Gary GraffSocial Links Navigation Grid List Latest articles by Gary Graff “I Kind of Stole Ed...And That Wasn’t Something That Happened Very Often”: Brian May Expounds on Eddie Van Halen’s Role in the Fabled ‘Star Fleet Project’ By Gary Graff published 26 September 23 As he releases his expanded ‘Star Fleet Project’ box set, the guitarist reveals his thoughts on EVH, the future of Queen, and the dangers AI poses for music in the coming year “You Have to Account for Tales…I Don’t Think We’d Be the Same Group Without It”: Steve Howe Talks Yes's ‘Tales From Topographic Oceans’ and Other Milestone Albums By Gary Graff published 26 September 23 As Yes release their second album in two years, the guitarist reflects on the 50th anniversary of ‘Tales From Topographic Oceans’ and his newly reconceptualized take on the debut album from his 1960s band Tomorrow “I Think We Might Look Back on 2023 as the Last Year When Humans Really Dominated the Music Scene”: Brian May Shares His Hopes and Fears About the Impact of AI By Gary Graff published 31 August 23 Having been involved with artificial intelligence in his scientific pursuits, the astrophysicist and Queen guitarist has some unique insights that may shock you “Like Neil Young Said, It’s Better to Burn out Than to Fade Away”: Gary Rossington Remained “The Last Rebel” Whose Presence Through Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Many Incarnations Was Essential By Gary Graff published 26 July 23 When Gary Rossington died, Lynyrd Skynyrd lost its last link to the band’s hell-raising origins. In this tribute, Johnny Van Zant and Rickey Medlocke recall his music, legacy and southern spirit “We Were Tired of Playing the Required Music You’d Play in a Bar”: Rich Williams Reveals His Top Five Quintessential Kansas Songs By Gary Graff published 21 July 23 Dubbed “Mr. One-Take” by Steve Morse, the Kansas founding guitarist picks his greatest cuts from the group’s epic 50-year history “When the Vocal Stops, You Want to Make Sure That the Audience Isn’t Bored”: Neil Giraldo Details His Philosophy for Crafting Great Guitar Solos and Reflects on Career Highlights From Rick Derringer to Pat Benatar and Beyond By Gary Graff published 29 June 23 The multiple Grammy winning-guitarist savors his Rock Hall induction and raves for the musical ‘Invincible’ John Lennon Played It on Repeat and Frank Sinatra Called It the Best Song of the ‘70s – Here’s How a Simple C9 Chord Inspired Little River Band’s Top-Ten Hit “Reminiscing” By Gary Graff published 16 June 23 “It was a spiritual download that just flowed through me”: guitarist Graeham Goble explains how learning this extended chord unlocked LRB's “pinnacle song” in half an hour “I’ve Dedicated My Life to the Blues, and a Lot of Other People Have, Too. What Did We Do to Be Treated Like That?”: Buddy Guy Has, Most Definitely, Still Got the Blues By Gary Graff published 9 June 23 “I’ve kept doing it so people don’t forget Muddy and Wolf, B.B. – all the rest of ’em,” says the Strat-toting blues guru “Anybody Would Say, ‘That’s Enough”: At 86, Buddy Guy Says It’s Finally Time to Come off the Road By Gary Graff published 9 June 23 “I’m still going to probably play some of the big festivals,” maintains the blues guitar legend “He Said, ‘I Just Canceled a Gig, ’Cause I Wanted to See You’”: Buddy Guy Talks Befriending Jimi Hendrix By Gary Graff published 7 June 23 How the blues icon met Jimi (and was invited to kick Leonard Chess’s butt!) “Somebody Called and Told Him I Sounded Pretty Good, and He Decided to Come by and See for Himself”: When Buddy Guy Met Muddy Waters By Gary Graff published 5 June 23 Arriving in Chicago from Baton Rouge in 1957, Buddy was a starving musician when he was “fed by the Mud” “I Got to Chicago on September the 25th, 1957. And I’m Still Here”: How Buddy Guy Went From Diddley Bow “Country Boy” to Chicago Blues Legend By Gary Graff published 1 June 23 “I said to myself, I want to do something the rest of the kids can’t do. And I thought, I want to play the guitar,” says the blues icon “With Each Successive New Record, We Grow Our Own Legacy”: Vivian Campbell Moves Between Last in Line and Def Leppard Without Missing a Step By Gary Graff published 31 May 23 The Irish-born axeman says Last in Line’s latest album, ‘Jericho,’ is "all about the solos and the riffs and the structures in the songs” “I Wouldn’t Want to Go Through All That Again. It All Turned out Fine, Though”: Jeff Beck Reflects on a Life Devoted to Guitar By Gary Graff published 9 May 23 The legendary guitarist sat down for a chat and opened up before his 2009 Rock Hall honors and show-stopping all-star jam “I Feel That I’m Kind of Underrated”: In 2008, Harvey Goldsmith Got a Phone Call That Changed His Life… And Revived Jeff Beck’s Career By Gary Graff published 8 May 23 The U.K.’s best-known concert promoter raised Beck’s profile considerably in both music and pop culture “When I Heard Pavarotti Sing It, I Thought, All This Is Is Sophisticated Blues”: How Jeff Beck’s Unlikely “Nessun Dorma” Cover Earned Him a Grammy By Gary Graff published 5 May 23 Along with an interpretation of the Beatles’ “A Day in the Life,” the guitarist’s oddball tribute tunes have earned high praise “I Can See in People’s Faces That They Really Feel His Presence. I Feel It, Too”: Mike Campbell Talks New Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Release, ‘Live at the Fillmore 1997’ By Gary Graff published 14 February 23 The Heartbreakers’ first lieutenant reveals what went down when the band got back to its roots “I’m in Two Great Bands, so It’s Complicated”: Nils Lofgren Reflects on His Tenure With Neil Young, His New Tour With Bruce Springsteen, and His Latest Obsession: Pedal Steel By Gary Graff published 18 January 23 The rock ‘n’ roll veteran reveals what’s going on behind the scenes as Crazy Horse drop their latest, ‘World Record’ Get The Pick Newsletter All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox! Name: Your Email Address : Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors Thank you for signing up to GuitarPlayer. You will receive a verification email shortly. There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again. 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“I Kind of Stole Ed...And That Wasn’t Something That Happened Very Often”: Brian May Expounds on Eddie Van Halen’s Role in the Fabled ‘Star Fleet Project’ By Gary Graff published 26 September 23 As he releases his expanded ‘Star Fleet Project’ box set, the guitarist reveals his thoughts on EVH, the future of Queen, and the dangers AI poses for music in the coming year
“You Have to Account for Tales…I Don’t Think We’d Be the Same Group Without It”: Steve Howe Talks Yes's ‘Tales From Topographic Oceans’ and Other Milestone Albums By Gary Graff published 26 September 23 As Yes release their second album in two years, the guitarist reflects on the 50th anniversary of ‘Tales From Topographic Oceans’ and his newly reconceptualized take on the debut album from his 1960s band Tomorrow
“I Think We Might Look Back on 2023 as the Last Year When Humans Really Dominated the Music Scene”: Brian May Shares His Hopes and Fears About the Impact of AI By Gary Graff published 31 August 23 Having been involved with artificial intelligence in his scientific pursuits, the astrophysicist and Queen guitarist has some unique insights that may shock you
“Like Neil Young Said, It’s Better to Burn out Than to Fade Away”: Gary Rossington Remained “The Last Rebel” Whose Presence Through Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Many Incarnations Was Essential By Gary Graff published 26 July 23 When Gary Rossington died, Lynyrd Skynyrd lost its last link to the band’s hell-raising origins. In this tribute, Johnny Van Zant and Rickey Medlocke recall his music, legacy and southern spirit
“We Were Tired of Playing the Required Music You’d Play in a Bar”: Rich Williams Reveals His Top Five Quintessential Kansas Songs By Gary Graff published 21 July 23 Dubbed “Mr. One-Take” by Steve Morse, the Kansas founding guitarist picks his greatest cuts from the group’s epic 50-year history
“When the Vocal Stops, You Want to Make Sure That the Audience Isn’t Bored”: Neil Giraldo Details His Philosophy for Crafting Great Guitar Solos and Reflects on Career Highlights From Rick Derringer to Pat Benatar and Beyond By Gary Graff published 29 June 23 The multiple Grammy winning-guitarist savors his Rock Hall induction and raves for the musical ‘Invincible’
John Lennon Played It on Repeat and Frank Sinatra Called It the Best Song of the ‘70s – Here’s How a Simple C9 Chord Inspired Little River Band’s Top-Ten Hit “Reminiscing” By Gary Graff published 16 June 23 “It was a spiritual download that just flowed through me”: guitarist Graeham Goble explains how learning this extended chord unlocked LRB's “pinnacle song” in half an hour
“I’ve Dedicated My Life to the Blues, and a Lot of Other People Have, Too. What Did We Do to Be Treated Like That?”: Buddy Guy Has, Most Definitely, Still Got the Blues By Gary Graff published 9 June 23 “I’ve kept doing it so people don’t forget Muddy and Wolf, B.B. – all the rest of ’em,” says the Strat-toting blues guru
“Anybody Would Say, ‘That’s Enough”: At 86, Buddy Guy Says It’s Finally Time to Come off the Road By Gary Graff published 9 June 23 “I’m still going to probably play some of the big festivals,” maintains the blues guitar legend
“He Said, ‘I Just Canceled a Gig, ’Cause I Wanted to See You’”: Buddy Guy Talks Befriending Jimi Hendrix By Gary Graff published 7 June 23 How the blues icon met Jimi (and was invited to kick Leonard Chess’s butt!)
“Somebody Called and Told Him I Sounded Pretty Good, and He Decided to Come by and See for Himself”: When Buddy Guy Met Muddy Waters By Gary Graff published 5 June 23 Arriving in Chicago from Baton Rouge in 1957, Buddy was a starving musician when he was “fed by the Mud”
“I Got to Chicago on September the 25th, 1957. And I’m Still Here”: How Buddy Guy Went From Diddley Bow “Country Boy” to Chicago Blues Legend By Gary Graff published 1 June 23 “I said to myself, I want to do something the rest of the kids can’t do. And I thought, I want to play the guitar,” says the blues icon
“With Each Successive New Record, We Grow Our Own Legacy”: Vivian Campbell Moves Between Last in Line and Def Leppard Without Missing a Step By Gary Graff published 31 May 23 The Irish-born axeman says Last in Line’s latest album, ‘Jericho,’ is "all about the solos and the riffs and the structures in the songs”
“I Wouldn’t Want to Go Through All That Again. It All Turned out Fine, Though”: Jeff Beck Reflects on a Life Devoted to Guitar By Gary Graff published 9 May 23 The legendary guitarist sat down for a chat and opened up before his 2009 Rock Hall honors and show-stopping all-star jam
“I Feel That I’m Kind of Underrated”: In 2008, Harvey Goldsmith Got a Phone Call That Changed His Life… And Revived Jeff Beck’s Career By Gary Graff published 8 May 23 The U.K.’s best-known concert promoter raised Beck’s profile considerably in both music and pop culture
“When I Heard Pavarotti Sing It, I Thought, All This Is Is Sophisticated Blues”: How Jeff Beck’s Unlikely “Nessun Dorma” Cover Earned Him a Grammy By Gary Graff published 5 May 23 Along with an interpretation of the Beatles’ “A Day in the Life,” the guitarist’s oddball tribute tunes have earned high praise
“I Can See in People’s Faces That They Really Feel His Presence. I Feel It, Too”: Mike Campbell Talks New Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Release, ‘Live at the Fillmore 1997’ By Gary Graff published 14 February 23 The Heartbreakers’ first lieutenant reveals what went down when the band got back to its roots
“I’m in Two Great Bands, so It’s Complicated”: Nils Lofgren Reflects on His Tenure With Neil Young, His New Tour With Bruce Springsteen, and His Latest Obsession: Pedal Steel By Gary Graff published 18 January 23 The rock ‘n’ roll veteran reveals what’s going on behind the scenes as Crazy Horse drop their latest, ‘World Record’
