Gary Graff
Gary Graff is an award-winning Detroit-based music journalist and author who writes for a variety of print, online and broadcast outlets. He has written and collaborated on books about Alice Cooper, Neil Young, Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen and Rock 'n' Roll Myths. He's also the founding editor of the award-winning MusicHound Essential Album Guide series and of the new 501 Essential Albums series. Graff is also a co-founder and co-producer of the annual Detroit Music Awards.
Latest articles by Gary Graff
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
“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
“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
“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
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 mimself”: When Buddy Guy met Muddy Waters
By Gary Graff published
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
“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
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
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
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
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
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
The rock ‘n’ roll veteran reveals what’s going on behind the scenes as Crazy Horse drop their latest, ‘World Record’
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