Guitar International magazine’s publisher, Rick Landers, ventured back into performing and songwriting recently. Since his early days playing in a downriver Detroit garage band, to basking in the streets of Georgetown and small D.C. clubs, he’s been writing songs and stashing them away for no other reason than to play them as the spirit moved him.
Since 2011, Craig Hunter Ross has photographed over 400 nationally known bands and artists and has done personal photo work for clients such as Cher, Ricky Martin, Bret Michaels, Bruno Mars, REO Speedwagon, Chris Rock, The Struts and countless WWE Hall of Famers (Oh yeah, he does TONS of pro wrestling photography too).
I put together a little piece called The Picks of Rock and Roll. This included treasures I had received from Billy Gibbons, Ritchie Blackmore, Frank Zappa, Rory Gallagher, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix [I’d never interviewed Clapton or Hendrix but I did see both of them in concert very early on and got the roadies to give me picks that were lying right on top of their amps].
With its panoramic view of the Smoky Mountains, the Highlander Research and Education Center in Tennessee was a magical spot for multi-instrumentalist, John McCutcheon, to present his songwriting camp that immersed a group of songwriters deep into the heart of lyrics, melody and soul.
This is the first in a series of articles detailing the spread of the guitar through a variety of musical and cultural contexts around the world. A common cliché states that music is the universal language; while it’s not quite that simple, I do believe that music is a venue towards the universal communication that so many seek. Due to its almost universal popularity, the guitar is an ideal candidate to facilitate the interactions needed to realize this goal.
We’re pleased to announce that for the first time in digital format, veteran rock author Steven Rosen presents his exciting book, Free at Last: The Story of Free and Bad Company, that covers the legendary blues and rock artists, when Free rocked the airwaves with their blues-drenched rock, followed by the genesis of Bad Company.
For the second year in a row, we find that Blues-Rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa has earned our Guitarist of the Year Award. Not many artists nail down album after album like Bonamassa. In 2011, he released his critically acclaimed solo debut, Dustbowl, along with a collaborative effort with his Supergroup Black Country Communion.
Guitar International has published rock musician Debra Devi’s award-winning eBook, The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu (with Foreword by Dr. John) — a must-have for blues fans!
As we build Guitar International magazine, it is important for us to know our readers for a number of key reasons, that include: understanding the types of articles and interviews that will interest them, as well as to gain information to help us to build our advertising and sponsorship base that will, in turn, offer us the resources to keep developing the magazine as a free source of news and information about guitar music to our readers.
To honor those who have cranked up our guitar community to an “11” with their contributions, Guitar International presents to our readers our GI Annual Awards, 2011 Edition. Through their spirited innovation, hard work and love of guitars and guitar music these artists have deepened our passion for our favorite music, as well as entertained and inspired guitarists around the world.
