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January 2026

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60 articles

January 31
- “She wasn’t feeling very good those days. The longer it went on, the worse it got.” The long road to Lucinda Williams’ breakthrough album — and the creative partnership that didn’t survive it.
January 30
- “I had this funny feeling I knew what this was going to be.” How Peter Frampton discovered his signature effect while recording with George Harrison
January 29
- “I was embarrassingly inexperienced.” Steve Vai on the guitarist who “saved his bacon” with a vital piece of gear when he was a greenhorn in David Lee Roth’s band
- ”I suspect some music will eventually come out.” Geddy Lee on what it will take for him and Alex Lifeson to record new music as Rush reunites
- “This was part of my lineage, way before I came.” Eric Gales on his family’s rich guitar heritage and secret jams with Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf
January 28
- “My dad had an electric knife, and Ozzy had just had a bunch of wine…” Lita Ford on what happened when Ozzy Osbourne came to her parents’ house for Easter lunch
- “Al, you and dad changed the world of music.” Alex Van Halen shares video of a young Eddie Van Halen playing guitar
January 27
- “I’ve always said that’s going to be the time for me to stop.” Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine on the moment he realized it was time to retire
- “Stevie likes first takes. That’s part of the charm of the ‘Innervisions’ album.” Session guitar legend Dean Parks on his historic hit recordings with Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney, and B.B. King
- “It could have been a contender in the late ’60s.” This classic from Japan got a cold reception in the U.S. Here’s why it’s hot on today’s vintage market
January 26
- “I’d trade 150 Def Leppards for one R.E.M. It's as simple as that.” Pete Townshend on the music he despises, even though he influenced it with one vital Who album
January 25
- “The DJs called the label and said, ‘Might not be a bad idea to release this as a single.’” The 1981 power-pop smash inspired by the Kinks that became a hit thanks to a daytime soap opera
January 24
- “Bob had a little saboteur in him." Mark Knopfler on his difficult collaboration with his childhood hero, Bob Dylan
January 23
- “He said, ‘I’ll come. I was wondering what I’d do tomorrow.’” How George Harrison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne spontaneously created the 1980s’ biggest supergroup
- “He locked us in the kitchen with some food and a couple of guitars. We couldn’t come out until we’d written a song.” Keith Richards on forcing out his and Mick Jagger’s first hit
January 22
- “I know why he hired me.” Behind John Lennon's unusual decision to enlist David Bowie‘s go-to guitarist for his best-selling solo album
January 21
- ”I’ll do everything I can to make this guitar sing again.” Ukrainian guitarist completely restores a Les Paul heavily damaged by a Russian drone strike
- “Dave called me after he got out of rehab. He said, ‘I quit Megadeth.’” David Ellefson on Dave Mustaine and what really happened when the guitarist forced him out of the thrash metal legends
- “Cables suck! Being untethered feels fabulous and sounds great.” We review the Fishman AirLock Wireless GT wireless guitar system and find cordless heaven
January 20
- “This was 1968, right at the height of the Vietnam War.” John Fogerty on the letter that inspired him to write his greatest hit song
- “Doing overdubs on that song was one of the toughest sessions for me.” Steely Dan’s key guitarist on what happened behind his hit tracks with Walter Becker and Donald Fagen
- “They are still being killed for years, so that’s the reason we’re missing out on it.” Brian May on the surprising reason Queen refuse to play one of summers’ most celebrated music festivals
January 19
- Police royalties case reveals Sting has paid Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland more than $800,000 since they filed their lawsuit. They claim more is owed
- “The only guy there was Tom. He told me he was done.” How Tom Petty broke up his band to form the Heartbreakers — and the musician he left behind
January 18
- “Bowie goes, ‘Oh, you might as well agree, they’re already showing a bootleg version at the XXX theaters on 42nd Street.’” How Jeff Beck foiled David Bowie’s plans after appearing on the biggest night of the Ziggy Stardust tour
January 17
- “He played better than he did when he was sober.” Tim Renwick on his highs and lows with Eric Clapton, David Bowie and Al Stewart
- “I sent them a love note.” How Dolly Parton met the Beatles twice — and stole the show both times
January 15
- “I busted out this chicken-pickin’ solo, and they looked at me like, What the eff are you doing!?” Keith Urban on the virtuoso who got him fired from a heavy metal band
- “He told me, ‘You got too close — you hit it on the head!’” How a classic hard rock track was written on Chris Cornell's couch with an acoustic guitar
- “They were asking, ‘Can we go home now?’ We said, ‘No. Have a cup of tea.‘” George Harrison on the night the Beatles got George Martin and his crew high
January 14
- “The day Sammy and I got hitched, she gave me a present.” How Zach Bryan got Bob Weir‘s Fender Telecaster just days before the Grateful Dead legend’s passing
- “Believe it or not, Joe Walsh was an early influence, as well as Eric Clapton.” Vince Gill recalls his shocking debut performance — and the surprising style of music that shaped his early years
January 13
- “I sang a song about whorehouses in grade school — and I didn't even know it!” Vince Gill on his first performance, and the surprising style of music that shaped his early years
- “I said, ‘Bob, this is a folk song.’ He said, ‘No, listen to the lyrics.’” How Alice Cooper spun a 1960s ballad into his own glam-rock anthem
January 12
- “Syd Barrett was doing psychedelic drugs and completely off his tree.” Friend and guitarist to David Gilmour and Roger Waters, Tim Renwick recalls Pink Floyd‘s wild rise from high school rockers to prog-rock gurus
January 11
- “I told them, ‘You can call the police or do whatever you're going to do to me, but I'm taking it.’” How the Grateful Dead's Bob Weir stole one of his favorite guitars from George Benson
January 10
- “Our initial sense was that it was very big-headed. We all looked at Fred and said, ‘Really?’” Brian May on Freddie Mercury and the mega-hit that changed Queen’s relationship with their audience
January 9
- “I had to find out how they were getting that sound.” How George Harrison, banjo and a studio accident inspired Roger McGuinn’s invention of folk rock
- “When he showed up and did it all for real, it burst my bubble. I was pissed for a little while.” How Eric Clapton survived rock guitar‘s most transformative era and found his way to the blues
- “When they saw my guitar, they all laughed at me.” How Mike Campbell survived his toughest audition — in front of Tom Petty
January 8
- “I felt like I had to fight with everybody to get those songs released.” How a 1970s rock legend scored his second career-defining hit — and why it feels like a curse 50 years on
- “He said, ‘If you do that again, I’ll break your effing legs!’ He meant it.” Rock royalty's favorite sideman recalls his days with Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend, Roger Waters and Bill Wyman
- “He made it possible for everybody to see what could be done with an electric guitar.” Jeff Beck on how Jimi Hendrix changed the game
January 7
- “To fix all the mythology, gossip and outright lies, he had nothing to do with that song.” Gene Simmons makes a stunning claim about the author of Kiss's all-time biggest hit
- “I let him tell me the whole story and then said, ‘Brian, that was me.’” How Steve Vai shocked Brian May by revealing their early 1970s encounter
- “It will be the greatest album of all time.” How a Kiss guitar legend decided to charge fans more than $4,000 to buy his new record
- “Duane's got this little stinky amp and a Strat, and I'm going, ‘Well, that's not Jimi playing.’” How Jimi Hendrix inspired Duane Allman — and why his blues trio never came to fruition
- Win tickets to see Matteo Mancuso perform at Guitar Player Presents in Southern California after NAMM 2026
January 6
- “He goes, ‘You want to see a cool guitar?’ and pulls out a ’53 Tele. I had never seen anything like that.” Joe Bonamassa on the blues giant who made him the guitarist he is today
- “I'm not sure how he does it.” Don Was says this modern-day guitar hero “might be better than George Harrison”
- “We were just flabbergasted.” The secret sound that has David Bowie’s “‘Heroes’” surging on the charts following its ‘Stranger Things’ appearance
January 5
- “I was in Trader Joe’s putting bananas in a shopping cart when Jon Bon Jovi called. He says, ‘Hey, we’re gonna need you in Calgary tonight.’” Phil X on his surprise induction into Bon Jovi
- “A bang-for-buck champ that performs above its price class.” We review the Gretsch Electromatic CVT Double-Cut with Wraparound Tailpiece
January 4
- “The biggest mistake was just not shutting down at that point.” As ‘Frampton Comes Alive!’ turns 50, Peter Frampton tells how its success nearly killed his solo career before it started
- “How do I get him to come to my kitchen table????” Roger Daltrey makes a rare appearance following the Who’s final tour singing a Johnny Cash classic at a dinner table
January 2
- “He was a very moody sort of guy. We’d be traveling in a van, going to the shows, and he would sit in the corner and not talk to anybody.” Jim McCarty recalls Eric Clapton’s “quite unhappy” time with the Yardbirds
- “Something inside me said, ‘This man’s not going to live to be an old guy.’” Ozzy Osbourne on his last conversation with Randy Rhoads
- “We’ve known him for a long time. He was one of the true best friends.” Alex Van Halen says he and Steve Lukather will work on a new album
January 1
- “He says to me, ‘Keep vamping, just jam,’ while he’s having a heart attack. Then he started grabbing his chest.” The show that ended David Bowie’s touring career — and the song that became his last hit
- “He said, ‘Yeah, what are you gonna do about it? You’re a girl. You don’t have the money to fight this.’” Rita Coolidge says Eric Clapton owes her a writing credit for one of the most celebrated songs in rock