Latest articles by Christopher Scapelliti
Dolly Parton on the “little Martin” that launched her music career — and the country star behind her big break
The country legend and actress is among the select artists featured on a new album celebrating the Grand Ole Opry’s 100 years
“You left your wax cylinders at home?” Jack White welcomes Stephen Colbert back to public-access TV
Less than 24 hours after ‘The Late Show’ ended, White joined Colbert on Michigan's ‘Only in Monroe’ for a bizarre hour of music, Bigfoot talk and set-smashing
Vince Gill tells how a tragedy brought him his prized 1959 Gibson Les Paul ’Burst
In a 2017 interview with Guitar Aficionado, the country-rock six-string ace revealed how a sad and deeply personal twist of events brought a prized '59 Les Paul into his life
P.J. Harvey on why she stopped playing guitar onstage — and the real reason she chose her first pair of tour guitarists
Her first proper solo album in 1995 marked a turning point in the iconic performer’s approach to performance
Narada Michael Walden on the night he walked away from Tommy Bolin
The Mahavishnu Orchestra and Jeff Beck collaborator says Bolin’s addictions forced a heartbreaking decision, months before the guitarist’s death.
Bob Daisley claims Ozzy Osbourne misrepresented his relationship with Randy Rhoads
The bassist says Osbourne and Rhoads weren’t as close as Ozzy made it seem
Todd Rundgren on the tense sessions for XTC’s ‘Skylarking,’ the hit album that nearly broke up the band
The producer recalls the infighting and conflicts behind the 1986 record that saved the group’s career
Pete Townshend put Eric Clapton on the road to recovery. Now he’s finally coming to the Crossroads Festival
In 1973, Townshend’s all-star Rainbow Theatre concerts forced Clapton back onstage at the height of his addiction — a moment that eventually led to the creation of the Crossroads Centre and Clapton’s famous guitar festival.
Pete Townshend on the woman who preoccupied him and Jimmy Page at the Who’s “I Can’t Explain” session
Townshend was surprised to find Page hired for the Who's landmark recording — but both guitarists were distracted by talk of their shared girlfriend
“‘Do you remember that guitar that went missing?’” Ronnie Wood says he took a bass guitar from a store to play with Jeff Beck
The Rolling Stones guitarist also revealed that he recorded a nine-minute guitar solo for the group’s new album in memory of Brian Wilson and Sly Stone
“You are Robert Smith from the Cure!” Mick Jagger recalls the unexpected moment that led to a Rolling Stones collaboration
The Stones frontman shared the story during a chat on Tuesday with Conan O’Brien in Brooklyn to announce the band’s new album, ‘Foreign Tongues’
“It sounds like a terrible B-flick horror soundtrack.” Eddie Van Halen on the night he got drunk and wrecked Marvin Hamlisch’s piano
During a late-night experiment in a rented Malibu home, the guitarist scraped the composer’s Yamaha grand with forks and knives — and turned the chaos into a track later used on Van Halen’s ‘Balance’
“It felt like there were insects in my legs.” Peter Frampton recalls the moment he knew something was wrong
As he prepares to release his album ‘Carry the Light,’ the guitarist says the strange sensation came years before he was diagnosed with Inclusion Body Myositis
Mark Knopfler on his grueling 10-hour Steely Dan session that resulted in just seconds of music
Fresh off the success of “Sultans of Swing,” the Dire Straits guitarist joined Donald Fagen and Walter Becker in the studio — and discovered just how painstaking their recording process could be.
Melissa Etheridge says a “heroic dose” of cannabis led to a life-changing awakening
The singer explains how a powerful edible experience in 2003 sparked a spiritual awakening that reshaped her philosophy on life — months before her breast cancer diagnosis
David Coverdale on Tommy Bolin replacing Ritchie Blackmore in Deep Purple
Coverdale and others reflect on Bolin’s time in the James Gang and Deep Purple before his death at 25
Jozef Van Wissem wants to make the lute the new electric guitar — with a pickup and a bottleneck slide
The minimalist composer and collaborator with Jim Jarmusch is electrifying a 24-string relic — and scandalizing classical purists in the process.
“She was a shining talent.” Beverley Martyn, British folk singer who worked with Jimmy Page and Nick Drake, dies at 79
The London folk-scene standout appeared on Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘Bookends’ and finally released her own solo album in 2014
“Clear and unequivocal.” Jimi Hendrix bandmates’ estates lose royalty lawsuit over their classic recordings
High Court rejects claims from Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell’s estates over decades-old payments
Nuno Bettencourt recalls the moment Eddie Van Halen stopped him from tapping on his own rig
When the Extreme guitarist finally met his hero in 1991, Eddie handed him his guitar — and proved he’d been reading his interviews
Olivia Rodrigo makes surprise appearance at Brooklyn open-mic night to play her new song “Drop Dead”
The singer and guitarist has been making a number of under-the-radar performances ahead of her new album
Paul McCartney and RIngo Starr reveal the big mix-up behind their first-ever duet
The Beatles legends finally record together on “Home to Us,” a Liverpool-inspired song on McCartney’s upcoming album
Jim Peterik reveals the surprising story behind “Vehicle,” the Ides of March hit that broke records on its way to the top
Written by the future “Eye of the Tiger” composer, the 1970 smash became the fastest-breaking single in Warner Bros. history — even though the band thought it was a throwaway.
“The problem was that Jim Gordon got Eric into heroin and things just bogged down.” Behind late Dave Mason’s work with Derek and the Dominos and Jimi Hendrix
Mason, who died on April 19, was present for some of rock’s big moments, including the formation of the Dominos and the making of Hendrix’s “All Along the Watchtower”
