Latest Players
Pete Townshend on how Jimi Hendrix led him to write ‘Tommy,’ the Who's 1969 breakthrough
“I realized that what I had was a bunch of gimmicks which he had come and taken away from me,” the Who guitarist told us. “I took refuge in my writing”
Ana Popovic got her favorite guitar with a box of $20 bills. Years later, it helped her find the strength to survive the worst
The Serbian guitarist bought her 1964 Fender Stratocaster at a time of economic uncertainty. “It’s been a lifesaver,” she says
Ronnie Baker Brooks, son of Lonnie Brooks, stakes his claim to a place in the Chicago blues hierarchy
On the album's cover, Ronnie holds the 1967 Gibson SG his father held on his 1979 album, ‘Bayou Lightning’
Harvey Mandel wants credit for introducing Eddie Van Halen to tapping
The guitarist has no beef with Van Halen, but he wouldn't mind getting his due for using the technique long before Eddie and most other rock guitarists
Robby Krieger reveals how breaking the rules resulted in the Doors' breakthrough hit, "Light My Fire"
The guitarist says his chart-topping song came about because Jim Morrison said "We need more originals"
Gene Simmons says Ace Frehley copied a Robby Krieger guitar solo note for note on a famous Kiss track
Frehley's solo from "She" was directly inspired by Krieger's own for the Doors' "Five to One"
Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson says Eric Clapton convinced him he had a limited future as a guitarist
Anderson credits Clapton and albums by Dire Straits, Pink Floyd and Frank Zappa with shaping his musical direction
"We thought his music was very similar to ours, and we latched on to him amazingly quickly.” Paul McCartney explained how a youthful error led him to write one of his greatest guitar tracks for the Beatles
"Blackbird" developed from his and George Harrison's love of Bach's Bourée in E minor and their attempts to master the piece as young teenagers
