Most under-rated guitarist of all time?
- Thread starter caesar
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Huh. they just played at our local club, i've been sick so i didn't go, but my wife and friends went, she raved about the harmonica player. Sorry i missed them. It was at the Turning Point in Piermont, a throw-back club that seats under 100, and gets folks like Johnny Winter, Leslie West, James Hunter, NRBQ, and many, many others. (Have caught Bill Kirchen many times there, hell of a Tele player); David Lindley (probably the best string player I have ever heard), will be seeing Terry Reid there in a couple weeks. Junior Wells and Buddy Guy used to play there as did Hubert Sumlin. Love the small club scene. Sorry for the rave about the club, but you just got me thinking.
Thanks. I'll see if I can stop by that club when I am in that neck of the woods.
As for the harmonica player, Rick Estrin is very special indeed. Definitely in the elite tier of living harp blowers. He has excellent chemistry with Kid Anderson that make the shows a lot of fun.
Jimi Hendrix was in in England being interviewed by a pommie reporter. The reporter asked Jimi "What's it like to be
the greatest guitarist on earth?" Jimi replied "I don't know, you would have to ask Rory Gallagher"
the greatest guitarist on earth?" Jimi replied "I don't know, you would have to ask Rory Gallagher"
100% agree. The thing is he does not just play one instrument. He plays EVERY instrument which makes his guitar playing when he does quite special.
Today, I am in a music store that sells a line of Gibson's ( guitar's). I happen to hear a guy play a new Les Paul Standard...plays like a phenom!! Not for long mind you, the sales rep quickly suggests that this guy to try a Gold Top Les Paul ( more expensive guitar). The customer plays it and it sounds like ****! The customer tells the sales guy it sounds like ****.....which I TOTALLY agree with. Even at my distance, I could tell the strings were as dead as roadkill and the guitar obviously had dried up and was nasty. ( Amazing for a guitar of this price!). Now here's the point, the customer was a KILLER player ( totally unknown to me).. so what happens next?....the sales guy grabs the Gold Top from his hands and says in a LOUD voice-- "NOTHING wrong with the guitar,problem is you (the customer) cannot play!!" Proceeds to play a few simple chords and a riff and pronounces again that the customer is like so many who visit the store...tone deaf and unable to play!! Blows me away that this is happening!! I walked out almost as quickly as the customer, LOL
. I wonder IF this situation would have happened IF the customer had a name for himself...( which BTW he richly deserved based on his playing ability). Probably happens to unknowns worldwide....
. I wonder IF this situation would have happened IF the customer had a name for himself...( which BTW he richly deserved based on his playing ability). Probably happens to unknowns worldwide....
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Can't believe I forgot about Melvin Taylor, since I have seen him at least 75-100 times since the early 90s and hearing him the first time really got me into the blues. Check out this version of tin pan alley
This guy is still alive!!!
He plays part like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Hendrix, with the speed of Wes Montgomery.
This guy is still alive!!!
He plays part like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Hendrix, with the speed of Wes Montgomery.
That is some VERY impressive playing! I had heard of Melvin before, but didn't realize he had that in him!
Melvin Taylor is unquestionably one of the two best living blues guitarists on the planet today and may take the prize for the most relatively unknown. I've seen him several times and I am left gasping each time. It is worth a trip to Chicago to see him at his home base, Rosa's, a tiny bar he plays at from time to time. His next appearance there is Dec 12.
http://rosaslounge.com/
The other guitarist I refer to is Buddy Whittington who played with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers for years but is now touring solo with his own band, mostly in Texas. Sheer genius.
http://www.buddywhittington.com/
A smart promoter would put these two together on stage in a summer tour that would bring down the house. The greatest living Chicago Blues guitartist paired with the greatest living Texas Blues guitarist. Sign me up!!
If you want unknown but certainly not under-rated, look to the current Kings of Gypsy Jazz guitar (think Django Reinhardt). Bereli Lagrene and Jimmy Rosenberg are truly European royalty in the guitar world, although they are relatively unknown in the US.
http://rosaslounge.com/
The other guitarist I refer to is Buddy Whittington who played with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers for years but is now touring solo with his own band, mostly in Texas. Sheer genius.
http://www.buddywhittington.com/
A smart promoter would put these two together on stage in a summer tour that would bring down the house. The greatest living Chicago Blues guitartist paired with the greatest living Texas Blues guitarist. Sign me up!!
If you want unknown but certainly not under-rated, look to the current Kings of Gypsy Jazz guitar (think Django Reinhardt). Bereli Lagrene and Jimmy Rosenberg are truly European royalty in the guitar world, although they are relatively unknown in the US.
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Um, er, Melvin Taylor and Buddy Whittington? No you didn't. (Sorry Marty )
Of course, we all have our own personal taste... mine is just better
And, of course, it depends upon whether you are limiting the conversation to, e.g. blues, blues/rock, electric guitar and/or acoustic guitar.
With honorable mention to Derek Trucks, who IMO is and has been for years now the best slide guitarist going, the guitarist who can do it all and is the number 1 blues guitarist going is, to use Marty's word "unquestionably", Joe Bonamassa.
Second best is tough. Warren Haynes also can do it all and do it brilliantly. Eric Gales is the second coming of Hendrix. And Kenny Wayne Shepherd is SRV on 3 cups of espresso.
)Of course, we all have our own personal taste... mine is just better
And, of course, it depends upon whether you are limiting the conversation to, e.g. blues, blues/rock, electric guitar and/or acoustic guitar.
With honorable mention to Derek Trucks, who IMO is and has been for years now the best slide guitarist going, the guitarist who can do it all and is the number 1 blues guitarist going is, to use Marty's word "unquestionably", Joe Bonamassa.
Second best is tough. Warren Haynes also can do it all and do it brilliantly. Eric Gales is the second coming of Hendrix. And Kenny Wayne Shepherd is SRV on 3 cups of espresso.
As I have mentioned before in another thread. Melvin has been a fav for a longtime. 'Play the Blues for you' is still my fav. # of years ago early evening sons and I went to a local pub for a couple of brews, had them put on the disc and very quickly all wanted to know who that was so they could pick it up. Since this was one of his early recordings he was emulating other guitarist at times on diff tracks. Not a bad thing as he was far from repetitive. Later, of course, he starts to develop his own style. I can listen to him all day and not get tired.
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