Don Bikoff is an American acoustic fingerstyle guitar player from the greater NY area who is known for his American Primitive and authentic recreations of traditional Delta, Chicago, and Mississippi blues music. Don is well known for his Gibson J200 six-string in addition to a twelve-string and National Steel guitars. He first came onto the music scene in the early 1960s, where he began playing in coffee houses and music venues in Lancaster and Philadelphia, Pa. His first album, Celestial Explosion, was released in 1968 on Keyboard Records in New York City and was a compilation of raga-influenced and fingerstyle instrumentals with a heavy dose of effects characteristic of the times. Don could be seen on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour playing a cut from the album in May of 1968. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gvl38Ofebec). He also haunted many coffee houses in Greenwich Village during the mid-60s, meeting some of the music greats at the time, such as Dave Van Ronk, Dylan, Jose Feliciano, Phil Ochs, and more.

Having always played local venues through the years, Don then reappeared onto the global music scene in the early 2010s with a reconnection of his original album into the American Primitive scene. Thanks to Josh Rosenthal, Celestial Explosion was re-released by Tompkins Square Records, which sent Don back on the road with his love for music. His second album, Hallowed Ground, was self-released in 2014 to outstanding reviews by the music press and listeners alike. A short list of some of his venues and performances includes: Union Pool, Troost, Wonders of Nature, Baby’s All Right, all of Brooklyn fame. A few of the many festivals are: The Montauk Music Festival, Hopscotch (Raleigh, NC), 1000 Incarnations of the Rose (Tacoma Park, Md.), Music on the Great South Bay, and more.

He’s a yearly regular at The Bing Arts Center in Springfield, Ma., along with other “regulars”.

Discography: "Celestial Explosion", Keyboard Records 1968 "Hallowed Ground", 2015

References: “A Return Written in the Stars” Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323789704578445060787820572

Newsday https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/retirement/pickin-up-where-guitarist-left-off-1.6190159

“Graded on a Curve” http://www.thevinyldistrict.com/storefront/2013/03/graded-on-a-curve-don-bikoff-celestial-explosion/

“Dying for Bad Music” https://dyingforbadmusic.com/blog/post/2014/04/don-bikoff-hallowed-ground-2014.html

Don Bikoff