Latest articles by Gary Graff
Todd Rundgren reflects on Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and the moment he nearly jammed with Hendrix
As he nears the 50th anniversary of ‘Faithful,’ his tribute to 1960s classic rock, the songwriter and producer recalls the guitar heroes who shaped him
Waddy Wachtel on his 1970s adventures with Warren Zevon — from Robert Johnson’s licks to “Werewolves of London”
Before making ‘Excitable Boy,’ the guitarist clashed with Zevon, jammed all night on Everly Brothers tour stops and learned the blues from one of rock’s sharpest songwriters.
Carmine Appice on cutting a Coke ad with Jeff Beck, hanging with Jimi Hendrix and playing with Rod Stewart and Rick Derringer
As he returns with a new Cactus album, Appice tells tales from his star-studded past dating back to his years in Vanilla Fudge
Treaty Oak Revival’s Lance Vanley went to buy a $300 Strat. He got an armed encounter
The guitarist behind the hit southern rockers arrived at a garage meeting where a gun was present, a pat-down followed, and an unexpected deal unfolded.
How Vince Gill got and lost Chuck Berry’s autograph in less than an hour
The Nashville hitmaker got a memorable story from the encounter — and a surprise in return from Berry
Samantha Fish doesn’t like her first live album — that’s why she did it right with her latest, ‘Paper Doll Live’
The blues-rock guitarist’s latest release builds on the Grammy Award–nominated success of her 2025 studio album
Ritchie Blackmore on the one musician he was closest to — and what drove a wedge between them
The two men reconnected before one of them died, leading Blackmore to write a song in his memory
“Keith, your guitars only have five strings!” Brian Setzer recalls the day Keith Richards handed him his Les Paul
The Stray Cats guitarist adds that he’s picked up a couple of new guitars — and they’re not Gretsches
“I kept Cozy in the band because he would bring stacks and stacks of English chocolates...”
Rainbow’s new nine-disc ‘Temple of the King’ box arrived with a rare invitation to debrief the elusive virtuoso.
Keith Richards had a priceless response when he caught his band watching the Fab Four
The Rolling Stones guitarist delivered a one-line reminder of who he was — and where he’d been
Steve Stevens showed up to rehearse with Eddie Van Halen — and instantly knew he’d made a mistake
The Billy Idol guitarist recalls his first jam at Eddie Van Halen’s home — and the gear friendship that followed from it
Why Bill Frisell bought Robert Quine’s blue Telecaster after his death
Frisell recalls his friendship with Quine, the New York City jam session that led to the guitar’s purchase, and the modifications that made it his own.
Steve Stevens on the time Mick Jagger was mistaken for a session bassist
Jagger dropped in on a Billy Idol studio date hoping to interest Stevens in a new guitar company created by his brother
“The guitar is like this magic wand.” Bill Frisell on imagination, collaboration and the guitar guiding his new album
The jazz great speaks with us about creative humility, turning 75 and why ‘In My Dreams’ is about collective conversation — not guitar heroics
Steve Stevens on smashed guitars, being pushed offstage — and what he discovered watching Billy Idol’s new documentary
As ‘Billy Idol Should Be Dead’ hits theaters, the New York native talks highlights from his long career with the British rocker
Jeff Beck drummer Narada Michael Walden reveals the guitarist left behind a previously unknown trove of unreleased tracks
The jazz-fusion drummer recalls Beck’s “lost confidence” in the years after they collaborated on ‘Wired’
Bernie Leadon dissects the Eagles’ biggest album of all time
“It’s really simple, and simple’s good,” the group’s co-founder says, “if you want to reach people and make it memorable”
Al Jardine on the Beach Boys’ “lost album” and Brian Wilson’s strangest comeback
As ‘We Gotta Groove’ highlights a polarizing, two-year period in the group‘s history, the long-running guitarist reflects on a band in transition
Vince Gill on how he found the instrument he calls “the definitive guitar in my life”
Gill also talks about the “daunting” task of filling in for an ailing Joe Walsh on a recent Eagles gig
The show that ended David Bowie’s touring career — and the song that became his last hit
Earl Slick recalls working with the artist in his final years on tracks highlighted in the new David Bowie box set, 'I Can’t Give Everything Away'
George Thorogood on his Live Aid performances with Bo Diddley and Albert Collins, and the two actors who made his day
Read one of Guitar Player's top stories of 2025
John Lennon played it on repeat. Frank Sinatra called it the best song of the 1970s. How a simple C9 chord inspired a timeless top-10 hit
“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
Paul Rodgers on playing with Paul Kossoff, Mick Ralphs, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Brian May, Steve Cropper, Slash and Joe Bonamassa
“I don't really know the secret of how guitarists create their own unique sounds,” Rodgers tells us, “but I know a good guitar sound when I hear it”
