Now in its 10th year, the event at Stamford Arts Centre, brings together players from far and wide for a weekend of concerts, talks and workshops.

This year's event will feature Andy Fairweather Low, Martin Simpson and Michael Chapman.

Andy Fairweather Low may not be a household name, but his break in '60s popsters Amen Corner (Bend Me, Shape Me), and his work with Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, Van Morrison and Bob Dylan makes him one of music's great unsung heroes.

The festival, from today until Sunday, will also feature talks on blues legend Blind Willie McTell, and workshops covering everything from the absolute basics of the guitar through to masterclasses in songwriting.

David Popple, of the festival, said: "We're thrilled, not to say relieved, to present another line-up of first-class guitar players from around the world.

"From the UK we have some of the finest from the North, the South, the Midlands and Wales, alongside visitors from South Africa and the US, and that includes well-known guitarists, ably complemented by less well-known players such as Kevin Brown, Guy Buttery and Steve Hicks . . . dare I say it – we're in for a treat!"

We spoke to Andy Fairweather Low about his appearance at the festival.

What can people expect from your appearance this weekend?

"A bit of everythng I've ever done. I've not left anything out. It's only my third solo tour since 1978, and I'm doing stuff from the '60s and' 70s, and from the last album, which I was very proud of. There'll also be a bit of blues and a bit of skiffle in there too."

Your new album brings together re-recorded versions of songs from your career – was it hard to pick them?

"It was fairly easy picking them, but recording them was very strange, because there was an innocence about those early recordings. To make those new recordings as joyful was a challenge."

Songwriters can often be uncomfortable with their past . . . was it a strange experience to go back over your career?

"I went through a period where there were a couple of things I didn't like about my past, like Bend Me, Shape Me. We'd recorded the song, and our manager decided to give it to a producer to add some brass. We were up north and we came back to London to find he's put this Tijuana thing on it, which I hated, but it was a big selling point for the record. We've done it the same on the re-recorded version because I've grown to love it."

Many people know you because of your work with some very big names in music . . .

"A lot of people say 'I've been blessed', but I know I have been. It's funny, because, when punk came along, it was the end of me and a lot of other people. It changed the whole music business and I was out of work. But you have to be at the right place at the right time. I just happened to be staying at (engineer) Glyn Johns' place when the first call was made about Ronnie Lane's (multiple sclerosis benefit) concert.