The ripple-like effect of Hendrix continues to this day. (For those of you feeling argumentative, Elvis Presley may have established the imagery for rock ’n’ roll, but it was Chuck Berry who provided it with its engine.) A few years later, Jimi Hendrix, inspired in part by Chuck, made a lasting impression on rock ’n’ roll in so many ways, leaving us all in a purple haze and sending guitar players scurrying to take a new look at their instruments. Chuck Berry, for example, the first guitar player to jumpstart rock ’n’ roll, left audience eyeballs in spirals when he blasted them with his patented Chuck Berry intro, a clarion call that served as rock ’n’ roll’s reveille. They came into an established framework, rearranged the furniture, tipped over a few chairs, and ditched, leaving the stragglers to In a sense, these guitarists are party crashers. All the players profiled in this book threw rock ’n’ roll for a loop their advancements in music left the genre in a different place than when they arrived. Rather, I chose the guitar players whose playing made the biggest impact on rock music. But before you nitpick through the table of contents dismissing certain players, please understand that I did not judge them by the typical conventions: technical dexterity, songwriting prowess, or sonic innovation. THE PLAYERS In assembling this book, I selected only the most important guitar players in rock music. Generally speaking, though, the old adage holds: the chaff sifts through, and there’s nothing left but the finest wheat. Some of the players I’ve fingered as the Next Big Thing have long since drifted agonizingly into the sunset, victims of bad work habits and/or the vagaries of the industry. Sure, I’m as guilty about overstating the ability of some promising players as the next optimistic journalist. On the other hand, putting guitar magazines together helped me maintain proper perspective on the instrument and its best players, most of which are considered so unanimously, at least by the journalists who cover the beat. Helping to run a monthly magazine meant predicting trends, staying two steps ahead, and keeping an ear to the ground when the locomotive still could have been weeks away. As an observer of the rock music world for that time, I’ve learned that navigating the waters of rock, especially in the turbulent 1990s, was a lot like trying to stand up in a canoe on a fast-flowing river. Over the years, I’ve picked some hits and missed some picks. I’ve battled other editors for the rights to feature particularly hot artists on our magazine covers, hoping to maximize newsstand success, and I’ve spent many a day and night pulling my hair out wondering who the next guitar hero will be. I’ve anticipated their new releases, contemplated the arc of their career, and deliberated on their importance to my readership. Introduction For almost 20 years now, I’ve made it my business to follow the comings and goings of rock and blues guitar players for major guitar magazines. The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48–1984). Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2008034765 ISBN: 978–0–313–35806–7 First published in 2009 Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher. Copyright 2009 by Bob Gulla All rights reserved. Includes bibliographical references and index. Guitar gods : the 25 players who made rock history / Bob Gulla.
![vinnie moore daytona usa game vinnie moore daytona usa game](https://d4q8jbdc3dbnf.cloudfront.net/release/l/489d75f9dd872d6fcd60d627ed9604a0.jpg)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gulla, Bob. Guitar Gods The 25 Players Who Made Rock History BOB GULLA