If you were asked to name the three most influential guitarists of the past 40 years I wonder what names you would come up with?
Perhaps you would think of Frank Zappa, or Chuck Berry, or perhaps Woody Guthrie or Pete Seeger, or maybe it would be Chet Atkins or Barney Kessel.
Well, terrific musicians of course, no arguments there, but they would not be my top three if I was asked.
Who would be my choice? Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton, although not necessarily in that order.
Sad to say that Jimi died in 1970, but happily Eric and Jeff are still performing today.
So, let me fill you in with some details on these great performers.
The first person that I would like to talk about is Eric Clapton. At the age of 18, in 1963, Eric joined the Yardbirds who at the time were an R&B group, however after just 2 short years Eric left as he did not like the direction the Yardbirds were going.
He then moved on to John Mayall's Bluesbreakers for a short while before setting the supergroup known worldwide as Cream.
Cream were a great group, truly a supergroup, but in 1968 they broke up and went their seperate ways. It was at this time that Eric formed the band called Blind Faith.
Following the demise of Blind Faith Eric went on to form his own band, Derek and the Dominos and it was while he was in this band that he wrote what is, in my opinion, his greatest song " Layla".
Sadly, drink and drugs began to take their toll of Eric, and he felt that he had to pull out of the music business, at least for a while.
Happily Eric is now back in full swing, and we his fans are all expectantly awaiting the next great thing from him.
Who would believe that such an immense performer as Jimi Hendrix, the next person I want to talk about, only lived for 28 years? He was born in 1942, and died in 1970, a short life, but what a name he made for himself.
He is considered by many people to be the greatest rock guitarist of all time, and I would not argue with that.
For a part of his career he was a sideman for such famous name as Ike & Tina Turner, the Isley Brothers, and Little Richard, but not surprisingly somebody with his talent and stage presence did not stay in the background for long.
It was not long before Jimi had moved to the big lights of New York, and one night, whilst playing in Greenwich village, he was approached by a member of the British Rock group, the Animals.
And before long Jimi was packing his bags and moving over to play the scene in London.
And there he was able to display his talents to the full, a most incredible performer and musician.
His first debut single was Hey Joe, still a great record today, and his debut album in 1967 was Are you experienced.
But to really appreciate his brilliance, you just had to see him live on stage. I have seen him playing the guitar behind his back (its hard enough to play it normally), and I have seen him plucking the strings with his teeth.
When you saw a live performance by Jimi, you would never forget it.
His death in 1970 due to a drugs overdose was an immense tradegy to everyone.
This then brings me to my last choice for top three performers, and that is Jeff Beck, a great musician although much more in the background than Eric or Jimi.
Jeff was born in 1944 in Wallington, England, and he has spent most of his time performing with various bands. He spent some time with the colourful character Screaming Lord Sutch until in 1965 he joined the Yardbirds to replace Eric Clapton.
After his time with the Yardbirds Jeff set up his own band the Jeff Beck Group.
And he played with another rock giant Rod Stewart untill Rod joined the Small Faces.
He has played with many people including Mick Jagger on his 1987 album Primitive Cool.
Not before time, a grammy was awarded to Jeff for his album Guitar Shop.
Not so long ago I heard Jeff playing live, and even after all these years he is able to thrill his audiences with his skill. If you get the chance, go and hear him for yourself.
This is the first in a series of articles on great performers. If you would like to receive the next one when it comes out then go to my website where you will find my email address, and email me asking to be included in future mailings.
Perhaps you would think of Frank Zappa, or Chuck Berry, or perhaps Woody Guthrie or Pete Seeger, or maybe it would be Chet Atkins or Barney Kessel.
Well, terrific musicians of course, no arguments there, but they would not be my top three if I was asked.
Who would be my choice? Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton, although not necessarily in that order.
Sad to say that Jimi died in 1970, but happily Eric and Jeff are still performing today.
So, let me fill you in with some details on these great performers.
The first person that I would like to talk about is Eric Clapton. At the age of 18, in 1963, Eric joined the Yardbirds who at the time were an R&B group, however after just 2 short years Eric left as he did not like the direction the Yardbirds were going.
He then moved on to John Mayall's Bluesbreakers for a short while before setting the supergroup known worldwide as Cream.
Cream were a great group, truly a supergroup, but in 1968 they broke up and went their seperate ways. It was at this time that Eric formed the band called Blind Faith.
Following the demise of Blind Faith Eric went on to form his own band, Derek and the Dominos and it was while he was in this band that he wrote what is, in my opinion, his greatest song " Layla".
Sadly, drink and drugs began to take their toll of Eric, and he felt that he had to pull out of the music business, at least for a while.
Happily Eric is now back in full swing, and we his fans are all expectantly awaiting the next great thing from him.
Who would believe that such an immense performer as Jimi Hendrix, the next person I want to talk about, only lived for 28 years? He was born in 1942, and died in 1970, a short life, but what a name he made for himself.
He is considered by many people to be the greatest rock guitarist of all time, and I would not argue with that.
For a part of his career he was a sideman for such famous name as Ike & Tina Turner, the Isley Brothers, and Little Richard, but not surprisingly somebody with his talent and stage presence did not stay in the background for long.
It was not long before Jimi had moved to the big lights of New York, and one night, whilst playing in Greenwich village, he was approached by a member of the British Rock group, the Animals.
And before long Jimi was packing his bags and moving over to play the scene in London.
And there he was able to display his talents to the full, a most incredible performer and musician.
His first debut single was Hey Joe, still a great record today, and his debut album in 1967 was Are you experienced.
But to really appreciate his brilliance, you just had to see him live on stage. I have seen him playing the guitar behind his back (its hard enough to play it normally), and I have seen him plucking the strings with his teeth.
When you saw a live performance by Jimi, you would never forget it.
His death in 1970 due to a drugs overdose was an immense tradegy to everyone.
This then brings me to my last choice for top three performers, and that is Jeff Beck, a great musician although much more in the background than Eric or Jimi.
Jeff was born in 1944 in Wallington, England, and he has spent most of his time performing with various bands. He spent some time with the colourful character Screaming Lord Sutch until in 1965 he joined the Yardbirds to replace Eric Clapton.
After his time with the Yardbirds Jeff set up his own band the Jeff Beck Group.
And he played with another rock giant Rod Stewart untill Rod joined the Small Faces.
He has played with many people including Mick Jagger on his 1987 album Primitive Cool.
Not before time, a grammy was awarded to Jeff for his album Guitar Shop.
Not so long ago I heard Jeff playing live, and even after all these years he is able to thrill his audiences with his skill. If you get the chance, go and hear him for yourself.
This is the first in a series of articles on great performers. If you would like to receive the next one when it comes out then go to my website where you will find my email address, and email me asking to be included in future mailings.
