Posted April 15, 2011 at 8:41 am | No comments
Elvin Bishop’s musical biography is no secret to anyone who has followed blues or rock over the past 40 years. Taken under wing by legendary bluesman Little Smokey Smothers in the ’60s, Bishop found a wide audience as guitarist in the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and in the ’70s scored a Top-10 radio hit with “Fooled Around and Fell in Love.” Along the way, he’s carved out a niche all his own, playing an appealing mix of rootsy rock ’n’ roll, R&B and barroom boogie, steeped in the heavy blues he learned from Little Smokey all those years ago.
Posted in: Blues, Blues News, Guitar News
Posted April 1, 2011 at 9:24 am | No comments
Released in 1973, “La Grange” became an instant hit for Texas rock band ZZ Top, and one of the band’s most successful singles in their long and prestigious careers. Written for their album Tres Hombres, the song, which is basically a one-chord blues, talks about a bordello in La Grange, Texas, the same bordello that was the inspiration behind the film “The Biggest Little Whore-House in Texas,
Posted in: Blues, Guitar Tab
Posted March 22, 2011 at 4:50 am | 7 comments
Joe Bonamassa considers Dust Bowl to be his best CD to date, and although his guitar playing stands out throughout, his intricate storytelling talent and vocal ability reaches heights that parallel the musicianship. Released on his J&R Adventures record label, Dust Bowl is number six in a successful five-year collaboration with producer Kevin Shirley. The album was recorded in separate sessions at Black Rock Studios in Santorini, Greece, Ben’s Studio in Nashville, The Cave in Malibu and The Village in Los Angeles.
Posted in: Blues, Blues Reviews, Reviews
Posted March 15, 2011 at 10:00 am | No comments
When one hears the words “one-man band,” they often get a comical picture of a cartoon like character dancing around with a bunch of instruments strapped to his back. While this may work for the movies or in TV shows, it is musicians like Claude Hay that take this term and turn it into an art form. Utilizing modern technology such as loop pedals and effects, Hay is able to bring together multiple layers of instruments and sounds into his songs, both in the studio and live, all without hiring a band. He is a DIY musician in the purest sense.
Posted in: Blues, Blues Interviews, Guitar Hero Interviews, Interviews
Posted February 18, 2011 at 9:22 am | One comment
Normally we here at Guitar International don’t keep up with what’s going on during the current, or any, season of American Idol. Though there have been some great singers on the show in the past, since we’re guitar players that stuff mostly passes over our heads. But, this season we were intrigued to see Chicago guitarist, and friend of GI, Aly Jados on the show. After being invited to Hollywood and passing the first round of auditions in L.A., Aly was bumped from the show, though we’re still hoping that she’ll pick up one of the Wild Card spots in the coming weeks and be invited back to compete in the show’s final round.
Posted in: Blues, Blues News, Guitar News
Posted January 24, 2011 at 9:00 am | One comment
There have been many young guitarists over the years that have burst onto the scene at an early age, only to burn out after one or two albums and fade into obscurity. Kenny Wayne Shepherd is an artist who defied this trend by taking the momentum gained from his Platinum selling debut record Ledbetter Heights and growing it into a long and successful career. Only 33 years old, Shepherd has three platinum and one gold album to his credit, as well as an armful of major award nominations and wins, and yet it seems that he’s just getting started, 16 years after his first release.
Posted in: Blues, Blues Interviews, Guitar Hero Interviews, Interviews
Posted January 23, 2011 at 9:00 am | One comment
With five Grammy Awards, 23 W.C. Handy Awards [the most of any artist], 65 albums, a place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and disciples like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy ranks as one of the music legends of our time.
Posted in: Blues, Blues Interviews, Guitar Hero Interviews, Interviews
Posted January 21, 2011 at 11:00 am | No comments
Evan Goodrow, `Boston’s own blue-eyed soul and R&B groove man, recently released Say It, his tenth overall release. An ever-growing ability to lay down a soulful melody drenched in absolute emotion is in full bloom on this album. He shows more than ever that he’s a complete performer, a guitarist with solid lead and rhythm chops, a fine vocalist, and a creative songwriter.
Posted in: Blues, Blues Reviews, Reviews
Posted January 11, 2011 at 10:00 am | One comment
There are few genres of music that are so beloved and so wide spread today as the Blues. Reaching across borders, languages and beliefs, the blues can be heard being played in Chicago night clubs, Japanese concert halls and festivals in Tiradentes, Brazil.
Posted in: Blues, Blues Reviews, Reviews
Posted January 10, 2011 at 11:00 am | One comment
Pics of the blues legend performing live in Chicago, January 2011.
Posted in: Blues, Blues Reviews, Reviews
