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September 2026

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61 articles

September 18
- “It’s gonna take some time to get me back to normal.” Yes guitarist Steve Howe on the operation that postponed the Fragile tour
- Martin shakes up its 16 Series with five new guitars: “We’re going to get weird with it, brother”
- Duncan Sheik. the “Barely Breathing” singer who found a second act on Broadway, dies at 56
- “I don’t know if I want to play this.” Rush’s new drummer had a “Yikes!” moment over one classic song
- “We’re not trying to kill people with it anymore.” Bob Mould says Sugar is playing at lower volume. Try telling that to their diehard fans
- How Neil Diamond and a bag of weed turned a pair of struggling young guitarists into global stars: “We smoked a lot of pot together, so that was really helpful”
- Sammy Hagar fires back after Alex Van Halen calls him a “complete idiot”: “We sold 40 million records. Come clean. What’s your problem?”
September 17
- Brian May on the Freddie Mercury idea that left Queen speechless: “There was silence in the room”
- Ian Gillan reveals what really brought Ritchie Blackmore back to Deep Purple: “The closure was years ago”
- Guitar Center launched a contest to open for Ed Sheeran. Then all his opening acts quit
- Nearly a decade after Tom Petty’s death, the Heartbreakers reunite: “There was a deep love that kept us together”
September 16
- Brad Gillis spent four days with Randy Rhoads’ final recordings: “I had two board cassettes. You could hear everything crystal clear”
- Bobby Rondinelli says there’s another side to Ritchie Blackmore: “Everybody just talks about when he’s throwing a mood”
- Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s final performance is coming to cinemas: “There’s never been anything like that”
- Roger Waters slams Ed Sheeran over Macklemore’s tour exit: “P****s like you do the wrong thing”
- How Eric Clapton trounced George Harrison in a guitar duel. “Even when he was drunk, his guitar playing was unbeatable”
- Tony Iommi says he accidentally set Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward on fire: “He went ‘woof,’ like a bomb!”
September 15
- Brian May on Freddie Mercury’s last days: “He said, ‘I’m not going to be here long. Just give me stuff to sing’”
- Win tickets to see Tommy Emmanuel live in Northern California at Guitar Player Presents
- Ella Langley’s hit is about to break Mariah Carey’s Billboard record — and it started with a kangaroo
- Noel Gallagher on the day Johnny Marr bought a nine-pickup Strat: “This is the best bit of advice I’ve ever been given”
- Tony Iommi urged Ozzy Osbourne to skip Black Sabbath’s final show: “It was difficult seeing him like that”
- David Lee Roth and Alex Van Halen reunite for the first time in more than a decade: “This is also a step towards world peace”
- Dolly Parton honored at the Emmys as Sally Field remembers her: “If there are truly angels on Earth, then we just lost one”
September 14
- Dave Grohl on how Nirvana were blindsided by the success of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”: “We played that song for the first time and the audience went nuts”
- Dave Mustaine names four bands that could reshape thrash metal’s Big Four — Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax: “I believe there are ways to do it”
- Billy Gibbons and Dion had made music together but never met — until a remarkable backstage encounter this Saturday: “We instantly bonded”
- Warren Haynes on the Allman Brothers vs. the Grateful Dead: “The Dead wait for the magic to occur. The Allmans force it to happen”
- The Beatles share an early recording of “Norwegian Wood” — Hear the moment the sitar changed rock
September 11
- "Money, it's a gas…” Pink Floyd collaborates with the UK's Royal Mint to release $6,400 18-carat gold guitar pick
- Guitar Center is inviting players to test its new in-house guitar brand – but you’ll need to sign an NDA
- Rick Springfield: I played for the troops in Vietnam and ended up killing a man
September 10
- “George was my favorite Beatle, but the music was very simple…” Why Robben Ford’s dream gig with George Harrison turned sour
- New Van Halen book to include a 7" of their earliest-known song – a steal to you at only, um, $475
September 9
- Eddie Van Halen was asked to do a satellite linkup with Jason Becker – he insisted on doing it in person
- "They said, 'The secret to singles is 120 beats per minute…' But we're not a single band." The Megadeth album that makes Dave Mustaine feel queazy – and how he’d change it
- "The Telecaster is a different animal!” Bruce Springsteen’s onstage sweating kept shorting his guitar out. Here's what he did about it…
September 8
- Kirk Hammett and Jason Newsted almost formed a blues band with members of Sepultura, Sacred Reich – and a blues player who died too young…
- “Not everybody’s designed to run a marathon…” Gene Simmons on Ace Frehley’s three departures from Kiss
- “Peace already”: Sammy Hagar responds to Alex Van Halen calling him “a complete idiot”
September 7
- “Imagine a lullaby paired with psychedelia – that’s what’s going on”: Kim Thayil on what Soundgarden’s album is like, and why you’re waiting so long for it
- Why Ritchie Blackmore’s Deep Purple return delighted ex-singer Joe Lynn Turner: “The nonsense everybody went through back then doesn’t mean anything”
- "He said, ‘I really feel tired and worn out.'" Tony Iommi on his last call with Ozzy Osbourne
- Keith Richards names the player who turned him on to Fender guitars: “There’s no words for it. Every note is in place. I discovered what Leo had invented”
- David Letterman on Warren Zevon’s final words to him: “Take care of this for me”
September 6
- “Sammy Hagar is a complete idiot.” Alex Van Halen slams the former Van Halen singer in the latest volley of their ongoing feud
September 4
- Squeeze cancel concert after tour bus worker crushed in accident at Virginia venue: “Deeply saddened and shocked”
- John Fogerty on the Creedence Clearwater Revival hit he wrote in 20 minutes to save his career: “You’re a one-hit wonder!”
- Billy Gibbons remembers late ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard: “Frank didn’t mind being beardless. After all, he had the name”
September 3
- Jimmy Page recommended Jeff Beck for the Yardbirds. What Beck gave him in return would become a key part of Led Zeppelin history: “This is yours”
- Ry Cooder lost an eye at four. A guitar helped him find his way back: “It gave me a place to go”
- Joe Bonamassa says this rare instrument is the most meaningful guitar he owns. “Some people had Farrah Fawcett on their wall. I had the Howard Reed”
- Alex Van Halen has been knighted in his and Eddie Van Halen’s native Netherlands: “It adds a dignity and a gravity to what we do”
September 2
- Tony Levin recalls working with John Lennon on Double Fantasy: “Suddenly he’d say, ‘Stop fooling around!’ — like it wasn’t his idea”
- Eric Clapton disliked his Unplugged album so much he tried to prevent its release: “I bet $100 it wouldn’t go into the top 50”
- Christopher Cross apologizes to Canadians for Trump: “I’m very sorry and embarrassed that we have an A-hole for a president”
- Frank Zappa was near death and wanted to speak to Ian Anderson. The Jethro Tull frontman froze: “What do you say to a dying man?”
September 1
- Jimmy Page on the Beatle who inspired Led Zeppelin’s most beautiful song: “He said, ‘You never do ballads.’ I said, ‘I’ll give him a ballad’”
- The Who’s lost recordings were hiding in plain sight: “This was one place they hadn’t thought to check”
- Freddie Mercury’s final days are revealed by his closest friend in a rare interview: “It got chaotic”
- “He’s never forgiven me.” Brian May is still upset about the controversial B-side to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” single