Vintage Guitar Magazine

2 weeks ago | vintageguitar.com | Jim Carlton

Case in point are his atmospheric creations for the groundbreaking CBS live-suspense drama “Danger”; the music he created for the show from 1951 to ’56 is studied by serious players and avid students, and its long-out-of-print folio showcasing his licks, tricks, and worksheets is highly sought-after. Thanks to his association with the audiophile label Command Records, Mottola emerged as a popular artist in his own right in the ’50s and ’60s.

2 weeks ago | vintageguitar.com | Ward Meeker

Cropper’s fate was steered by a Silvertone when he was 14. By then, his family had moved from rural Missouri to Memphis, where local radio filled his head with gospel, R&B, and early rock and roll. After an uncle let him hold an old Gibson, the bug bit and he asked for a six-string of his own. “I remember my mother setting aside $17 and change, and when we ordered that Silvertone, they said they could deliver it for 25 cents. We told them, ‘Forget that!’ and I went to pick it up myself,” he laughs.

2 weeks ago | vintageguitar.com | Ward Meeker

In 1962, “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” was still popular on TV, and young Harold (who family and friends called “Sonny”) was fully tuned into Ricky Nelson singing while James Burton picked behind him. Toss in Duane Eddy’s “Rebel Rouser” on the radio, along with Scotty Moore backing Elvis and tunes by the Ventures, et al. The guitar was starting to boom. Having sandbagged his way out of piano lessons, “I knew what I wanted to play,” Wright recalls.

4 weeks ago | vintageguitar.com | Pete Prown

Produced by Hunter, Jubu features 10 tasty instrumental tracks that harken to the soul-guitar stylings of Cornell Dupree, David Williams, black gospel, and the new wave of ’90s smooth R&B. Jubu kicks it off with the toe-tapping “Hamster Wheel,” featuring drummer Calvin Napper and Hunter on hybrid guitar.

4 weeks ago | vintageguitar.com | Pete Prown

On Getting Ready, King dodges sugary arrangements to deliver smoldering licks on “Same Old Blues,” and turns the heat up for a remake of his classic “I’m Tore Down.” “Palace of the King” has burnin’ guitar – Jeff Beck was surely listening. Speaking of, Jeff swiftly covered King’s “Goin’ Down” and gleaned extensive FM airplay, but Freddie’s version here is definitive, blurring the lines between electric blues and heavy rock.