Liona Boyd

Liona Maria Carolynne Boyd, CM, O.Ont ( born July 11, 1949 in London ) is a Canadian guitarist. At the age of eight years she moved with her parents to Canada. At 14, she wanted a guitar for Christmas. After Boyd had attended a concert by the guitarist Julian Bream, she decided to master the guitar. In her youth she took guitar lessons with Eli Kassner, Narciso Yepes, Alirio Diaz, Julian Bream and legendary guitarist Andrés Segovia.

Boyd received her bachelor's degree at the University of Toronto, where she also won the first prize in the Canadian National Music Competition. After two years of private study with Alexandre Lagoya in Paris Boyd returned to North America and recorded her first album for Boot / London Records.

In 1986, she recorded her successful album Persona, which has a mix of rock, new age and classical music, represented, along with guitarist David Gilmour of Pink Floyd and Eric Clapton.

Boyd is also known by the nickname "The First Lady of the Guitar".