Greg Olson is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and songwriter exploring musics of many styles and cultures.

Greg began his musical journey performing on guitar, playing rock and acoustic finger picking styles. Music influences include folk, rock, blues, reggae, and world music.  Formative Caribbean influences included traveling the west end of Jamaica with a local acoustic band in the early 70’s and touring through the Carolinas with the Trinidadian soca band, Rollie Gray and Sunfire in the 80’s. These influences led Greg to the Asheville based rock reggae band, One Straw, and the world rock band, Jibblin, in the 2000’s. 

A long term collaboration with Wayne Kirby in the last twenty five years resulted in the experimental electro-acoustical group, Sons of Another Planet, performing “metaterrestrial soul music” with invented tuning and rhythmic systems based on the physics of nature. Additionally, Greg is also a long time member of the spoken word band, Thomas Rain Crowe and the Boatrockers. Through the last fifty years he has performed and composed on guitar, banjo, mandolin, ukelele, ngoni, mbira, harmonica, Native American flutes, synthesizers, and Continuum. As an audio engineer and producer, he has released original instrumentals and songs incorporating his many influences.

“As it was, so it is folding into real.”

Featured Albums

Songs of Love and Longing

Songs spanning fifty years exploring spiritual, seductive, and generational love and longing of people and place through folk and world music instruments and voice.

Released November 26, 2022
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Greg Olson- vocals, guitars, mandolin, Native American flutes, harmonicas, mbira, ngoni, continuum, hand claps, slap top box
Tony Creasman- drums, body slaps, wood block, shakers
River Guerguerian- drums, frame drum
David Cohen- congas
Mixed by Chris Rosser at Hollow Reed
Mastered by David Glasser at Airshow Mastering
Photo by Rosalind

All songs by Greg Olson ©2022

Speaking to the Water

A collection of instrumental solo guitar compositions featuring alternate tunings in a fluid sequence.

Released November 26, 2022
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Greg Olson- guitar
Bill Halverson- producer and engineer

All compositions by Greg Olson ©1995