Top 10: Guitar Slingers
Nov. 27th, 2013 02:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kv0925I've had it in the back of my head to start doing occasional top-10 lists of things I like. Maybe not very interesting, but it could be fun. To start, and apropos of nothing in particular, I'm going to do my top 10 favorite guitarists. I'll see if I can throw in samples along the way.
10. Kevin Browne
I'll start with the man who is probably the main reason I picked up the guitar in the first place. He was my German teacher in high school, and now and then he'd bring in his guitar and play for us (he'd write songs in German and Dutch as well as English). He's pretty awesome, such a great player and singer and a good writer too. I actually went back to my hometown a week or so ago to see him do a little show where he played his latest album in its entirety. He really just does music for the love of it, though I certainly think he's good enough to make some money doing it too. Anyway: as a guitarist, I just love that percussive style of acoustic playing, and I love his chord choices. He does some stuff I find pretty impressive technically too, and he does it while singing which I know is even tougher. :)
9. Maury Muehleisen
I think most people have never heard of this guy, and to be honest I just had to look him up to refresh myself on his name. But Jim Croce is one of my favorite artists, and while Jim was a great singer/songwriter, Maury was the musical genius behind all his best stuff. They were essentially two parts of a whole greater than their sum, and Maury was just phenomenal as a player and accompanist. He was only 24 when he and Jim died in a plane crash, sad stuff.
8. Ty Tabor
Enough mellow stuff, let's get to rockin. As a guitarist I really grew up on 80s/90s hard rock, and one of my favorite bands from that era is King's X, who are often called a true musician's band. They're a power trio, but all three play and sing and crank out such great grooves. Ty's style is pretty unusual among rock guitarists, but I suppose that's why I like it even though I've never felt able to emulate it.
7. Paul Gilbert
As you can see from this list, I'm not really huge on shredder-type players. I do appreciate speed and technique, but I very much prefer melody and musicality--I care more about the notes being played than how many of them there are. So among the shredders, I respect Paul Gilbert (of Racer X and--primarily for me--Mr. Big) because while he certainly CAN shred with the very best of the best, he also knows when to lay back and play for the song instead of to show off. And he seems like a nice guy to boot.
6. Neal Schon and Steve Lukather
I sort of lump these guys together as a bonus, because I like them both for the same reasons: they're both phenomenal players who have managed to make a career playing some seriously hard stuff in bands considered pop-rock (Journey for Mr. Schon, Toto for Mr. Lukather). I mean, listen to Journey's "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)"--that is a metal riff and some really heavy guitar work, yet it passes for pop-rock. Toto's "Rosanna" I just regard as a masterpiece of pop-rock, a group of stellar musicians at the top of their game. As a bonus, I'm throwing in Lionel Richie's "Running With the Night," which features Luke as a session player. As the story goes, they brought him into the studio, he jammed along with the song to get the feel for it, then said "Okay, I'm ready for a take," to which the producer replied, "That WAS a take, you're done." If true, I find that really impressive. :)
5. Frank Hannon
My favorite 80s/90s "hair metal" band was Tesla, and learning their songs--primarily Frank Hannon's parts--were my primary guitar lessons when I was learning. His acoustic work was my favorite, but I really liked his solo style too, definitely more melody than flash (and stuff I could actually learn to play!).
4. Mark Knopfler
Mark is most famous for his work with Dire Straits, and that's good stuff--"Sultans of Swing" is just awesome. But even more I like his solo work, and he has a really unique style of playing that I only wish I could copy.
3. Stevie Ray Vaughan
I feel like I don't even need to say much about SRV--one of the best blues/jazz players ever to live, if not THE best, as far as I'm concerned. Definitely taken from us too soon.
2. Audley Freed
A band I really liked in the 90s was called Cry of Love--they only did two albums, with two different singers, but the primary guitarist/songwriter was Audley Freed, who I really enjoy as a player. He also seems to be a really good guy, which is a nice bonus.
1. David Gilmour
I once saw Gilmour referred to as the incomparable master of tone and style, and that is still how I think of him. Great player, great singer, great writer, a rock legend, and the author of what I consider the single best guitar solo in rock music.
10. Kevin Browne
I'll start with the man who is probably the main reason I picked up the guitar in the first place. He was my German teacher in high school, and now and then he'd bring in his guitar and play for us (he'd write songs in German and Dutch as well as English). He's pretty awesome, such a great player and singer and a good writer too. I actually went back to my hometown a week or so ago to see him do a little show where he played his latest album in its entirety. He really just does music for the love of it, though I certainly think he's good enough to make some money doing it too. Anyway: as a guitarist, I just love that percussive style of acoustic playing, and I love his chord choices. He does some stuff I find pretty impressive technically too, and he does it while singing which I know is even tougher. :)
9. Maury Muehleisen
I think most people have never heard of this guy, and to be honest I just had to look him up to refresh myself on his name. But Jim Croce is one of my favorite artists, and while Jim was a great singer/songwriter, Maury was the musical genius behind all his best stuff. They were essentially two parts of a whole greater than their sum, and Maury was just phenomenal as a player and accompanist. He was only 24 when he and Jim died in a plane crash, sad stuff.
8. Ty Tabor
Enough mellow stuff, let's get to rockin. As a guitarist I really grew up on 80s/90s hard rock, and one of my favorite bands from that era is King's X, who are often called a true musician's band. They're a power trio, but all three play and sing and crank out such great grooves. Ty's style is pretty unusual among rock guitarists, but I suppose that's why I like it even though I've never felt able to emulate it.
7. Paul Gilbert
As you can see from this list, I'm not really huge on shredder-type players. I do appreciate speed and technique, but I very much prefer melody and musicality--I care more about the notes being played than how many of them there are. So among the shredders, I respect Paul Gilbert (of Racer X and--primarily for me--Mr. Big) because while he certainly CAN shred with the very best of the best, he also knows when to lay back and play for the song instead of to show off. And he seems like a nice guy to boot.
6. Neal Schon and Steve Lukather
I sort of lump these guys together as a bonus, because I like them both for the same reasons: they're both phenomenal players who have managed to make a career playing some seriously hard stuff in bands considered pop-rock (Journey for Mr. Schon, Toto for Mr. Lukather). I mean, listen to Journey's "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)"--that is a metal riff and some really heavy guitar work, yet it passes for pop-rock. Toto's "Rosanna" I just regard as a masterpiece of pop-rock, a group of stellar musicians at the top of their game. As a bonus, I'm throwing in Lionel Richie's "Running With the Night," which features Luke as a session player. As the story goes, they brought him into the studio, he jammed along with the song to get the feel for it, then said "Okay, I'm ready for a take," to which the producer replied, "That WAS a take, you're done." If true, I find that really impressive. :)
5. Frank Hannon
My favorite 80s/90s "hair metal" band was Tesla, and learning their songs--primarily Frank Hannon's parts--were my primary guitar lessons when I was learning. His acoustic work was my favorite, but I really liked his solo style too, definitely more melody than flash (and stuff I could actually learn to play!).
4. Mark Knopfler
Mark is most famous for his work with Dire Straits, and that's good stuff--"Sultans of Swing" is just awesome. But even more I like his solo work, and he has a really unique style of playing that I only wish I could copy.
3. Stevie Ray Vaughan
I feel like I don't even need to say much about SRV--one of the best blues/jazz players ever to live, if not THE best, as far as I'm concerned. Definitely taken from us too soon.
2. Audley Freed
A band I really liked in the 90s was called Cry of Love--they only did two albums, with two different singers, but the primary guitarist/songwriter was Audley Freed, who I really enjoy as a player. He also seems to be a really good guy, which is a nice bonus.
1. David Gilmour
I once saw Gilmour referred to as the incomparable master of tone and style, and that is still how I think of him. Great player, great singer, great writer, a rock legend, and the author of what I consider the single best guitar solo in rock music.
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Date: 2013-11-27 08:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-28 02:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-28 12:53 pm (UTC)Here's why:
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Date: 2013-11-28 02:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-28 05:04 pm (UTC)1. Gordie Johnson
2. Shaun Verrault
3. Colin James
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Date: 2013-12-04 08:45 pm (UTC)Big Sugar reminds me of Eric Gales, a bit (see below)--he'd probably be in my top 20 if I'd gone that far. Maybe I should do an Honorable Mentions. That may be the coolest looking bass player I've ever seen, too. ;)
Shaun Verreault, that hybrid slide playing he does is very impressive! And Colin, that is some very solid blues playing, nice stuff. I'll make a note to listen to more of these guys, thanks!
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Date: 2013-12-04 10:33 pm (UTC)Totally hear the Goride Johnson thing in Eric Gales! That's awesome!
Johnson had two bands: Big Sugar and Grady.