artist to form an original sound. His untimely death only increased his standing as one of the most distinctive blues players of the last generation. Ptacek was born of Czech descent in East Berlin in 1951, but his family relocated to Texas when he was five. That environment obvio...