Neil Young once claimed that folk singer Bert Jansch did for the acoustic guitar what Jimi Hendrix did for the electric guitar. Sounds hyperbolic till you listen to stuff like "Angie".
From its earliest days as a folikie in the early 1960s, to his folk rock band Pentangle and further, his influence was as great on Nick Drake as it was on Jimmy Page, and he was considered a major figure in the world of English folk.
Adept at most folk (he gave Richard Thompson and Fairport Convention a run for their money on tradional English folk), he remained imbedded in music, and had a reputation as a quiet man who let his music do the talking. If you're a newcomer try 1974's excellent L.A. Turnaround.
Bert Jansch died of lung cancer Tuesday at the age of 67.