I
have been giving old Blue Oyster Cult records a listen lately, particularly
On Your Knees, On Your Feet. I have long since sold off most
of my Blue Oyster Cult records, with this one the only one remaining. So I went over
to YouTube and found that people have posted the songs there. It was great
to hear the songs of my teenage years again after so long, and it brought
back my admiration of Buck Dharma (Donald Roeser). He was a huge influence
on me back then and I wanted a white Gibson SG like his. I also wanted a
Stratocaster like Hendrix, and a Les Paul like Duane Allman, none of which
I ever got as a teen!
Mark Knopfler
I was invited to go
to the Mark Knopfler concert at the
State Theater in downtown Minneapolis by a friend who had an extra ticket.
I was not going to turn this down, as I have heard that Mark puts on a great
show. This tour, lasting until July 31, is in support of his "Get Lucky"
CD.
I was not disappointed. I have never really listened much to his solo music, as I am most familiar with his work with Dire Straits. I was a teen when disco was big in the late 70s, and Dire Straits was a huge breath of fresh air for all of us who liked guitar-oriented music. He has an instantly recognizable guitar tone, using his fingers instead of a pick. I was amazed that it did not matter what guitar he played - Stratocasters, Les Pauls or a Telecaster - he still sounded like Mark Knopfler! Tone is indeed mostly in the hands.
He took to the stage for almost three hours playing this set list: Border Reiver/ What It Is/ Sailing to Philadelphia/ Cleaning My Gun/ Prairie Wedding/ Hill Farmer’s Blues/ Romeo and Juliet/ Sultans of Swing/ Donegan’s Gone/ Get Lucky/ Marbletown/ Speedway at Nazareth/ Telegraph Road ENCORE 1 Brothers in Arms/ So Far Away ENCORE 2 Piper to the End
I was not familiar at all with most of these songs, so it great to hear it with a fresh ear. I particularly liked "Prairie Wedding", "Sailing to Philadelphia" and the last song before the encores, "Telegraph Road." His version of "Sultans of Swing" was not much like the version we all know. It was more restrained. He is not as much rock and roll, as he is folk and Americana type of music. He was more into exploring his love of roots – country, folk, bluegrass and Irish folk.
His band was fantastic as well. Featuring Guy Fletcher, Richard Bennett (who seems to have worked with every artist on the planet in his 30 year plus career), Tim O' Brien and others whose names I cannot find were, to me, flawless, and added much to the experience of the concert.
Opening act was Pieta
Brown along with Bo Ramsey on
guitar. They played folk, or roots, music, and were very enjoyable.
Duane Allman, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Toy Caldwell...Gone but Not Forgotten
Duane Allman's first Les Paul was a 1957 Goldtop. He used this
guitar to learn slide, and it was used for the first few years of the Allman Brothers Band. This was the guitar that was used to record most of "Layla."
As the sessions for "Layla" ended, he traded this guitar for a 1958
cherryburst Les Paul. He took the pickups from the goldtop and put them in the sunburst. The 58 was the guitar used for the Fillmore shows, as he acquired the famous "tiger striped" 1959 Les Paul in mid 1971.
The Goldtop ended up in private hands and was sold in the late 1970's. The guitar,
according to Vintage Guitar magazine, was repainted in gold and aged a bit and has been positively identified by the distinctive markings on the fret markers.
The story of the guitar, along with detailed pictures
Here is amazing video of Duane playing the guitar at Love Valley. This was video footage that had no sound until someone took the time to sync it up with a bootlet tape of the concert. This is, to me, the best Duane footage out there today.
Stevie Ray Vaughan is famous for using a Fender Stratocaster. When he was just starting out, he used a 1951 Fender Telecaster given to him by his brother,
Jimmie. This was the guitar that he learned on. He sold the guitar and later regretted it. The guitar has the word "Jimbo" carved into the back.
The guitar has surfaced. Here is a website that someone set up about it.
Toy Caldwell was one of my favorite guitarists when I was a youngster
learning the guitar. He was the lead guitarist for the Marshall Tucker Band out of Spartansburg, South Carolina.
They were one of the southern bands spawned by the popularity of the Allman Brothers Band.
Toy played Les Pauls, mostly 1970's models (his 52 and 58 were stolen in 1975) and played with his thumb. I can't say enough how good Toy was. Sadly, Toy died in 1993. He was only 45!
See for yourself how good he was.
David Grissom
I usually try to keep track of guitar players who are in the news or popular on the guitar forums I frequent. A few names keep popping up – Robben Ford, Johnny Hyland and David Grissom.
I went over to YouTube to see what the fuss was about on David Grissom, a well-known influential guitarist
from Texas. I see his name all over the place, as a sideman for various musicians, or as a PRS-endorser with his own signature guitar. (I want one! $$$$)
I should have checked him out before as he is every bit as good as people say he is! I should know better by now to check out what other guitarists are saying.
David is from Austin, Texas – yet another in a long line of famous Texas guitarists. He is known for his early work with Joe Ely, and as guitarist in the John Mellencamp Band. He formed the critically-acclaimed Storyville with Malford Milligan (vocals), David Holt (guitar), and Double Trouble together with Tommy Shannon (bass) and Chris Layton (drums) and has toured and recorded with the Allman Brothers, the Dixie Chicks, Ringo Starr, Buddy Guy, John Mayall, Robben Ford and many others.
His original songs have been recorded by Trisha Yearwood, John Mayall, LeeAnn Womack, Shannon Curfmann,
among many others.
Grissom released his first solo album "Loud Music" in 2007. . In January 2009 he released his second CD "10,000 Feet." He has also written an educational “Guide To Blues/Rock Guitar Soloing” with an extra CD containing examples of his style, published by Cherry Lane Music.
I certainly plan to catch up his music. I could learn a thing or two from him.
few videos: