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September 2026

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97 articles

September 23
- Why Krist Novoselic hated Kurt Cobain’s original “Heart-Shaped Box” solo: “Why are you sabotaging this beautiful song?”
- Black Sabbath’s first manager says these lost 1969 recordings show Tony Iommi’s evolution: “Any real Black Sabbath fans will really want to hear this”
- Joe Satriani reveals how Frank Sinatra helped shape his favorite guitar solo: “That’s my model”
- How Elliott Randall nailed Steely Dan’s “Reelin’ in the Years” solo without writing a note: “I never plan a solo in advance”
- Freddie Mercury’s first Queen show was a rough start, says Roger Taylor: “He sounded a little bit like a strangled sheep”
- Dolly Parton’s longtime manager accuses her nephew of threats and extortion: “An obscene, deliberate and escalating campaign”
September 22
- Steve Howe reveals his hidden skill that landed him a recording session with Trevor Horn: “I’m the best in London”
- Suzi Quatro on why she deserves a Rock Hall induction — and her worst onstage moments: "My jumpsuit ripped right across my butt"
- Johnny Marr says every guitarist needs these three guitars: “They do a thing no other guitar can do”
- How Alice Cooper spun a 1960s ballad into his own glam-rock anthem: “I said, ‘Bob, this is a folk song.’ He said, ‘No, listen to the lyrics’”
- Metallica’s James Hetfield on Tony Iommi and the Black Sabbath riff that shaped his playing: “He is the riff lord”
September 21
- How the search for Mick Ronson’s Ziggy Stardust Les Paul ended in $200,000 and heartache: “I felt like I had sold my soul”
- Albert Lee on Ritchie Blackmore, Eddie Van Halen and his five years with Eric Clapton: “He fired his whole band twice, but I managed to survive”
- “Bob had a little saboteur in him." Mark Knopfler on his difficult collaboration with his childhood hero, Bob Dylan
- “It can get downright vicious.” We review the Silvertone 1446 semihollow and find a mid-priced steal that’s more than a handsome rocker
- “It would have been great for the Beatles to cover.” George Harrison wanted the Fabs to record this song in 1963. Twenty-four years later, it gave him one of the biggest hits of his career
- New Found Glory guitarist Chad Gilbert dies at 45 after cancer battle: “My biggest dream was to be married to a beautiful wife that would love me and have a daughter”
September 20
- “I kicked him in the wrist as hard as I could. I know I broke it, because I used to wear these great big platform shoes onstage.” Lita Ford on the Runaways, rock and roll — and what happens to hecklers who get in her face
- “We were gonna be the American Led Zeppelin — and he couldn’t take it.” Sammy Hagar on the torment that kept Ronnie Montrose from the ultimate success
- Johnny Marr on the “magic” of writing the Smiths’ songs with Morrissey: “Any songwriter will tell you it’s the best feeling in the world”
- Ed Sheeran breaks his silence on Gaza after the Macklemore tour controversy: “I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore”
September 19
- Samantha Fish on running with Buddy Guy, Joe Bonamassa, Slash and more: “Do you know how many speeding tickets I got on Appetite for Destruction? They almost took my license away!”
- “Yngwie Malmsteen should be forgotten as soon as possible.” Why Johnny Marr declared war on the 1980s guitar hero
September 18
- “It’s gonna take some time to get me back to normal.” Yes guitarist Steve Howe on the operation that postponed the Fragile tour
- Martin shakes up its 16 Series with 11 new guitars and three wild finishes: “We’re going to get weird with it, brother”
- Duncan Sheik. the “Barely Breathing” singer who found a second act on Broadway, dies at 56
- “I don’t know if I want to play this.” Rush’s new drummer had a “Yikes!” moment over one classic song
- “We’re not trying to kill people with it anymore.” Bob Mould says Sugar is playing at lower volume. Try telling that to their diehard fans
- How Neil Diamond and a bag of weed turned a pair of struggling young guitarists into global stars: “We smoked a lot of pot together, so that was really helpful”
- Sammy Hagar fires back after Alex Van Halen calls him a “complete idiot”: “We sold 40 million records. Come clean. What’s your problem?”
September 17
- Brian May on the Freddie Mercury idea that left Queen speechless: “There was silence in the room”
- Ian Gillan reveals what really brought Ritchie Blackmore back to Deep Purple: “The closure was years ago”
- I track guitar sales for a living, and these Guitar-A-Thon discounts are unbelievably good
- Guitar Center launched a contest to open for Ed Sheeran. Then all his opening acts quit
- Nearly a decade after Tom Petty’s death, the Heartbreakers reunite: “There was a deep love that kept us together”
September 16
- Brad Gillis spent four days with Randy Rhoads’ final recordings: “I had two board cassettes. You could hear everything crystal clear”
- Bobby Rondinelli says there’s another side to Ritchie Blackmore: “Everybody just talks about when he’s throwing a mood”
- Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s final performance is coming to cinemas: “There’s never been anything like that”
- Roger Waters slams Ed Sheeran over Macklemore’s tour exit: “P****s like you do the wrong thing”
- How Eric Clapton trounced George Harrison in a guitar duel. “Even when he was drunk, his guitar playing was unbeatable”
- Tony Iommi says he accidentally set Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward on fire: “He went ‘woof,’ like a bomb!”
September 15
- Brian May on Freddie Mercury’s last days: “He said, ‘I’m not going to be here long. Just give me stuff to sing’”
- Win tickets to see Tommy Emmanuel live in Northern California at Guitar Player Presents
- Ella Langley’s hit is about to break Mariah Carey’s Billboard record — and it started with a kangaroo
- Noel Gallagher on the day Johnny Marr bought a nine-pickup Strat: “This is the best bit of advice I’ve ever been given”
- Tony Iommi urged Ozzy Osbourne to skip Black Sabbath’s final show: “It was difficult seeing him like that”
- David Lee Roth and Alex Van Halen reunite for the first time in more than a decade: “This is also a step towards world peace”
- We review the Warm Audio Dirty Boy Jr. Overdrive, Fuzz and Booster effects pedals: "For players seeking a classic U.K. palette”
- Dolly Parton honored at the Emmys as Sally Field remembers her: “If there are truly angels on Earth, then we just lost one”
September 14
- Dave Grohl on how Nirvana were blindsided by the success of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”: “We played that song for the first time and the audience went nuts”
- Dave Mustaine names four bands that could reshape thrash metal’s Big Four — Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax: “I believe there are ways to do it”
- Billy Gibbons and Dion had made music together but never met — until a remarkable backstage encounter this Saturday: “We instantly bonded”
- Warren Haynes on the Allman Brothers vs. the Grateful Dead: “The Dead wait for the magic to occur. The Allmans force it to happen”
- The Beatles share an early recording of “Norwegian Wood” — Hear the moment the sitar changed rock
September 11
- "Money, it's a gas…” Pink Floyd collaborates with the UK's Royal Mint to release $6,400 18-carat gold guitar pick
- Guitar Center is inviting players to test its new in-house guitar brand – but you’ll need to sign an NDA
- Rick Springfield: I played for the troops in Vietnam and ended up killing a man
September 10
- “George was my favorite Beatle, but the music was very simple…” Why Robben Ford’s dream gig with George Harrison turned sour
- "That Echoplex sound Eddie did at the end of Eruption was such an old trick. I thought it was cheesy. But Eddie was from the NEXT generation…" Joe Perry looks back over a lifetime of guitar playing
- New Van Halen book to include a 7" of their earliest-known song – a steal to you at only, um, $475
- Steve Lukather on working with Eddie Van Halen, Michael Jackson, George Benson and other music giants: “I’ve had an extraordinary life”
September 9
- He's played with Mike Keneally, Marco Minnemann, and Ron Thal. Now Phi Yaan-Zek shows you how he uses the melodic minor scale
- Eddie Van Halen was asked to do a satellite linkup with Jason Becker – he insisted on doing it in person
- "They said, 'The secret to singles is 120 beats per minute…' But we're not a single band." The Megadeth album that makes Dave Mustaine feel queazy – and how he’d change it
- "The Telecaster is a different animal!” Bruce Springsteen’s onstage sweating kept shorting his guitar out. Here's what he did about it…
- We review the Positive Grid Spark Pedal Amp and Effects Modeler: “There’s a lot to love here — the fact that it costs under $200 makes it all the more impressive”
September 8
- Kirk Hammett and Jason Newsted almost formed a blues band with members of Sepultura, Sacred Reich – and a blues player who died too young…
- “Not everybody’s designed to run a marathon…” Gene Simmons on Ace Frehley’s three departures from Kiss
- “Peace already”: Sammy Hagar responds to Alex Van Halen calling him “a complete idiot”
September 7
- “Imagine a lullaby paired with psychedelia – that’s what’s going on”: Kim Thayil on what Soundgarden’s album is like, and why you’re waiting so long for it
- Why Ritchie Blackmore’s Deep Purple return delighted ex-singer Joe Lynn Turner: “The nonsense everybody went through back then doesn’t mean anything”
- "He said, ‘I really feel tired and worn out.'" Tony Iommi on his last call with Ozzy Osbourne
- “The rot set in.” Longtime Pink Floyd insider reveals what really drove David Gilmour and Roger Waters apart
- Keith Richards names the player who turned him on to Fender guitars: “There’s no words for it. Every note is in place. I discovered what Leo had invented”
- David Letterman on Warren Zevon’s final words to him: “Take care of this for me”
September 6
- “Sammy Hagar is a complete idiot.” Alex Van Halen slams the former Van Halen singer in the latest volley of their ongoing feud
September 5
- Neil Diamond was fired five times before the Monkees scored a hit with his song “I’m a Believer”: “He was angry I’d given away a No. 1 hit”
September 4
- Squeeze cancel concert after tour bus worker crushed in accident at Virginia venue: “Deeply saddened and shocked”
- John Fogerty on the Creedence Clearwater Revival hit he wrote in 20 minutes to save his career: “You’re a one-hit wonder!”
- Billy Gibbons remembers late ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard: “Frank didn’t mind being beardless. After all, he had the name”
- “I threw my guitar in the air and kicked all the amps off the stage.” Eric Bell on the Thin Lizzy show that ended his dream gig
September 3
- Barbra Streisand recorded over 30 takes of “The Way We Were.” Nothing worked. Then the bassist tried something different
- Jimmy Page recommended Jeff Beck for the Yardbirds. What Beck gave him in return would become a key part of Led Zeppelin history: “This is yours”
- Ry Cooder lost an eye at four. A guitar helped him find his way back: “It gave me a place to go”
- With 30% off across the board in Guitar Center's Labor Day sale, you can afford to splash out on tasty exclusive finishes from Epiphone, Fender, Taylor, and more
- Joe Bonamassa says this rare instrument is the most meaningful guitar he owns. “Some people had Farrah Fawcett on their wall. I had the Howard Reed”
- Alex Van Halen has been knighted in his and Eddie Van Halen’s native Netherlands: “It adds a dignity and a gravity to what we do”
September 2
- Tony Levin recalls working with John Lennon on Double Fantasy: “Suddenly he’d say, ‘Stop fooling around!’ — like it wasn’t his idea”
- Eric Clapton disliked his Unplugged album so much he tried to prevent its release: “I bet $100 it wouldn’t go into the top 50”
- Christopher Cross apologizes to Canadians for Trump: “I’m very sorry and embarrassed that we have an A-hole for a president”
- Frank Zappa was near death and wanted to speak to Ian Anderson. The Jethro Tull frontman froze: “What do you say to a dying man?”
- My favorite guitar practice tool just hit its lowest-ever price of $99, thanks to Positive Grid wiping nearly 40% off the Spark Neo Core
September 1
- Jimmy Page on the Beatle who inspired Led Zeppelin’s most beautiful song: “He said, ‘You never do ballads.’ I said, ‘I’ll give him a ballad’”
- The Who’s lost recordings were hiding in plain sight: “This was one place they hadn’t thought to check”
- Freddie Mercury’s final days are revealed by his closest friend in a rare interview: “It got chaotic”
- We review the Death by Audio/Rainger FX Amp Crash pedal: “An inspiring noise-making tool for guitarists who like to push their sound to the edge”
- “He’s never forgiven me.” Brian May is still upset about the controversial B-side to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” single