Few performers wield a Guild acoustic guitar as dazzlingly and entertainingly as Milwaukee native Willy Porter.

A Porter performance simply must be seen and heard to be

Few performers wield a Guild acoustic guitar as dazzlingly and entertainingly as Milwaukee native Willy Porter.

A Porter performance simply must be seen and heard to be believed, because while he is charmingly unassuming off stage, he’s something else entirely when show time rolls around. Onstage, Porter masterfully combines the skills of a virtuoso musician, an eloquent poet, an agile athlete, a genuinely funny comedian and even a pretty good dancer. As if conventional methods of playing guitar aren’t enough, he seems to have invented some new ones of his own—coaxing sounds out of his instrument not only by picking it and strumming it, but also by tapping it, knocking it, looping it and more (incredibly, he even sings while he’s doing all that stuff with his hands).

Porter has logged many miles across North America and Europe since his first album, The Trees Have Soul, was released in 1990. At first, he crisscrossed the length and breadth of the land in his Volkswagen, dazzling all with his chops and selling CDs out of the trunk. Second album Dog Eared Dream appeared in 1994, showing considerable artistic growth and achieving some radio success with the song “Angry Words.”

Porter signed to Private Music/BMG in 1995; U.S. and European tours with Rickie Lee Jones, Tori Amos and the Cranberries followed over the next year and a half. He signed with San Francisco-based Six Degrees Records in 1999 and released folk-pop gem Falling Forward, after which he toured with artists including Paul Simon, Sting, Jeff Beck and Jethro Tull.

In 2002, Porter released Willy Porter, yet another collection of fiery acoustic work and exemplary songwriting; 2003 brought solo live album High Wire Live, which showcased his mastery of acoustic guitar and command of solo performance. Porter continued to stretch over the next couple of years; morphing performance art, live audio looping and improvisational sketch comedy into his solo appearances.

Porter’s experiences at major and independent labels ultimately drove him to found his own imprint, Weasel Records, in 2005. That year, he released Available Light, which featured the Willy Porter Band and was recorded at Porter’s own Engine Room studio in Milwaukee.

Porter has long avowed allegiance to his beloved Guild Valencia model, although he is now often seen playing the Guild Willy Porter Signature model, introduced in summer 2007 after several years of direct collaboration between Porter and Guild designers.