Slim Harpo still raining in my heart pure tone just guitar and amp. ? Who inspired you to pick up and play guitar
Sitting having coffee off this week vacation yet as usual listening to mix on I pad and Slim Harpo Raining in my Heart was playing. And as i drank my coffee and remembered figuring riff out as kid on guitar.
And i started thinking of the artists who influenced me the most that inspired me to want to pick up and play guitar and today at age 58 I’m still exploring fretboard forty eight years later.
I laid it down for almost solid year after losing my wife yet sitting thinking of awesome players and their riffs.
Toy Caldwell Marshall Tucker and one song that comes to mind is Take the highway.
Or ZZ TOP Elmore James Hubert Sumlin Jimmy Reed S.R.V. Or Hendrix I was hooked.
One of the most influential players and i was fortunate to know this man was a guy by name of Jay a burned out Vietnam vet alcoholic who worked in Steel mill who took me a ten year old kid and taught me.
And Jay opened up the fretboard to me that has shaped my way of playing to this day Jay introduced me to early blues players playing records then showing me on the guitar.
In teaching me triads or in style Curtis Mayfield. In teaching me hammer one trills blues turn arounds no wonder I’m a union freight hauler instead of completing homework.
I was trying to figure out whipping post or Blue sky after school oh here is and to our D.U. Neighbor Diamond dog the James Gang a garage band that was pure in tone.
And to this day I’m very clean player mostly amp one watt Marshall or black star 10 watt I had modded no pic only a pic for attack all fingers manipulating tone volume pots.
As for pedals very little my go too pedal is veretex version of Dumble amp then not sure cuz I’ve never played through a dumble.
I remember jay saying to me a young ten year old holding up his hand fingers dude use your fingers and no brag I don’t brag yet in closing my whole journey I’ve been fortunate in being taught by great players like Jay or today studying on true fire website.
Gonna kick back got my road clothes in the worsher a nod to my Appalachian grandma.
= new reply since forum marked as read
The James Gang started out as the Measles setting up and playing outside on the campus at Kent State. and at Ray’s Place where starving college students got a free bowl of soup to come in and watch, Lol Then as James Gang playing teen dances at a church 4 blocks from my house. My mother wouldn’t let me go - too young. Then they played at The Cove in Geneva-On-The-Lake OH. Those were the days - I would count Joe Walsh as a very compelling member of your group of guitar influences. I hope you enjoy the day today practicing in the spirit of that pure in tone garage band. And give Mr. Dunc a belly rub for me.
After 6 yrs of piano, I decided I wanted a more vocal "musical voice".
At age ten I was playing my brother's acoustic guitar more than he was.
I knew that I needed an electric to get the riff that inspired me to play:
Jack Marshall's killer riff in "The Ballad of Thunder Road"...*guitarists please
note that Mr. Marshall continues to riff throughout the song! (an EQ helps bring out
the stuff he's playing).
....but had to settle for a $60 acoustic.
Played first club at 14...but it was at age 21 when
my playing was completely drowned out by rude drunk patrons that I vowed never to play in a bar
again without an electric in my hands...
I am entirely self-taught books and much rarer vids I devoured..
I was starting to concentrate my efforts on slide, "just intonation"/Angels' Tuning in open tunings
A and E I had already explored on my acoustic... enthralled as I was with the magical
solos of Ry Cooder and David Lindley.I decide to take the hardest road. Lead and rhythm slide.
exclusively in standard tuning; requiring massive attention to two-handed muting. it allows
me to play extremely distinctive lines..IN ANY KEY.
A modern blues solo
A bunch of bands, rock blues reggae afro-pop back to originals blues/rock, then
Christian rock with a really gifted singer and finally back to reggae...
Here's an instrumental I did for a place I was working at, my bandleader of the classic
blues/rockabilly band I was in at the time is the 2nd guitarist....
My setup for the past decade has been my beloved orphan Parker, into a SlideRig into a Klon and from thence
Into selectable drive, echo, and reverb pedals, split into stereo, into my pair of Fender Pro Jr's 15w each.(although with a 5751
my modded Jr probably tops out around 12w)
We may hear from ProfessorGAC too!