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.
2010 was a big year for Australian guitarist Orianthi. Her debut solo album Believe helped launch her to international stardom, which was first ignited after she appeared in the Michael Jackson film This is It. She has toured under her own name as well as making appearances with Adam Lambert, Carrie Underwood and Jimi Hendrix’s bassist Billy Cox. Her playing is a mixture of raw energy and pop sensibilities, a lethal combination that has awed her fellow guitarists and garnered her radio play across the globe.
Saturday at this year’s NAMM show was a big day for major artists making appearances at booths for performances and to sign autographs for long lines of fans. After checking out Steve Vai at Ibanez, Steve Morse at Ernie Ball and Alex Skolnick at Heritage Guitars, I was walking from one side of the room to the other when I happened to pass the Orange amp exhibit, and standing in front of a giant amp, happily signing autographs for his fans, was Mars Volta guitarist Omar Rodriguez-López.
In 1982, Phil Collen joined Def Leppard during the recording session for Pyromania, replacing then current guitarist, Pete Willis. In ‘87 the band released their fourth studio LP Hysteria, then in ’91, after Steve Clark’s untimely death, Phil wrote all of the guitar parts for the megahit album Adrenalize.
It’s amazing what can happen on a whim. Just a few days ago I was surfing the web, checking out some guitar videos on YouTube and I came across a great performance by country legend Albert Lee. Seeing the video reminded me of what a stellar player Lee really is and so I decided to head over to his site to see if he was touring in my area this year, hoping to get a chance to see him live. A bit dismayed after finding out that he’ll be spending most of his time in Europe in the near future, and later learning that I had just missed him in Chicago recently, I noticed that there was a contact button on his site, and that’s when things get interesting.
Creed made its mark during the ‘90s and the following decade, and began gaining traction with its debut album, My Own Prison, that got them headlines, radio airplay and hit records. But, it wasn’t until around 2000 that Creed reached deep to pull out their monster hit, “With Arms Wide Open”, a track that reached #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
Steve Lukather has been called “the best musician on the planet.” Though most often associated with the Grammy-award-winning band Toto, Lukather’s association with Toto is simply the tip of his massive career iceberg.
Peter Frampton’s musical odyssey has been graced with a series of pop hits and world-wide recognition. His career milestones have progressed from that of a mere guitar hero to a cultural icon. He has been referenced in everything from Wayne’s World to The Simpsons’. Frampton’s acting credits include: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band as Billy Shears, Baa Baa Black Sheep as Peter Buckley and Reg in the coming-of-age rock movie, Almost Famous.
Nearly all of today’s blues-rock guitarists are Hendrix influenced to some degree. Few, however, are capable of developing a distinctive, ethereal, almost ‘otherworldly’ tone combined with the tasteful phrasing that characterizes Robin Trower’s body of work.
Louisiana-born Kenny Wayne Shepherd grew up on the blues. From the age of seven he had a guitar in his hands and kept at it until five years later he was on stage with Jump Street Five blues group guitarist Bryan Lee.
