Once upon a time, when radio was big, MTV wasn't and electric fusion was fizzling, there came Earl Klugh and such like-minded players as David Sanborn, Bob James and George Benson. These instrumentalists weren't straight-ahead players recovering traditional chops from electric gimmickry; nor were they soul-jazzers, R&B swooners or pop wannabes. What they played sounded nice. Easy. Smooth. "When I started on my own, smooth jazz wasn't a genre yet. Those of us who were playing the new style were individuals, and there was more variety in all our music then," says Klugh, 43. "Now the music has become a genre and a radio format. There are differences, sure, but there's a name and identity audiences can hold on to. That's both a good and a bad thing. Either way it's unfortunate that critics blast it." Even for most critics, Klugh has been distinguishing himself from the pack of smoothers with his finger-picking style and unusual acoustic jazz guitar. Odd as it sounds, Klugh's playing is a distillation of Chet Atkins, Lenny Breau and Latin master Laurindo Almeida, improvising along melodic structures laid over a strong chordal base. One of a kind, he is, and has been since childhood, when all his Detroit friends went bazooka for the electric sound of the Beatles, Motown, Stax R&B and rock 'n' roll. He entered middle school playing the acoustic guitar, an instrument just one step cooler than the tuba. "The acoustic guitar is my instrument. When I was a boy, I was attracted to its pure sound, and I never cared for the way the electric guitar sounds. They really are two different instruments. The electric has no clarity of tone; it's more like an organ. With the acoustic you can hear all the notes, all the overtones and harmonies. "When I picked up the guitar at 10, I didn't really think about it. By the time I was 13, everyone was playing the electric. I had my mom buy me one, but it just didn't suit me. Now I'm glad I never took to it." At the time, he didn't think about why. It just seemed natural, he says, given what he was listening to: Count Basie, Duke and Ella, Nat King Cole, Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, Brazilian and classical music. Sure he went for the Beatles, but more as songwriters than as stylists or musicians. "I was listening to everything during the '60s, but I didn't find as much musical stimulation in a lot of that music as I did in jazz. So I was kind of a misplaced mess in high school." If he was misplaced, the Detroit native kept ending up in the right place at the right time. While Klugh was teaching (mostly electric) guitar in a local music shop, jazz giant Yusef Lateef discovered him, offering the young guitarist his first chance to record. Two years later, Klugh met George Benson and joined the band, establishing a relationship that has produced a number of collaborations. The road provided playing experience and the opportunity to meet other musicians, including Chick Corea and the members of Return to Forever. Klugh admired Corea's writing and took his offer to join the fusion band, even though the music wasn't his style. With experience and growing fame, Klugh returned to his acoustic guitar and began recording the first of his 25 albums. Seven of those have received Grammy nominations, and each showcases Klugh's diverse musical interests and his insightful compositions. "My music is more influenced by the '60s than anything of the '70s or since. I make modern records, but my compositions are based on what was happening then. Nothing has happened since the '60s that has made me say I should incorporate that into mine. The pair of trio records in the early '90s were a straight-ahead diversion from the other style, with more space for the guitar. In the larger groups I concentrate on my compositions, especially on the string orchestra works and the big band stuff." His newest recording, Sudden Burst of Energy, is a road-tested album spanning pop-rock (Maybe Tonight), romantic jazz (Till the End of Time) and a James Tayloresque folk sound (Open Road).