Stevie_Ray_Vaughan

Stevie Ray Vaughan

Great Guitarists, , ,

Stevie Ray Vaughan (“SRV”), born on October 3, 1954, in Dallas, Texas, was an influential American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He emerged in the 1980s as the frontman of his band, Double Trouble and played a major role in the revival of blues music. His career was cut short when he died in a helicopter crash on August 27, 1990, at the age of 35.

SRV’s main guitar was a 1963 Fender Stratocaster named Number One, which he modified with a left-handed tremolo. He also played other Strats called Lenny and Scotch, and occasionally used a Gibson ES-335 for particular songs.

Stevie’s playing style featured his powerful string attack, expressive bending, and use of fast pentatonic runs. He often played with heavy strings (usually .013 gauge) and tuned his guitar down a half-step, which gave his sound extra thickness and warmth. He combined techniques such as double-stop bends, rake picking, and hybrid picking, with a fluid yet aggressive right-hand approach.

His influences included Albert King, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Freddie King.

Stevie_Ray_Vaughan

Stevie Ray Vaughan Live 1983 [by Bbadventure, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons]

 

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown

Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown

Great Guitarists

Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown was born in Louisiana in 1924 and died at age 81 on September 10, 2005 in Texas.

He had an original electric blues guitar style and was a big influence on Frank Zappa, Guitar Slim, Albert Collins and many others.

He got an early break when he sat in for an unwell T-Bone Walker at a nightclub in Houston.

Brown toured Europe many times during the 1960s and 1970s.

In 1983 he received a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album (Alright Again!)

Brown was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1999.

Timeless, his last record was released in 2004 – a year before his death.

 

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown

Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown

Kay Guitars

Elmore James

Great Guitarists,

Elmore James (born Elmore Brooks) was born in Mississippi on January 27, 1917. He died at age 45 in Chicago.

James was heavily influenced by legendary bluesman Robert Johnson. James’ most famous song, Dust My Broom, was written by Johnson.

James often played Kay acoustic guitars with pickups installed. He has been dubbed by some as “King of the Slide Guitar” – and listening to the opening bars of Dust My Broom, one can see why. James also had other hit songs including, The Sky Is Crying, and My Bleeding Heart.

James was an inspiration for many later electric blues guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, George Thorogood, and Roy Buchanan.

 

Kay Guitars

Kay Guitars

{Rock’n_Roll_guitars.jpg: Ben Paulosderivative work: Kay Swing Master K673, K672 & Truetone Jazz King (Kay Speed Demon K573).png: Guitarpop (talk)derivative work: Clusternote [CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons}

Robin Trower

Robin Trower

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Robin Trower was born on 9th March 1945, just at the close of World War II, in South East London.

He was guitarist in the band Procol Harum from 1967 to 1971 and recorded with them on their first five albums. He later performed and recorded with Jack Bruce (from Cream),  Bryan Ferry and iconic bands such as Jethro Tull.

Robin’s style is mainly blues-rock-heavy rock and he uses a classic set-up of Fender Strat with Marshall amps. His musicality was heavily influenced by James Brown. His sound is clearly influenced by Jimi Hendrix.

Listen to / watch this great solo during a live performance of the song “Too Rolling Stoned” in 1975:

Robin continues to record and tour.

Robin Trower

Robin Trower [ By Sardognunu (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons ]

Lead Belly

Lead Belly

Great Guitarists, ,

Lead Belly (official name, Huddie William Ledbetter) was born on January 20, 1889 in Louisiana. He passed away at age 60 in New York City.

He spent several stints in prison for violent crimes – and was pardoned twice (at least partly owing to his musical abilities).

Lead Belly was a master of the 12 string guitar and influenced many later players including Pete Seeger. He mostly played with thumb and finger picks and his guitar prowess coupled with his powerful singing voice made him a major force in folk and blues music. He also influenced a large number of Jazz, country and rock artists including Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash, Tom Petty, Keith Richards and Nirvana.

Lead Belly

Lead Belly [ public domain ]