In 1977, Gambetta founded Red Wine, an Italian bluegrass band. He wrote the first Italian instructional book on
flatpicking. His flatpicking style is similar to
Doc Watson's and
Moravian folk music. This style is characterized by flashy licks, intricate cross-picking patterns,
open tunings, and fluid slides up and down the neck of the guitar. Although Beppe lives in Genoa, he travels throughout North America every year. He has performed in the
Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas,
MerleFest in North Carolina, the
Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas and festivals in
Winnipeg and
Edmonton. He has appeared on the radio programs
All Things Considered and
eTown. Beppe has performed with
David Grisman,
Gene Parsons, Doc Watson,
Norman Blake and the band Men of Steel, which comprises
Dan Crary,
Tony McManus, and
Don Ross. He toured with banjo player
Tony Trischka and released the accompanying live album
Alone and Together. Gambetta recorded the album
Traversata: Italian Music in America (
Acoustic Disc, 2001) with mandolinist David Grisman and mandolinist
Carlo Aonzo. On the album, he used a 14-string
harp guitar custom made for him by Italian luthier Antonello Saccu. ==Reception==