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My Favourite Artists
I remember when I first fell in love with the electric guitar. I was so into it I started listening to every guitar based album I could get my hands on.
Eric Clapton I can still recall the first song that left a very deep impression when I started picking up the electric guitar. The song in question was "Layla" by Eric Clapton. On the outro of that song, there was a very sad sounding slide guitar over the progression. The intensity of the emotion emitting from those notes was incredible. The howling melody was so suited for the agony the song conveyed. For many years I had thought it was Eric Clapton who played that slide guitar part. It was only much later that I realised the player was, in fact, Duanne Allman...But in all fairness, Clapton was (and still is) a virtuoso in his own right. Even though Clapton has mellowed somewhat in recent years, his contribution to the guitar world cannot be ignored. Anybody who considers himself a guitarist must remember the first time they heard the "Beano" album. The overdriven Marshall Bluesbreaker (so-called because of Claption, I believe), cranked to the inch of its life, was the tone to die for. His years with the super trio Cream gave us gems like "Crossroads", the famous "woman tone" in "Sunshine of Your Love" and the wah-ridden "White Room". There is something to be said when you never tire of listening to these.
Eddie Van Halen Not many will disagree with me when I say Eddie Van Halen shook the guitar world when he flew into the scene back in '78 with his finger-tapping, dive-bombing "Eruption". I am still hoping for a new kick ass album after the dismal "Van Halen III". I really missed the fun-loving attitude the band displayed when they first started out. You could sense the good vibes going through the members has they pound out jams like "Need Your Love Tonight" and "One" in their debut album. Even when Sammy replaced David Lee for "5150", you can still feel it in "Summer Nights". Maybe it's just me, but I have always equate Van Halen with good-time rock and roll. Too bad that the band became a tad serious sounding with "Balance". Hey, I'm not knocking the band...the worst stuff these guys produced is still way above some of the crap we have to put up with today, what, with all the boybands and rappers-wanna-bes.
Steve Morse While flipping through a guitar magazine back in '89, I think it was, I came across an article on a certain Steve Morse. It didn't leave much of an impression until I saw a guitar documentary on TV one day. The documentary featured players of several genres, including classical, flamenco, folk and of course, rock. A few guitarists really stood out for me. They were, in no order of preference: Canadian guitarist Rik Emmett of Triumph, Liona Boyd, the lady of classical guitar and of course, Steve Morse. During the segment where they showed Morse playing in a small venue, I was downright awestruck. When they panned the camera towards the audience, I realised I had the same facial expression as the audience, one mixed with great admiration and disbelief at the same time. There was also a segment with Morse jamming on Jeff Beck's "Highway Jam" with some other guitarists. I went back to the magazine and found out that he had a solo album out then, the excellent "High Tension Wires". I have been a Steve Morse fan since then. I started buying every album that came out after "High Tension Wires" and have searched everywhere (the internet didn't quite exist then) for all the old albums of Dixie Dregs, Steve Morse band, Kansas. Not only am I into his music, ever since I watched his instructional video "The Essential Steve Morse" in which he described his setup, I have been scouring all over to gather information on his setup. Here is a picture of Steve's setup from Guitar Shop magazine
Stevie Ray Vaughan The guitar world lost a great inspirational player the day Stevie Ray Vaughan died. I still remember the day I read about the crash in the papers. I just spent that day listening to all his albums over and over. Stevie Ray Vaughan was the one who inspired me to play the blues. I had been listening to players like B. B. King, Albert King and Buddy Guy. I had even listened to their mentors like, Elmore James, T-Bone Walker and Guitar Slim. But no one else left an indelible mark when it comes to blues guitarist...until I heard Stevie. As Clapton said once, Stevie was more than virtuosity. He not only had the chops to play what he wants to, but he could transfer the same emotions he felt to his listeners just by playing his guitar. There was a tribute concert for Stevie a while back, featuring B. B. King, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Cray and brother Jimmy Vaughan. The video was also interspersed with clips of Stevie's playing. If you had seen that video, you would have noticed that each of the players above, each a legend, pales in comparison with Stevie. No one could touch him when it comes to emotion. No one could play the guitar with such intensity.
Stay tuned for more....
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