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Willie G. Moseley
Ian Hunter
Guitar Prognosticator
Ian Hunter’s Diary of a Rock N’ Roll Star is a fascinating look at early-1970s bands, music, and guitar collecting. The book, a journal of a U.S. tour by his band, Mott the Hoople, written to promote All The Young Dudes, was published in 1974.
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Willie G. Moseley
Elliot Easton
Driving The New Cars
In the late 1970s, The Cars rolled out of Boston to become the preeminent American band to carry the “new wave” flag. Its sound was fittingly sleek, while sporting obvious garage-rock roots. And in a formula that propelled its album sales to platinum status, The Cars trademark songs were decidedly pop, with a distinct album-rock…
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Willie G. Moseley
Tim Bogert
Then and Now with Vanilla Fudge
Innovative bassist Tim Bogert first graced the pages of Vintage Guitar in June, 1993. At the time, the veteran of Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, and Beck, Bogert & Appice (amongst other aggregations) had settled in as an instructor at a Los Angeles music school and was gigging with a power trio to keep his chops honed.…
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Willie G. Moseley
Ernie Ball Earthwood
A Big ABG
Way before “unplugged” became a popular way to play music and fretted acoustic bass guitar (ABG) models began appearing from so many manufacturers and independent luthiers, Ernie Ball bought a Mexican guitarron and gave it frets. Unable to interest manufacturers in the viability of an acoustic bass in the early 1970s, the veteran musician, retailer,…
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Willie G. Moseley
Rick Nielsen
Rockford State of Mind
One of the godfathers of the vintage guitar phenomenon, Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen was in an ebullient mood when he contacted VG… and not just because he’d acquired yet another five-neck guitar and a Guild he had been seeking for three decades. The release of the quartet’s new album, Rockford (Cheap Trick Unlimited/Big 3…
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Willie G. Moseley
Geezer Butler
Sab Aside
Known for holding down the low-end for Black Sabbath, Terence “Geezer” Butler is usually busy with his band GZR whenever the Sabs go into stasis. A quartet with a sound more modern than Sabbath, GZR recently released Ohmwork (Sanctuary). Butler is originally from Birmingham, England, and like many bassists, he started as a rhythm guitarist.…
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Willie G. Moseley
Robert Cray
Looking Forward (in a Loose Sort of Way)
Vintage Guitar first interviewed guitarist Robert Cray in 1997, and since then he has maintained a consistent pace in recording and performing. His albums in the interim include Take Your Shoes Off (1999), Shoulda Been Home (2001), and Time Will Tell (2003). An archival live collaboration by Cray and Albert Collins, In Concert, was also…
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Willie G. Moseley
Vivian Campbell
Blues Beyond Belfast
Considering his lengthy resumé, one might expect Irish guitarist Vivian Campbell would have released a solo album long before September of 2005. And Campbell’s efforts in bands such as Dio, Whitesnake, and Def Leppard might create a stereotype among listeners about the musical direction of the guitarist’s new album, but Two Sides of If (Sanctuary)…
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Willie G. Moseley
Adrian Belew
Musical Modernist
Bleeps, squawks, and other sounds emanate from the guitars of Adrian Belew, who has gigged with the likes of Frank Zappa and Talking Heads, not to mention his quarter-century association with King Crimson. Belew also has an offshoot band known as the Bears, and is constantly working on solo material. His most recent solo effort,…
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Willie G. Moseley
Gibson 1938 Electric Bass
Likely The First!
Gibson 1938 Electric Bass This interesting piece of fretted Americana can be appreciated by any vintage instrument aficionado – particularly bassists – as it was probably the first instrument of its type ever built or marketed by Gibson. A 1976 letter by Julius Bellson, Gibson’s first company historian, says two examples of an early electric…
