Edgar Winter

Tribute to “Brother Johnny”

Edgar Winter describes making Brother Johnny in tribute to his late brother, blues-rock guitar icon Johnny Winter, as “one of the most intensive and rewarding recording experiences I’ve ever had.”…

Dave Specter, Swimming in ’verb!

Twangy Texas blues via Chicago Dave Specter (no relation to Phil!) uses his reissue Jazzmaster plugged into a ’65 Vibrolux Reverb to show us the rippin’ lick from “Texas Top,”…

Naia Izumi

Intuitive Artistry

It’s difficult to pigeonhole the music of Naia Izumi, a singer/songwriter who’s also one of the most uncanny guitarists around. “I make music I’m not hearing,” says Naia, who was…

Dusty Hill

1949-2021

It didn’t take long for testimonials to pour in to VG following the death of ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill. “Dusty Hill has the patent on the blues-rock groove!” said…

Jay Jay French talks Freddie King!

Guitarist/author Jay Jay French grabbed his ’53 goldtop and friend/bassist Bobby Held for this run-through of Freddie King’s “The Stumble.” Read our interview with Jay Jay and review of his…

Jeff “Skunk” Baxter

License To Thrill

To a generation of music fans, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter was one of the most recognizable guitarists of the early ’70s. On TV shows like “Midnight Special” and “American Bandstand,” he…

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.…

The Return of Slash and The Conspirators

4 From the Floor

In the weeks before they gathered to record a new album in the spring of 2021, guitar legend Slash, frontman/songwriter Myles Kennedy, and their cohorts in The Conspirators had to…

Have Guitar Will Travel 085 – Michelle Malone

Host James Patrick Regan talks with singer/songwriter Michelle Malone about the inspiration behind her new album, “1977,” and life on the road to support it. The music brings a Laurel…

Jim Heath

A Reverend By Any Other Name

Photo courtesy of Atomic Music Group. Jim Heath is better known to most folks as psychobilly guitar fiend The Reverend Horton Heat. But on his latest release, he morphs into…

Southern Boogie from Chickasaw Mudd Puppies

Band jams on acoustic “Flatcar” take “The South is a complex and nuanced place,” says Ben Reynolds of his native Georgia. Geography and Southern bands have for decades influenced his…

Revealing Jesse Ed Davis

Douglas K. Miller

Jesse Ed Davis was an unsung guitar hero – unless you were a legend like Eric Clapton, John Lennon, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, Conway Twitty, Taj Mahal, Jackson…

Brad Gillis

Playin’ On

A member of the cutting-edge vanguard that made the Floyd Rose locking vibrato a huge part of ’80s rock guitar, Brad Gillis famously gashed two classics – a ’62 Strat…

Los Lobos

Riding with Los Lobos

Don’t think Los Lobos has had an impact on the tastes of the public and other musicians? When was the last time you saw a “Play an accordion, go to…

Fab Four’s Big Three

The Beatles’ “Ed Sullivan Show” Guitars, 50 Years On

For Americans, the legend of the Beatles has a very specific starting moment: 8 p.m., February 9, 1964. That Sunday evening 50 years ago, the group appeared for the first…

Adrian Vandenberg

Return Of The Flying Dutchman

On Adrian Vandenberg’s latest album, Sin, the Flying Dutchman joins forces with former Yngwie Malmsteen vocalist Mats Levén for the heaviest album of his career. Gothic riffs, Led Zep breakdowns,…

Leo Nocentelli

A Meter Keeps Running

The Meters are universally accepted as one of the great funk bands. Their rhythm section work is legendary for its ability to jump on a groove and stay put. One…

Mark Sebastian

Hometown Noir

Mark Sebastian’s new album, The Real Story, is a paean to his musical roots in the Big Apple. “About a year ago, I realized I had almost an album’s worth…

2025 June Issue on Spotify

This month, we feature The Meters’ George Porter, Tommy Emmanuel, Jedd Hughes, Dudley Taft, Lari Basilio, Ally Venable, The Police, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Dave Mason, Kenny Burrell, and more! Spotify…

Jonathan Wilson

Rare Bird

Given his busy career as a player and in-demand producer, it’s not surprising that singer/songwriter Jonathan Wilson needed more than three years to complete his new album, Rare Birds. When…

Steinar Karlsen

Nordic Surf Slinger

Scandinavia is no stranger to good “instro” music. The past 60 years have produced guitar-fueled legends like the Spotnicks (Sweden), Jørgen Ingmann (Denmark), and Laika & the Cosmonauts (Finland). Hailing…

Bill Carson

My LIfe and Times with Fender

Reveals good times and bad, the infamous CBS years, Fender’s remarkable resurgence to regain command of the industry, and much more! Price was: $14.95 plus Shipping. Now for a Limited…

“Buy That Guitar” podcast with special guest Dave Hunter

Season 03 Episode 07 In Episode 3.7 of Buy That Guitar, presented by Vintage Guitar magazine, host Ram Tuli is joined by renowned guitar historian and author, Dave Hunter. Dave…

Steve Dawson

 Channeling Sol Hoopii in “Singin’ the Blues” Steve Dawson used his unplugged Celtic Cross Weissenborn model lap steel and gathered his friends Gary Craig (drums), Jeremy Holmes (bass), and…

John Osborne

Feelin’ Fearless

 Brothers Osborne play a distinctive version of 21-century country music. Rising above trendy themes and sounds like tailgate anthems and hip-hop beats, their path mixes traditional and new sounds with…

Alan Gogoll

Harmonic Convergence

Hailing from the Australian island state of Tasmania, Alan Gogoll is reshaping acoustic guitar before our eyes. Sure, you’ve heard artificial harmonics, but Gogoll has refined it into a fluid…

Chris Duarte

Texas Guitar Makes a Comeback

Chris Duarte photo courtesy Carol Howell/Loophole Entertainment. Blue Velocity, the latest record from the Chris Duarte Group, is a rarity in today’s music world – a knock-down, drag-out, “crank ‘er…

Taj Mahal

Eighth Wonder of the Music World

  “I’ve never heard anybody come up and tell me that the music I’m playing don’t feel good,” says Taj Mahal. And it’s hard to imagine he ever will. Whether…

Johnny Smith

An American Treasure

Jazz guitarist Johnny Smith died at his home June 11, 2013, two weeks shy of his 91st birthday. Arguably the most respected and revered guitarist of the modern era (1950…

Ivan Pongracic and Jeremy DeHart

Atlantis Rising

Lords of Atlantis is something a surf supergroup, comprised of members from The Madeira, Aqualads, Insect Surfers, and The Manakooras (VG, October ’22). Fronted by guitarists Ivan Pongracic and Jeremy…