Location: On the edge of tomorrow looking back at yesterday. Gender:
Posted:
Jul 12, 2019 - 12:12pm
sirdroseph wrote:
Has no one mentioned Les Paul?!! Better get that out the way and pronto. Also Roy Clark and a fresh faced prodigy Billy Strings.
Edit: Shout out to Proclivities, did mention him in a nice story below.
I did mention him at the bottom of this list
And the Father of them all Les Paul
PS I miss those days of old
There are guitar players who are technically better "musicians" than a lot of those legends listed - guys like John Mayer, Steve Lukather, Larry Carlton, and Joe Bonamassa, but most of the music those guys did doesn't interest me much. Then there are historically great players who I've always enjoyed like Curtis Mayfield (who greatly influenced Hendrix early on) and Steve Cropper, as well as the Telecaster kings, Roy Buchanan and Danny Gatton. In terms of "favorite" or most inspirational guitar players (who have yet to be mentioned) I would list Django Reinhardt. Tom Verlaine, Johnny Marr, Richard Thompson, Vini Reilly, but of course there are so many. Many years ago I went to see Les Paul at a club where he would play once a week in NYC. After the show he sat at the bar autographing people's Gibson pickguards and stuff and I talked with him for a few minutes - he was very friendly (you had to remember to shake his left hand since he couldn't move his right arm). He asked me who my favorite guitar player was and I said something like "there are so many", but I mentioned Reinhardt and Jeff Beck. Then he asked "well who most inspired you to play the guitar" and I said "probably John Lennon".
Funny your thoughts on Lennon. Naturally I thought of him when I thought of Harrison. For some reason though when I think of Lennon, I just think of Lennon as himself, not just a guitarist. But yes indeed a consummate guitar player.
My personal likings are more drawn to blues and slide guitar sounds with a psychedelic twist. I would have included Joe Walsh, Joe Bonamassa and Bill Nelson as you also mentioned below, on my list if I had thought of them that early in the morning. I like the early Gibson Clapton of Cream and DATD to 461 Ocean Blvd., right after he picked up a Fender. Then not so much. I simply love Robby Krieger's work in the Doors. His graceful playing and the notes he pulls off just go right inside of me.
My thoughts are biased towards those who play or make the sounds that I find really pleasing more than for any technical prowess. Granted that coming up with these sounds and licks themselves do require great skills and ingenuity. Looking back, coming of age musically at the same time when brand new sounds were being created and heard for the first time was like living in an aural candy store that never closed. Who would have thought of using a violin bow to play a guitar ? If I had to pick a guitar that made the sound I like the most it would have to be a Gibson Melody Maker or Les Paul used with a Coricidin bottle for a slide ...
Has no one mentioned Les Paul?!! Better get that out the way and pronto. Also Roy Clark and a fresh faced prodigy Billy Strings.
Edit: Shout out to Proclivities, did mention him in a nice story below.
John Fahey is 78th? Those voters should put their bongs down until the ringing in their ears clears up. He should be consistently in anyone's top 25.
He was 35th on an earlier list of theirs. Oddly, no Bill Nelson on either of the lists, but then I also forgot to mention him earlier (Kurt's post reminded me).
No, I did not. The shame! Should though. A couple of buddies and I did a fabulous silk-screen of Jimi in Grade 10 (circa 1971), hung it in the high school hallway and then it was stolen. :-(
So do you believe Hendrix would have become as famous if he had simply stayed in the USA?
Possibly not, he had plenty of back-up musician work in the US, but essentially had to go to the UK with Alan Price in order to get his own band and a label deal.
I love it when the Brits paint the world red with their music. Now that is the kind of colonialism I can get behind.
I'm sure you know that Jimi Hendrix (#1) was born in Seattle.
No, I did not. The shame! Should though. A couple of buddies and I did a fabulous silk-screen of Jimi in Grade 10 (circa 1971), hung it in the high school hallway and then it was stolen. :-(
So do you believe Hendrix would have become as famous if he had simply stayed in the USA?
