“Sneaky” Pete Kleinow

1934-2007

The Gilded Palace of Sin, and nothing else, he’d still have left an indelible mark on country-rock and the pedal steel guitar. Of course, for him, that was only a…

Fretprints: Paul Simon

Postmodern Troubadour: The Simon & Garfunkel Years

Troubadours – poet/musicians active in Europe in the 12th and 13th centuries, played a defining role in Western civilization. The original singer/songwriters, their trade was telling stories of popular culture…

Robert Randolph

The Sacred Steel, Family, and SRV

Living testament to the versatility of the pedal-steel guitar and a rarity in pop music, Robert Randolph adroitly addresses the challenge of acting as front man of the Family Band…

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Bruce Kulick

B-A-C-K to KKB

Most associate the name, face, and licks of Bruce Kulick with his 12-year stint in the non-masked Kiss. A busy pro player before and after, he’s yet another member of…

Otis Rush

Widest Sweep in the Blues

All Your Love, I Miss The Lovin’.” The year was 1956, the label was Cobra, and all of Chicago was rocking to the deft little tune, along with blues hipsters…

Steve Miller

Some People Call Him Rock Icon, Part 2

Though obviously a familiar name given his hits from the 1970s and ’80s were FM staples and today are virtually ubiquitous on classic-rock radio, last month we talked with Steve…

Joanna Connor

Still Rising

Joanna Connor’s new album is a killer batch of tunes with a live feel infused by the spirit of Chicago’s Theresa’s Lounge. A slide guitar opus, 4801 South Indiana Avenue…

Heaven and Hell

Neon Knights Reunite

                            In 1979, Black Sabbath was at a crossroads after the departure of original frontman Ozzy Osbourne.…

Neal Schon

Spacesaver Sale

Eyebrows raise with news that a superstar guitar collector is preparing to sell iconic instruments. Alarms might trigger, even. But don’t dial 9-1-1 for Neal Schon. Holder of 800 instruments…

Have Guitar Will Travel 084 – Greg Koch

Guitarheads the world over know Greg Koch is a big guy who plays monster licks. In the new episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” host James Patrick Regan talks with…

Adam Hawley’s Joyous Jazz

Adam lays it down on “Escape” Jazz hitmaker Adam Hawley, who has backed Jennifer Lopez, Natalie Cole, and played in the “American Idol” house band, used his fetching PRS Hollowbody…

Philip Sayce’s Guitar Meditation

Exploring, Expanding Absorbing and exuding great vibes from his living room, Philip Sayce and his PRS Silver Sky (plugged into a ’68 Super Reverb) play “Lady Love Divine,” one of…

Steve Knight

Jazz For People

Chicago resident Steve Knight’s first album, Persistence, takes listeners back to the days of warm jazz-guitar tones, popular tunes, group interaction, and feel. With inspired accompaniment from drummer Jeff Stitely…

Tony Mottola

Mr. Big, Guitar Pioneer

Some argue that Tony Mottola was more legendary than famous. In a career spanning 50 years, the guitarist logged thousands of studio dates and made hundreds of concert and television…

Prodigal Sunburst

Joe Walsh Reunites with a ’59 Les Paul Standard

A master of delivering crystal-clear musical messages with an off-kilter wit, whether talking, singing, picking, or sliding on guitar, everything Joe Walsh does brings an undeniable charisma. For decades, Walsh…

Dom Martin

More Than a Feeling

From the first fingerpicked notes of “Hello in There,” a gentle, inviting 98-second acoustic instrumental that opens Dom Martin’s Buried in The Hail, it’s clear the Belfast bluesman’s musical vision…

John Scofield and his Trio!

Fusion Legend Offers Sample From Latest Album, “Uncle John’s Band” John Scofield and his trio, bassist Vicente Archer and drummer Bill Stewart, jammed this exclusive take on “How Deep,” during…

Fretprints: Van Halen

Birth of the Brown Sound

In the late 1970s, hard rock was on the ropes. Always a guitar-dominated form of music, it had been diluted to the point of near extinction. But with the 1978…

Darryl Jones photo: P. Baumbach

Darryl Jones

Stones’ Side Man, Ron Wood Fan

“Unofficial” Rolling Stones bassist Darryl Jones, who replaced Bill Wyman in 1994, readily admits that playing with the carousing rockers has been a revelation compared to working with stern jazz…

Have Guitar Will Travel 088 – Kevin Bernier and De’Wayne

In Ep 88 of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” host James Patrick Regan speaks with guitarist Kevin Bernier of the Suffers, and with power-pop singer De’Wayne. Kevin tells how the Suffers…

Brian Setzer

Sparking Another Rockabilly Riot

Three decades, umpteen records, and several stellar bands into his career, and Brian Setzer still makes rockabilly sound fresh and exciting. This album has much of the verve of his…

 Fretprints: Larry Carlton

Revisiting Room 335

In 1978, Larry Carlton was atop the unforgiving environs of L.A.’s music studios, where technical prowess, precision, creativity, tone, and groove are minimum requirements and mere competence promises a short…

In Memoriam: Kal David

Blues/rock guitarist Kal David died August 16, 2022, in Palm Springs, California. He was 79 and struggled with pneumonia just before his passing. Born David Raskin, in 1961 the Chicago…

Joanna Connor

Blue-Collar Virtuoso

Joanna Connor’s latest is her most-potent album to date. Best Of Me serves up a feast of guitar styles and genres, all under the banner of the blues. Special guests…

Mike Campbell

Still Thrilled

Boiled down, the music of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is defined by a handful of essential elements: their leader’s character-filled voice, songs about life and its toils, swirling B-3…

Corb Lund’s (Acoustic) Roots Rock!

Low-key in the living room Corb Lund rescued his ’80s Kramer Ferrington from a hair ballad so he could use it to play this exclusive take on “Out On A…

Lloyd Green

From the A Team to Americana

Lloyd Green with the the signature model pedal-steel guitar he designed for the Sho-Bud company in 1973. Prior to this, a single on a double-neck cabinet with pad didn’t exist.…

Rick Vito’s Tale Of Two Grails

Find of a Lifetime

Whether it was by watching “Bandstand” on TV or learning the licks of Duane Eddy, Chuck Berry, or the Ventures, Philadelphia native Rick Vito’s inspirations are all legendary. And as…

GA-20 blends R&B, Blues, Hendrix, and much more

VG Exclusive “Dry Run” GA-20 blends influences from Hendrix to the guitar Kings to East Coast Family cassettes. Here, Matt Stubbs and Pat Faherty do an exclusive take on “Dry…

Aerosmith

A Retrospective

Aerosmith was formed in the summer of 1970 in Sunapee, New Hampshire, when Jam Band bassist Tom Hamilton and guitarist Joe Perry got together with vocalist Steven Tyler. Shortly after,…