John Daly is a cigarette smokin’, beer drinkin’, long ball driving professional golfer who is also a GUITAR PLAYER.

Now, on The Golf Channel, you can follow every step of John Daly’s road back to being one of the most elite golfers in the world.

I love John’s quote: “I don’t think anything’s ever too late”. I am rooting for you Big John!

“Being John Daly“ will chronicle not only Daly’s rededication to the game, but also his life makeover. As you witness his successes, failures and struggles, you’ll ultimately be with him on his roller coaster ride to potential redemption.

The internet is amazing. Blogs are even more amazing.  The internet and this blog have allowed me to “re-connect and communicate” with many people.

Twelve years ago, I lived in Seattle, WA and worked for a well-known technology company. I was in sales management and had a team of sales professionals who worked for me.

I have always believed that success is directly tied to the quality of the people you associate and work with on a daily basis.  It’s hard to succeed totally on your own. The truth is… any success I realized in the corporate world was more a factor of my ability to identify talented salespeople and encourage them to work for me than any personal achievements of my own.

(By the way, that same axiom holds true today — surround yourself with as many successful people in the music world as you can. You will learn from them and they will inspire you to grow as a guitar player.)

OK… Back to Seattle… No one called me “GuitarDaddy” then. I did not even play the guitar! But the seeds of my six-string love affair were being planted…

One of the talented salespeople who worked for me was a young man by the name of Brian Oaks.

While I will always remember Brian for his drive, determination and professional sales skills, I will NEVER forget how he often spoke of his love for the guitar.  I will admit that at that time, I did not understand how ANYBODY could be passionate about a guitar… but time sure has opened my eyes.

A few years ago, the internet allowed me to re-connect with Brian and over the past month, that re-connection evolved into this blog post as Brian allowed me to interview him about his life and the guitar.

Brian’s passion for the guitar and music drove him to leave corporate sales and the security of a weekly paycheck to pursue his dream of playing guitar professionally.

I believe Brian’s story is one worth sharing with the readers of TheGuitarBUZZ. Enjoy!

GD) How long have you been playing guitar?

BO) About 25 years…I remember getting my first rental guitar in 5th grade (Gibson Sonex 150)…. I started taking lessons and really getting into it pretty fast. My grandparents bought me my first guitar in 6th grade from Kennelly Keys Music in Burien, WA. It was a 1983 Sienna Sunburst Fender Strat. I still have it today and it is 9/10 as far as condition goes and remains safely tucked away. Having a great first guitar really helped me learn.

I will say that there were some years during and after college that I did not play much. I wanted to be a doctor in college and then ended up in sales. During those years, I played but did not practice much. About 10 years ago I met someone that moved up to Seattle from Nashville. We became great friends and that is when I really started back at it.

GD) Who are your major influences?

BO) I always dug the session guys more than anything growing up. Dann Huff, Jerry McPherson, Mike Landau, and Gordon Kennedy were big when I was young. I loved how these guys could come up with the perfect part, solo, and sound for a song. That was inspiring to me. Still is…Today All the above still inspire me but also guys like Gerry Leonard, Michael Lockwood, Tom Bukovac, Kenny Greenberg, Shawn Tubbs, Brad Paisley and many others. Each of these players approaches the instrument in a different way. GREAT learning opportunity to learn from diverse people!

When it comes down to it I love guys with confidence. This is rock and roll to me. Seeing Tom Bukovac, Mike Landau or Kenny Greenberg live is pretty stupid cool. Listening to Jerry McPherson come up with some amazing part is too. Confidence is a major influence to me as I am trying to get better at it.

GD) How would you describe your playing style today?

BO) Well I hope I sound like me! I am definitely a pop/rock guy heavily influenced by country and roots rock. I love the sound a cool vibey & guitar into a great amp with a memory man delay. I love making chunky rhythm and the fun ambient/washy stuff too. I love simple lines that make a part and love a solo you can sing to…. Since being in Nashville I have totally been digging into the great country players and using my fingers a lot along with the pick. I have always used a “hybrid picking” style (Mark Knopfler ) but even more so now. I sound like Brian Oaks with a little of my influences mixed I hope.

GD) Tell me about the move from Seattle to Nashville:

BO) Well I loved working for Dennis Jones but I think I loved guitar more (chuckle). I think there is a time in all our lives where if we are really honest with ourselves we know what God created us to be. I believe for me that this is music. I just had to make the jump. I knew I was good enough (to an extent as the talent here is scary!). I just did not want to come to the end of my life and say I wish I would have… It has been the best thing I have ever done less marry my wife Stephanie and have my 2 kids Tyler and Abigail. Dreams are powerful when you have a talent. If those two things are there, you have to run with reckless abandon in that direction. I moved down here in my mid 30’s. That is late to an extent but it was the best decision for me. I do not regret a second of it. I have the best job in the world.

GD) What are you working on right now?

BO) I play for country artist Mallary Hope. AMAZING artist on MCA Records. I have also been on tour with Point of Grace and Mark Schultz on the Come Alive tour. That has been a ton of fun. Will be continuing that tour this winter on the West Coast. I play for a lot of artists not on “tour” as it is expensive to get a band on a tour bus so we do fly dates or short runs. I played this summer for Warner Bros. artist Whitney Duncan when she was doing band shows. That was a lot of fun.

I am also producing a live record for a church up in Chicago with Brent King in May. He is an old friend and is Ricky Scaggs engineer. Great learning experience there. There is also session work too, but I am enjoying playing live right now so that is what is taking up the most of my time.

GD) Describe your live rig: guitars, amps, effects, …

BO) It depends on the gig, but I have been using my Matchless HC-30 and a matching Matchless 1×12 cab. That amp just seems to get most of what I need with my pedalboard. That amp at 9 is magic. I have to use in-ears, which I am not real fond of. I know the amp sounds good in the house even if it is not great in my ears. I also have a Divided by 13 FTR 27 I love too.

On the winter run for the Come Alive tour I am taking a 1966 Fender Bassman head and a Naylor Superdrive 60 on the road. The Bassman is amazing sounding and has lots of vibe. The Naylor is the best amp I have ever played for solos and big Rhythm.

As far as effects I have a big Trailer Trash board that has basic food group stuff on it that I use for dates when I need a lot of options. I run 2 Line 6 delays, as I need more than 3 presets. I love the Memory Man but the Line 6 works great when I need presets. I have an old Nobles ODR-1 for overdrive and a Xotic Effects RC Booster if I need to add a little dirt to the clean. I also use an Fulltone OCD on the board too for a little extra muscle. I have an Arion Stereo Chorus (old one) for that Leslie thing, a AYA R-Comp compressor when I need it, a Sweet Sound Mojovibe for univibe stuff and a Fulltone Supa-Trem for Tremolo. With this board many are run through a true bypass looper to keep my signal chain clean.

Less is more and I usually keep it pretty simple as the more distortion you use does not translate very well out front sometimes. I run delays a little hotter live too as they can get lost out front. I love the tape delay settings as each repeat gets more nasally and translates well. Also for really vibe stuff the multi-head setting on the Line 6 is stellar to me.

For guitars that depends on the gig again. For instance on the Come Alive tour I took my Duesenberg Outlaw TV. This guitar pretty much goes with me everywhere. I also have my Jeff Senn Tele that is a staple now too. For the vibey stuff I took my Gretsch Tennessean with flat wounds. Jerry McPherson told me to do this 10 years ago and I never went back.

I bought Fender Aerodyne Tele from Mike Britt of Lonestar that is pretty cool too. This next run I will probably bring out my Gibson SG Heritage too. Great guitar and the Humbuckers sound great through the Bassman.

I aIso play Eastman mandolins (Amazing) that I take on tour as well as a Deering 6 String Banjo.

For acoustics it is my McPherson for sure. I have to capo quite a bit and it intonates no matter where I capo. They make amazing instruments. I would not leave the house without it. It is just one of those guitars that is effortless to play.

I also use Tone Freak effects on my smaller board and Elixir strings. They are the only strings I can play because of my sweaty hands. The sound great and last WAY longer than a normal string. I use them on everything. I am also putting Lollar pickups in everything I can. I have them in my Senn Tele, my Les Paul Goldtop and now in my Les Paul Jr. Love em’.

GD) What is your guitar-playing highlight?

BO) I was playing for James Otto last year when his single “Just Got Started Loving You” was at #2 on the country charts. When we did it live I played the opening riff with just me and the high hat to start the song. On the last show I did with him we opened for Lynyrd Sknyrd in front of about 9,000 people. Was a real rush when the crowd went nuts for the song when it was me at the front of the stage.

GD) Any new recordings / CDs in the works?

BO) I have always been more interested in making other people sound good. I love writing so I hope you will hear some of my songs on the radio!

GD) And the Duesenberg???

BO) Where to start… The owner of the US side of the company is my dear friend Nathan Fawley. He supported me when I first moved to town. My first Doozey was the Outlaw TV. He had me do demo clips for them on their website along with Chris Rodriguez (Keith Urban), Rod Janzen (Dierks Bentley) and Mike Campbell (Tom Petty). No pressure there! That was a great help to me early on.

It is the one electric that covers SO much ground to me. It can do the strat thing, the rock thing and the big neck sound jazzy thing. The TV also has an alligator skin covering that just looks sweet too. The craftsmanship is great and it is really easy to play.

I also have a multi-bender that allows me to do pedal steel licks. If you have not played one, you have to. It is a great tool.

[ END ]

I love to hear about people who follow their dreams.  Like Brian said, talent and dreams can be very dangerous! Congratulations Brian, on all of your achievements.

Visit Brian’s MySpace site by CLICKING HERE.

You can also follow Brian on Twitter by CLICKING HERE.

Finally, Brian wanted share a few of his favorite guitar links… Please check out:

www.elixirstrings.com
www.mcphersonguitars.com
www.duesenbergusa.com
www.tonefreak.com (Go Brian!!)
www.eastmanmandolins.com
www.lollarguitars.com

After last weeks post about young Tallen Latz, I went searching for other young prodigy guitar players.  (No disrespect to Tallen, I just figured there would be others.)

I found numerous videos of young Quinn Sullivan, who was introduced to a national audience when he appeared on The Ellen Degeneres Show in 2005 when he was 6 years old.

In the next few years he followed with appearances on stage alongside Buddy Guy and BB King.  He played in venues such as the Beacon Theatre in New York, the Orpheum Theatre in Boston, and Buddy Guy’s Legends in Chicago.

In 2008, he appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

In 2009, Sullivan was featured on The Today Show and opened for Buddy Guy on his East Coast tour during the summer in addition to playing his own set at the Austin City Limits Festival in the fall.

All that before turning 10 years old!

This is the video that started it all for Quinn.  A young boy, with no fear, stand up and nails the Beatles and the Blues.  Be sure to watch until the end when Ellen presents Quinn with a gift that blows everybody (especially Quinn) away!

A brand new Gibson ES-335!

Oh… to be 8 years old and playing the blues like this!

(For the record… Tallan was 8 when this was recorded… he is the mature age of 10 today.)

Tallan credits his musical influences to be none other than: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, Joe Bonamassa, Walter Trout, BB King, Buddy Guy, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Steve Miller, Eric Johnson, Led Zeppelin, Bon Jovi, Derek Trucks, Rush, Keith Urban, Craig Young, Collective Soul, Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven.

Did he really say Bach & Beethovan??

Check out his MySpace site by CLICKING HERE.

YOU GOTTA LOVE THIS KID!

Today, we celebrate Veteran’s Day.

Veterans Day is an annual American holiday honoring military veterans.

If you are visiting this site from outside the USA, I welcome you.

Please respect our nation’s pride in honoring those who have served, or are currently serving, in our Military.

Thanks to “Google Images” I was able to find a couple of guitar playing members of the US Air Force!

GuitarBuzz readers… I introduce to you: Air Force Staff Sgt. Samuel Kennedy (left) and Senior Airman Paul Wells (right).

This photo shows them listening to instructions during U.S. Air Forces in Europe Band rehearsals at Sembach Air Base, Germany on Sept. 22. Sergeant Kennedy plays bass guitar while Airman Wells plays lead guitar in USAFE’s jazz band Check Six. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. John E. Lasky)

ROCK ON GUYS!!

A wonderful post appeared on the “Play A Little Guitar” blog a few weeks ago.  It was the 2nd of a 2-part list about the author and his guitar playing…  I will re-publish the 2nd part below – be sure not to miss the original post by CLICKING HERE.

1- Before I took up guitar, I didn’t listen to instrumentals. With no words to sing along to, I just wasn’t interested. Now I love to put on some lyric-less Dick Dale or Leo Kottke or Link Wray because I can now appreciate what goes into making that sound.

2 – The original bridge pins on my Alvarez were white with black dots. A while back I switched to black pins with white dots. This did not improve my playing.

3 – I’m no masochist but I like it when my fingertips are sore. That means I’ve been working at it a lot and enjoying it a lot.

4 – It amazes me that Leo Fender couldn’t play the instruments he designed.

5 – I think if I started taking lessons again I could really make a leap.

6 – Once I start to get a song down, I tend to get tired of it and want to move on to something new. I wonder if I have a case of adult attention deficit disorder or something along those … Hey, look! There’s something shiny!

7 – I played so well yesterday I thought I was wearing someone else’s fingers.

8 – I’m working on a joke that starts “A Gold Top Les Paul and a Sunburst Strat walk into a bar …” but that’s as far as I’ve gotten. I can’t even decide what kind of drinks they would order.

9 – I would have enjoyed “It Might Get Loud” more if the director had found someone other than Jack White to represent the younger generation. No disrespect to Mr. White.

10 – There’s something about the fretboard that bothers me. There are markers on the third, fifth, seventh and ninth frets but the next one is the double-dot marker on the12th. Shouldn’t it have been on the 11th fret? Can anyone tell me why?

11 – If I ever have to tune a guitar by ear, I’m sunk.

12 – I recently put a ding on the front of the Alvarez when I accidentally knocked a stapler off the desk. It’s not especially ugly but I was briefly distraught.

13 – Finger-picking sure sounds prettier than strumming but I’m just not ready for it yet.

14 – I’ll never be able to do a full F chord but I’m OK with that. I’ve got the baby F down.

15 – Regarding No. 12, it already had a couple of other minor dings. That just gives it character, right?

Be sure to click over and read the ORIGINAL 25.  I am still laughing at most of them!

Very well written.  And so true… so very true.

This is a very interesting cartoon.

It is funny because of what it says about Jimi Hendrix… but it is also a serious illustration of the economic times we currently face.

I have way too many friends who have lost their jobs.

I have way too many friends who are in jeopardy of losing their homes, because they have lost their jobs.

I have way too many friends who are losing their self-esteem, because other people (read: hiring managers) are telling them that they are not qualified for the job.

I have way too many friends who are looking for work and hiring managers are too narrow-minded to recognize talent – even when talent is sitting right in front of them.

We are a nation of incredibly artistic people and we need to open our minds to the fact that we are un-employing and under-employing thousands of gifted minds.

What if Jimi Hendrix was not given the opportunity to play guitar on a national stage because he was not “experienced” enough? What a tragedy that would have been… for everyone.

If you are reading this post and you are unemployed, looking for work, frustrated and discouraged… please keep your head high. You did not get to where you are in life by failing. You are where you are because of the amazing accomplishments and the seemingly insurmountable odds you overcame to get there.

Your day will come and your opportunity will come. Stay focused. Keep the faith. Send me an email and I will pray that the higher power we all believe in will provide direction for you.

Thanks for reading and thanks for allowing me to post something slightly off the usual buzz…

I don’t know about you, but “Blues Music” really moves me. I’m talking about slow, bendy, stirring, bluesy blues. I love the way it sounds and I love the way it makes me feel. It’s both electrifying and inspirational.

When it comes to “feeling” the blues… Ronnie Earl is the master.

Ronnie plays music that penetrates your heart. He refers to it as “spiritually uplifting music that heals” and I totally agree. I have all of Ronnie’s CD’s — totaling 249 songs and 23.7 hours on my iPod. Hey…a couple more tunes and I can have a 24-hour Ronnie-Fest!

Here is the opening clip from “Blues Guitar With Soul” the only instructional video Ronnie made. It was originally released on VHS in 1995 and re-released on DVD in 2005.

It’s a timeless recording that worked in 1995 and still works today. Enjoy!

Schecter Guitar Research placed this ad in Guitar World Magazine.

It was a full page ad, with only a slightly visible logo for their company in the lower right corner.

The ad says it all, and is worth sharing here to remind us all of the tragic events of 9-11-2001.

Let us never forget those who’s lives changed forever 8 years ago today.

Thank you Schecter.

I just finished dinner with my 11-year-old daughter.

During that dinner we watched President Barack Obama’s speech to America’s youth. This is not a political blog (and that was not a political speech) but just in case you missed it… I will provide a link: CLICK HERE.

What that speech prompted me to do (as a 52-year old man) was to sit down with my 11-year-old daughter and remind her that her opportunities are endless… as long as she starts now, works hard, finds a mentor and never quits. While all of her dreams may not come true, none of them will ever come true without a commitment to the cause and a sincere dedication to learn and apply the knowledge she acquires along the way. Above all, quitting is not an option!

Sounds like good advice for aspiring guitar players.

Case in point: Orianthi Panagaris, the young female guitar-playing superstar to the left that Carlos Santana called “the one he will pass the baton to” and the same young lady who practiced on stage with Michael Jackson the night before his tragic death.

Orianthi Panagaris or “Orianthi” was born on January 22, 1985 in Adelaide, Australia.  She learned to play the acoustic guitar at age 6, started playing electric when she was just 11 and started writing songs and performing at the mature age of 15.

Orianthi had the opportunity to meet Carlos Santana when she was 18 in her hometown. Carlos invited Orianthi to get up and jam with him during the soundcheck then asked if she would join him on stage later that night.

She has played with Prince and toured with Steve Vai.  She played at the Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival and also appeared at the 51st annual Grammys with Carrie Underwood where she was Underwood’s lead guitar player.

Not bad for a young girl who picked up a guitar at a young age, worked hard, found a mentor and never quit.

Check out what Carlos Santana had to say, then watch this girl rip it up on her PRS: