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It’s been a while since I added to this blog, but here are some C’s to check out:
Craig Chaquico
* Jefferson Starship, solo
* Les Paul, BC Rich, Firebird, Washburn EA-26 Signature acoustic, Carvin CC275 signature
* Acoustic Highway, Dragonfly, Red Octopus,Spitfire, others
Very adroit young hotshot who stepped in for Jorma in the early revamped Starship and approached the music in a completely different way, instead of trying to compete. Jazzy at times, very precise "arena rock" lines in the vein of Neal Schon, et al., but with taste - at least until "Earth" and on. Solo acoustic outings have been sometimes interesting and other times, a snooze.
Sonny Chillingworth
* solo
* Martin
* Suddenly, Sonny Solo, others
A contemporary of the late Gabby Pahinui, the late Sonny Chillingworth, was, along with the late Atta Isaacs and Ray Kane, one of the four "grand old men" of kiho'alu. His expert use of harmonics and baritone/falsetto traditional singing style made him an island favorite, and his students, such as Ozzie Kotani, carry on his tradition to this day.
Roy Clark
* solo
* Gretsch, Gibsons, Ovations, Martins, Carvin 12 str., etc.
* Hee-Haw, Gr. Hits, others
As resident guitarist for the popular TV show, "Hee Haw" and as a fixture in Branson, Roy Clark is a country guitar icon of the 70's and 80's the way Atkins and Merle Travis symbolized the 50's and 60's. His goodtimey sense of humor, impressive chops, and general musicianship have wowed millions.
Eddie Cochran
* solo
* Gretsch Chet Atkins
* Summertime Blues, 20 Flight Rock, others
His career tragically cut short in a car crash, Eddie left a legacy not unlike Buddy Holly. Possessed of small but fleet hands, Eddie was an early rock guitar hero and one of the first rockabilly stars. A major influence on Brian Setzer (who even played Cochran in the film, "La Bamba"), his "20 Flight Rock" was the song that won Paul McCartney his audition with the Beatles.
Albert Collins
* solo
* Fender Telecaster w/humbucker
* Ice Pickin', Frozen Alive!, others
Albert was the "ice man" - a reverb heavy blues sound that combined with his odd tuning and slashing delivery, gave Collins a sizable following out of his native Texas. Picking with his fingers and using a 100' guitar cord, Collins' live shows were club staples of exciting R&B flavored blues, and his influence on Robert Cray, Debbie Davies, Deborah Coleman and Johnny Copeland, among others, is profound.
Shawn Colvin
* solo
* Martin D-28, Lowden, Signature Martin, others
* A Few Small Repairs, Fat City. Steady On, Live '88, Cover Girl
A wonderfully talented triple threat possessing an angelic voice, fingerpicking chops and introspective songwriting, Shawn Colvin is an "overnight" success that was 20 years in the making. Her effortless open tuning picking and singing are captivating in solo performance, with other accompaniment never missed.
Larry Coryell
* solo, duets
* Cort Signature, Ovation Adamas, Hagstrom Swede. Les Paul Special, Super 400
* Larry Coryell & the 11th House,Great Guitars (w/Kenny Burrell, Herb Ellis & Mundell Lowe) Stravinsky's Firebird, Twin ____, Twin House (w/Philip Catherine), others
A pioneer of fusion, Coryell was one of the first jazzers not too snobbish to jam with the likes of Jorma Kaukonen and Mike Bloomfield. Possessing enviable technique and avoiding the self-destructive tendencies that plagued his peers, Coryell's still going strong and his progeny-sons Julian and Murali, are also carrying on a family tradition.
Here are a few of the “B’s” to check out:
Keola Beamer
o solo, Keola & Kapono, Beamer family, et al.
o Grimes
o Best of Keola & Kapono,Beamer, Mauna Kea, Kohoneole, Traditional Slack-Key Guitar, etc.
Hailing from one of Hawaii's most distinguished traditional music families, Keola has come the closest to "rock star" status that one gets in Hawaii, next to Ke'alihi Reichel. Eschewing the flash and precision of Led Ka'apana or Cyril Pahinui for subtlety and feel, Keola embodies much of the old slack key masters' island sensibilities in his laid back but deceptively unadorned playing.
Pierre Bensusan
o solo
o Lowden
o Musiques, Nice Feeling, Wu Wei, Solilai, others
The prince of DADGAD, French-Algerian Pierre Bensusan is a fingerpicker of exquisite sensitivity and taste. His exclusive use of the Celtic tuning allegedly invented by Davy Graham has made his accomplishments even more pronounced. Never one to rest on his laurels, he is still working on improving his mastery of the guitar, as witnessed by his recent jazz outings with saxophonist Didier Malherbe.
Rory Block
o solo
o Martin 000-28
o When a Woman Sings the Blues, Gone Woman Blues, Tornado, others
Stefan Grossman's ex-girlfriend has become a major acoustic blues artist in her own right. A sometime teacher at Jorma's Fur Peace Ranch school, she is also a very authentic blues archivist as well as a new blues creator ala John Hammond and others.
Junior Brown
o solo
o Guit-steel
o Junior High, Guit With It, others
Possessing jaw dropping technique, a bass voice and a dose of good humor, OK born Junior Brown is the only player of the guit-steel, his own creation. Effortlessly switching between slide and fingerpicked jazz-country lines laced with a dash of Hendrix, Brown's playing has to be seen to be believed.
Glen Buxton
o Alice Cooper
o Les Paul, SG
o Billion Dollar Babies, Killer, Love It To Death, School's Out!
As axeman for Goth granddaddy Alice Cooper, Buxton has contributed the riffs to some classic rock tunes, among them, "Elected", "Be My Lover" and the anthemic, "School's Out!". While not a virtuoso on the caliber of a Clapton or Hendrix, Buxton nevertheless was on par with his glam peers, Mick Ronson and fellow Detroit native James Williamson.
Last year “Guitar Player” magazine ran an article about “100 Unsung Guitar Heroes”. I thought that was a great platform by which one can learn about other musicians and check out other music while getting some kind of referral context. With permission from Gary & Dan, I’d like to extend that notion and post a list here on GGH that can be an ongoing topic where other GGH members can add their own recommendations. All I ask is that you follow the below format:
1) Name
2) Band affiliations (if any)
3) Axes of choice (if known)
4) choice recording examples
5) Brief description
I myself will probably add some more names as I continue to expand my own listening range. Anyhow, I look forward to comments with other recommendations. I’m trying to keep the names to the more obscure - of course, Chet Atkins, John Abercrombie and Duane Allman are probably some of the first names that come to mind under guitarists whose names begin with “A”.
Will Ackerman
o solo
o Somogyi, Froggy Bottom, Martin
o The Search For the Turtle's Navel, It Takes A Year, Sound of Whispering Rain, others
As the founder of Windham Hill, Ackerman is often overlooked as a respected guitarist in his own right. His open tunings and droning bass lines show a Fahey and Basho influence, but an ear towards melodicism have kept his records from sounding like retreads.
Pete Anderson
o Dwight Yoakam, solo
o Telecaster, Larrivee, Blade Strats, Andersons
o Guitars, Cadillacs, etc..., Time, others
As a lead guitarist, Anderson has combined everything from the Roy Nichols (Merle Haggard &Strangers) licks to Eddie Cochran to Danny Gattonish fireworks behind the heartfelt lyrics of alt-country icon Dwight Yoakam. As a producer, his sound simultaneously evokes Hank Williams, Elvis, Haggard, and Clint Black. Highly underrated axeman. Interesting solo CD's of late reveal a quirky sense of humor.
Joan Armatrading
o Solo
o Andersons, Strats, Ovations
o Joan Armatrading, Me, Myself I, Live From Abbey Road, others
A British singer-songwriter whose smoky alto and confessional lyrics were hugely influential on Tracy Chapman and Tanita Tikaram, Joan Armatrading is a very underrated guitarist. I have always found her acoustic work to be competent on both record and stage. I was amazed as I watched an installment of the TV show, Live From Abbey Road and Armatrading took some very tasteful solos and even spoke about how Tom Anderson guitars had inspired these fretboard flights for her.
John Ashton
o Psychedelic Furs
o PRS
o Mirror Moves, Talk Talk Talk, Midnight to Midnight, The Psychedelic Furs, Love My Way
As main axe-man for the Furs, Ashton has had to provide the main riffs for singer Richard Butler to drone against as saxophones and cellos also fought for their share of sonic space on the Furs' dense LPs. More of a texturalist than a soloist, Ashton has written some key 80's rock songs and the guitar layers of the Furs has always been a uniquely distinct and recognizable sound, perhaps even more than Butler's rasp.
Badi Assad
o solo, trio
o Takamine nylon, others
o Echoes of Brazil, Chameleon,Solo, others
An extraordinarily beautiful woman whose appearance often causes people to overlook her prodigious musical talents. More lyrical and rhythmically complex than her brother Sergio, Badi also plays simultaneous percussions (on her face, no less!) , as well as singing in Portugese. Recently played in a trio format with Larry Coryell and John Abercrombie for Chesky records.
Delaney Bramlett, singer, songwriter, producer and bandleader, died on 12/29 from gall bladder surgery complications at age 69 in L.A.
Bramlett is often overlooked as to the influence he had wielded over rock guitar in the 70’s. He was the one who taught George Harrison how to play slide guitar. A longtime friend of Duane Allman, he was acknowledged as a musical peer and brother, and owned Duane’s cherry Les Paul Jr. Delaney Bramlett’s most significant role in rock guitar, for better or worse, was his part in the transformation of Eric Clapton from the Les Paul/Marshall heavy jam sound of Cream to the Strat and song oriented sound of Derek & the Dominos.
Fed up with the hype over Cream and Blind Faith, Clapton took a role as a sideman with Delaney, Bonnie & Friends in the early 70’s, starting his long term affair with “Blackie”, a mongrel black Strat that became his signature sound until the early 90’s. Bramlett co-wrote “Let it Rain” and produced Clapton’s first solo record, which included “After Midnight”. Clapton credits Delaney Bramlett with encouraging him to develop his singing abilities.
After his breakup with wife and singer Bonnie Bramlett, Delaney had kept a low profile. His daughter, Bekka, sang for Stevie Nicks in an incarnation of Fleetwood Mac that also included Dave Mason at one point. Definitely one of rock music’s unsung heroes, his effect on the direction of rock and on guitar playing has never been analyzed to a significant degree, but, in retrospect, the results will probably be amazing in years to come.
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