About
About George Pennington
George Pennington is a musician, educator, and composer.
Performer
George got his first guitar at about ten years old and it wasn’t long before he was immersed into the joy of studying music. Initially, George was called to the virtuosic and emotive guitar stylings of artists such as Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix. George continued studying guitar privately and began to form bands with classmates. With the help of supportive parents, as an early teen he started venturing out to local jams and gained experience playing with all different kinds of people. He began studying music theory, singing in choirs, acting in plays and musical theatre productions, and began performing his original music in various bands around Tampa Bay. George received his Bachelor’s of Science in Music Education from the University of South Florida in 2018. George has sang with the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay, participated in the GRAMMY Museum’s Music Revolution Project, has worked with guitar manufacturers by performing short compositions made to demonstrate their new instruments, has been a loyal writing, recording, and touring member with multiple original bands such as Troy Youngblood and the Soulfish, Displace, Funky D’s Deja Voodoo, BookHead SweetTooth. George has acted in various commercials, an HBO production, and a music biopic which received a national theatrical release. George’s career path as a hybrid between a performing artist and a music educator has afforded him great breadth in his professional and academic experiences. From jamming with Victor Wooten at NAMM, to developing and presenting a 12-week concert series at a local favorite music venue, to giving lectures around the US alongside his college professors in an all iPad band, to directing a high school mens a cappella group, to taking his original music on stage at musical festivals, to opening up for internationally touring artists such as Selwyn Birchwood and the Gipsy Kings – it is still George’s guitar playing that sets him apart and sets him at ease. George has released three albums, “Daydream Sequence”, “Strength and Song”, and most recently “American Odyssey”.
While at the University of South Florida, George received national recognition for his work in progressive music education. He was his university’s nomination for the Fulbright Scholarship, the Rhodes Scholarship, and the Truman Scholarship. Throughout his time at USF, George traveled the US giving advice to fellow music educators on incorporating student led contemporary music ensembles into modern music curriculums, digital instruments, and recording arts for music educators. George financed his college tuition by performing around the community, teaching a high school a cappella group, and teaching private guitar lessons.
George has performed at many music festivals and iconic music venues around the United States such as Gasparilla Music Festival, Suwannee Hulaween, Brainquility Music and Arts Festival, the legendary Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles, and more. In November 2022, Pennington opened for the Gipsy Kings at Ruth Eckerd Hall. George has collaborated with Michael Kelly Guitars, Washburn, Peavey, and Cort as a composer, performer, and social media personality. George wrote short pieces of music to be used for social media posts and spoke about different guitars on camera. George has also been featured as a guitarist in a national television commercial for cloud storage company Wasabi.
“Strength and Song” is George’s first full length album and was recorded all over the United States. It was recorded in Lala Mansion Studios, Springs Theatre, East West Studios in Los Angeles, and in the home studios of a few of the musicians on the album. Highlights from the record are “Primetime”, which is an upbeat, tight funk track with killer jazzy playing from some of the baddest in the City of Angels. “The Ghost Is Me” stands a part from the others as it features George on the piano. The more modern electronic influences and production can be heard in songs like “Presence”, and “Don’t Belong Here”. Another favorite from the record is “Borrowed Soul” which transitions from a full-speed-ahead hard rock sound to a mysterious, dark latin groove.
https://music.apple.com/us/album/strength-and-song/1644019213
In March of 2020, George released an album of classically inspired finger-style acoustic guitar music called “Daydream Sequence”. George developed his ability to record and engineer his own music from his home during this period. The album features a unique arrangement of J.S. Bach’s Cello Suite, synth and fingerstyle acoustic guitar soundscapes inspired by Salvador Dali in “Glimpses of Spain”, a daring piece of aleatoric music in “Again Begin”, and the title track is a five-movement sequence of musical daydreams that culminates with a mysterious homage to Wolfram Buchenberg’s choral masterpiece, “Lasst runs umkehren zum Herrn” which was a formative choral piece he sang while in the Chamber Singers at the University of South Florida. This album also features a live looping track, “Sunbear March” dedicated to his wolf dog Ollie Pennington.
Released on August 15th, 2025 “American Odyssey” is George’s third album and the first to feature all of his current bandmates in the Odyssey. The songs drew their inspiration from a period of about three years where George lived in Los Angeles and was trying to find his way out in the City of Angels. There were many triumphs and miracles throughout the journey and ultimately George’s return home to his hometown deepened his appreciation for both where he came from and his experiences out West. The leading single from the album, “Living in a Fantasy” features an especially modern approach. “Blues Drive” and “Heaven Focus” feature prominent guitar riffs and technical hits. Tunes such as “Things Are Gonna Change” and “Stand Alone” feature his horn section. There are two distinct ballads on the album, “Are You Listening?” and “Someday” on which George plays piano.
PERFORMER
EDUCATOR
