Until later in his career, when he relocated to New York, William Foden rarely traveled far from his native St. Louis. He nonetheless gained a reputation as one of the finest guitar performers of his age. Known as the “Wizard of the Guitar”, Foden was especially renowned for his brilliant technique. He also was a popular composer and arranger, a sought-after teacher, and a frequent contributor to the BMG journals, writing regular columns for Cadenza, and later for its rival, Crescendo. He moved to New York in 1911 to join forces with mandolinist Giuseppe Pettine and banjoist Fred Bacon in “The Big Trio,” a group described by Jeffrey Noonan as “BMG royalty.”[1]

Copyright 2009, David K. Bradford