Players Dickey Betts on dueling with Duane Allman, and composing Allman Brothers' biggest hit In 2019, the late Dickey Betts sat down with Guitar Player to reflect on the Allman Brothers and his musical career, from his early influences to his last solo live album “We all knew it was really good… The guitar playing is just amazing”: How Dickey Betts made “Ramblin’ Man”, triumphed over tragedy and led the Allman Brothers to their greatest success Duane Allman’s death might have been the end of the Allman Brothers Band. Instead, led by Dickey Betts, it marked the start of a remarkable era in the group’s life – and rock history Ritchie Blackmore on Steve Howe, Jimi Hendrix, classical influences and more Chatting with GP in 1973, at the stratospheric height of Deep Purple's popularity, Blackmore offered insight into his hugely influential style – from his tremolo approach, to his deafening onstage volume Latest Players How Robin Trower crafted his blistering tonal triumph, Day of the Eagle By Joe Matera published 17 April 24 With some help from legendary Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick, Trower laid down an inspired tune that – 50 years later – remains, for his money, his “best rock and roll song” Gary Clark Jr. never asked to be a guitar savior By Joe Bosso published 16 April 24 Though he sometimes considers his own solos to be “gross,” the often-pigeonholed player took inspiration from the original G3 trio – alongside a potent cocktail of hip-hop, jazz, soul, R&B, and funk – on his stellar new album, JPEG Raw “We’re the birthplace of blues, country and rock and roll music, and the guitar is at the core of all of it”: The America at the Crossroads exhibit charts the guitar’s history with instruments owned by Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and more By Jim Beaugez published 11 April 24 A new exhibit at The MAX museum explores the guitar’s cultural impact through dozens of significant instruments – from a stunning custom Martin D-28 built for Elvis Presley's estate to a rickety Soviet-era Tonika model “A lot of guitarists don’t consider themselves part of the rhythm section. I could always count on Randy to come up with great rhythm guitar parts”: Rudy Sarzo on the magic of Randy Rhoads' rhythm work, and the tonal quirks that set him apart By Matt Blackett published 10 April 24 Rhoads' former bandmate details how the late guitar legend's rig changed over time, and what about his playing often gets overlooked “One of the beautiful things about Leo is one of the hardest things to do – forget that you’re playing a guitar and just feel like you’re playing music. He embodies that transcendence”: The lessons Julian Lage learned from acoustic master Leo Kottke By Jimmy Leslie published 9 April 24 As Lage further explores his unplugged instincts, he reflects on some of Kottke's humorous nuggets of wisdom – one being that readings from sometimes-unreliable electric tuners are “only a suggestion” “The music I might hear, I can’t get on the guitar. It’s a thing of laying around daydreaming... If you pick up your guitar and just try to play, it spoils the whole thing”: Jimi Hendrix on translating his ideas to the guitar, and the joys of club gigs By John Burks published 8 April 24 In 1970, at the peak of his stardom, Hendrix sat down with GP for a chat about songwriting, informal jams, and some of his favorite guitar players “The best solos have soul, feeling and chops. Players concerned with only playing fast are missing the point...”: With heavy themes and cameos from Alex Skolnick and Vernon Reid, Jane Getter's new album features her most inspired playing to date By Andrew Daly published 5 April 24 Channeling a multitude of influences, Getter has delivered a spunky record that transcends genre and easy categorization “My 1939 Martin was in a garbage bag for 15 years prior to me getting it in pieces. The neck was off and the body was crushed”: How unplugging reshaped Julian Lage's electric approach By Jimmy Leslie published 3 April 24 The jazz guitar virtuoso reveals how his Collings OM1 JL signature model came to be, and why a solo acoustic show can actually be more “raucous” than an electric-driven affair “I was playing the Breeders' Divine Hammer, and my whole hand cramped up, I couldn’t move it... It seemed so simple, but it was something I would never play”: J Mascis went electric for his new solo album, but (mostly) without his usual Jazzmaster By Richard Bienstock published 26 March 24 The Dinosaur Jr. frontman and alt-rock guitar hero will always be associated with Jazzmasters and Marshall stacks, but for his new solo album, What Do We Do Now, Strats, Teles, Vox amps, and even Flying Vs were on the menu instead “I went to Mickie Most's office with an acoustic guitar and played it. It was almost like one of those clichéd movie moments: he said, ‘That’s going to be a hit!’”: Session guitar ace Chris Spedding reveals the stories behind five of his best songs By Mark McStea published 25 March 24 A long-standing sideman to Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry and the late Robert Gordon, Chris Spedding is a master of tasteful playing – just don't expect him to spend too much time looking back at his voluminous discography 123456789Archives Get The Pick NewsletterAll the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors MOST READ1“When I heard Lindley play that, I went, ‘That’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever heard in my entire life’”: All-star tribute show in honor of David Lindley, one of the greatest sidemen of all time, announced2“We all knew it was really good… The guitar playing is just amazing”: How Dickey Betts made “Ramblin’ Man”, triumphed over tragedy and led the Allman Brothers to their greatest success3“The chord progression in the Highway Star solo – Bm, to a Db, C, and then G – is a Bach progression”: Ritchie Blackmore on Steve Howe, Jimi Hendrix, classical influences and more4“Dickey was larger-than-life, and his loss will be felt worldwide”: The Allman Brothers Band’s Dickey Betts has died at 805“Joe Walsh insisted that I buy it, and he was right”: Jimmy Page on his “Number 1” 1959 Gibson Les Paul
How Robin Trower crafted his blistering tonal triumph, Day of the Eagle By Joe Matera published 17 April 24 With some help from legendary Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick, Trower laid down an inspired tune that – 50 years later – remains, for his money, his “best rock and roll song”
Gary Clark Jr. never asked to be a guitar savior By Joe Bosso published 16 April 24 Though he sometimes considers his own solos to be “gross,” the often-pigeonholed player took inspiration from the original G3 trio – alongside a potent cocktail of hip-hop, jazz, soul, R&B, and funk – on his stellar new album, JPEG Raw
“We’re the birthplace of blues, country and rock and roll music, and the guitar is at the core of all of it”: The America at the Crossroads exhibit charts the guitar’s history with instruments owned by Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and more By Jim Beaugez published 11 April 24 A new exhibit at The MAX museum explores the guitar’s cultural impact through dozens of significant instruments – from a stunning custom Martin D-28 built for Elvis Presley's estate to a rickety Soviet-era Tonika model
“A lot of guitarists don’t consider themselves part of the rhythm section. I could always count on Randy to come up with great rhythm guitar parts”: Rudy Sarzo on the magic of Randy Rhoads' rhythm work, and the tonal quirks that set him apart By Matt Blackett published 10 April 24 Rhoads' former bandmate details how the late guitar legend's rig changed over time, and what about his playing often gets overlooked
“One of the beautiful things about Leo is one of the hardest things to do – forget that you’re playing a guitar and just feel like you’re playing music. He embodies that transcendence”: The lessons Julian Lage learned from acoustic master Leo Kottke By Jimmy Leslie published 9 April 24 As Lage further explores his unplugged instincts, he reflects on some of Kottke's humorous nuggets of wisdom – one being that readings from sometimes-unreliable electric tuners are “only a suggestion”
“The music I might hear, I can’t get on the guitar. It’s a thing of laying around daydreaming... If you pick up your guitar and just try to play, it spoils the whole thing”: Jimi Hendrix on translating his ideas to the guitar, and the joys of club gigs By John Burks published 8 April 24 In 1970, at the peak of his stardom, Hendrix sat down with GP for a chat about songwriting, informal jams, and some of his favorite guitar players
“The best solos have soul, feeling and chops. Players concerned with only playing fast are missing the point...”: With heavy themes and cameos from Alex Skolnick and Vernon Reid, Jane Getter's new album features her most inspired playing to date By Andrew Daly published 5 April 24 Channeling a multitude of influences, Getter has delivered a spunky record that transcends genre and easy categorization
“My 1939 Martin was in a garbage bag for 15 years prior to me getting it in pieces. The neck was off and the body was crushed”: How unplugging reshaped Julian Lage's electric approach By Jimmy Leslie published 3 April 24 The jazz guitar virtuoso reveals how his Collings OM1 JL signature model came to be, and why a solo acoustic show can actually be more “raucous” than an electric-driven affair
“I was playing the Breeders' Divine Hammer, and my whole hand cramped up, I couldn’t move it... It seemed so simple, but it was something I would never play”: J Mascis went electric for his new solo album, but (mostly) without his usual Jazzmaster By Richard Bienstock published 26 March 24 The Dinosaur Jr. frontman and alt-rock guitar hero will always be associated with Jazzmasters and Marshall stacks, but for his new solo album, What Do We Do Now, Strats, Teles, Vox amps, and even Flying Vs were on the menu instead
“I went to Mickie Most's office with an acoustic guitar and played it. It was almost like one of those clichéd movie moments: he said, ‘That’s going to be a hit!’”: Session guitar ace Chris Spedding reveals the stories behind five of his best songs By Mark McStea published 25 March 24 A long-standing sideman to Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry and the late Robert Gordon, Chris Spedding is a master of tasteful playing – just don't expect him to spend too much time looking back at his voluminous discography