Eric Johnson

Eric Johnson was born August 17, 1954.

Eric is best known for his ability to incorporate jazz, fusion, new age and rock into his recordings.

Guitar Player magazine called Johnson “One of the most respected guitarists on the planet.”

In 1990 he recorded the single “Cliffs of Dover,” which won him the 1991 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

The latest news on Eric is that he just finished a new studio album, and has scheduled 4 Texas shows with his Alien Love Child band. This is from the official post on Johnson’s web site:

“Johnson will now be giving various tracks to three of the top engineers in contemporary music to mix: George Massenberg, Gary Paczosa and Andy Johns. “I’ve spent the last year and a half in the studio, and I really want to get up on stage and do some playing,” says Johnson. After a recent one-off Alien Love Child show in Dallas, “the band was sounding better than ever, so I want to keep that going.”

Guest artists on the new release will include Sonny Landreth, Jimmy Vaughan, and Steve Miller.

Visit Eric’s official web site by clicking HERE.

Happy 56th Birthday Eric Johnson!

Stevie Ray Vaughan was not yet a star when his wife, Lenora “Lenny” Vaughan, gave him a worn 1965 Stratocaster® guitar on his 26th birthday, October 3, 1980.

Vaughan first spotted the guitar in a pawnshop about a year after he and Lenora were married.

It was originally a three-color sunburst model, it had been refurnished at some point, and now it had a dark natural finish and an elaborate design behind the bridge. At $350, he couldn’t afford it. Lenora, however, enlisted seven friends with $50 each, and bought the guitar for her husband for his birthday. That very night, as Lenora slept, Vaughan wrote a beautiful song for her, “Lenny.”

Years after Stevie Ray Vaughan’s tragic death in 1990, and at older brother Jimmie Vaughan’s behest, Lenny became the only guitar from his estate to be made available to the public.

At a historic June 24, 2004, Christie’s auction in New York, Lenny sold for $623,500.

“I love the directness and honesty of the blues,” says guitarist Derek Trucks. “There’s a complete lack of pretension in the blues that just hit me when I was learning to play. I think an education in the blues should be required for any musician who wants to play any form of rock and roll or any American style of music. The blues is the foundation for all of those styles of music.” -Derek Trucks

To read the entire Guitar Center interview, CLICK HERE.

Black Country Communion Debut Album

Black Country Communion’s Self-Titled Debut Album Available For Pre-Order On Aug. 9, 2010!

Los Angeles, CA, August 9, 2010: Black Country Communion – the English-American rock supergroup featuring vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Trapeze), drummer Jason Bonham (Led Zeppelin), keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater) and blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa – will make their self-titled, 12-track debut album available for pre-order starting August 9 on the band’s website by CLICKING HERE.

Download The Brand New Single “One Last Soul” For Free!

Black Country Communion will also guest on the nationally syndicated radio show “Rockline” with host Bob Coburn on Wednesday, Sept. 8 at 8:30pm PT/11:30pm ET. Fans are encouraged to speak with the band by calling 1-800-344-ROCK(7625).

The album will be officially released and available in stores in the UK and Europe through Mascot Records on Monday, September 20 followed by a North America release on Tuesday, September 21 through Bonamassa’s own J&R Adventures Label. The album was produced and mixed by Kevin Shirley (Black Crowes, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin), and mastered by the legendary Bob Ludwig. It was recorded at Shangri-La Studios in Malibu in early 2010.

All songs are sung by Glenn Hughes, with the exception of “Song Of Yesterday” and “The Revolution In Me”, which are both sung by Joe Bonamassa. Hughes and Bonamassa share lead vocals on “Sista Jane” and “Too Late For The Sun”. Also included is a new version of “Medusa”, the rock classic Hughes originally recorded with his first band Trapeze.

The seed for Black Country Communion was planted when Shirley saw Hughes and Bonamassa combine forces on stage in Los Angeles in Nov. 2009 for an explosive performance at Guitar Center’s King of the Blues event. Shirley then recruited Bonham and Sherinian for the project, which is named after the industrial area in the British Midlands where both Hughes and Bonham were born and raised.

Black Country Communion is planning a tour in 2011.

Gary Hoey - UTOPIA Album Release

World renowned rock guitarist Gary Hoey takes his talents to the next level with his new album, “Utopia” on Wazoo Music Group.

The CD is set to be released on August 24th, 2010.

With a collection of 16 albums and five top 20 Billboard hits, itʼs no wonder Gary Hoey is listed in the top 100 greatest guitar players of all time.

His popular Ho! Ho! Hoey series of Christmas CDs and on-air station visits have become a staple at hundreds of radio stations nationwide. His live rock and roll Christmas show continues to grow new fans each year. HALLMARKʼS musical greeting cards feature two Ho Ho Hoey classics.

Hoey has toured and traded licks with the likes of Brian May (Queen), Ted Nugent, Foreigner, Joe Satriani, The Doobie Bros, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, Peter Frampton, Rick Derringer and Deep Purple.”

Check out Gary on this LIVE video version of “Pipeline”:

I have been a Ronnie Earl fan for a long, long time.

I had the opportunity to meet him personally and hang out backstage before a concert a few years ago. He is a gracious man who understands the value of giving to others.

Ronnie Earl at The Narrows

For those who do not know, Ronnie is now in his mid-50s and has been part of the blues music scene for many years.

Deeply inspired by Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker and Otis Rush, he started to play guitar in the 1970′s. He left the first major group he worked with in 1988, and moved on to build a solo career with his own band, The Broadcasters.

Along the way, he went on to tour the world with Santana, sometimes playing for audiences of as many as 40,000 people.

Recent years, however, found his career sidelined by a variety of health problems, which are thankfully, today, under control. When he says he’s feeling fine, he is, thanks, but the idea of touring again is as far from his mind as it can be.

“I did that for more than 25 years,” he says, “and nothing is better than one’s own home and one’s own family and friends. It makes me feel grounded. I have a wonderful wife, I’m close to our church, I live in the country and I want to be in my own home, every day.”

These days Ronnie is healthy, happily married and playing with the Broadcasters in the New England area and if you are fortunate to live in that area you still have a chance to see one of the finest blues guitar players — ever.

Visit Ronnie’s web site and follow his tour schedule by CLICKING HERE.

The video below was posted a few days ago on YouTube (thank you ZigBlues) from a concert Ronnie played last month at The Narrows in Fall River, MA.

On that night, Ronnie invited 16 year old guitarist Julie Melucci to join him on stage for a blues jam she will never forget!

My favorite part of the video comes at 5:30 when Ronnie motions that he is going to step back and let Julie showcase her chops!

By the way, a new recording from the Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters titled: “Spread the Love” is set to be released on August 24th, 2010 by Stoney Plains Records. Stay tuned to TheGuitarBuzz.com for more details and a full review as soon as the CD becomes available.

Lee Ritenour's 6-String Theory CD

This is an UPDATE of a previous post…

The long awaited CD from Lee Ritenour titled “6-String Theory” has been released and is now available on iTunes and Amazon.com to download.

“Six String Theory” pushes the limits of the guitar by combining superstar guitarists from the worlds of rock, blues, country, jazz/fusion, acoustic, and classical/flamenco genres — all into one massive effort.

I have written in the past that I love (almost) every style of guitar music and what I love about this CD is that it crosses the boundaries of many different genres to provide a refreshing mix of 6-String styles.

By assembling the talents of Lee Ritenour, B.B. King, George Benson, John Scofield, Steve Lukather, Vince Gill, Slash, Pat Martino, Mike Stern, Neal Schon, Robert Cray, Keb Mo, Taj Majal, Jonny Lang, Joe Bonamasa, Andy Mckee, Guthrie Govan, Joe Robinson, Tomoyasu Hotei and Shon Boublil (Winner of Yamaha Six String Theory Competition), the album appears destined to be a huge success.

I’m excited to announce that the “Six String Theory” project is finally done! We’ve finished up mastering and are excited to share the music with everyone. We’ve assembled an incredible roster of guest guitarists on the album in many different genres from up and coming Shon Boublil at 16 years old playing classical guitar to blues guitar icon BB King at age 84. This was an amazing album for me to produce and perform on… - From Lee Ritenour’s web site

Watch the Video:

The 2010 Crossroads Guitar Festival is in the history books.  Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang, ZZ Top, Sonny Landreth… and that was only the beginning. What a day of music it was.

Check out this excerpt from Chicago Tribune concert review:

Blues uncut, high on musicianship and low on theater, was the order of the day. Though Clapton’s hand-picked lineup included nods to jazz (Earl Klugh), country (Vince Gill) and folk (Bert Jansch, Stefan Grossman), it skewed heavily toward the blues tradition that gave his young life purpose. The performers tailored their sets accordingly. ZZ Top ignored its biggest MTV-era hits in favor of grunge-encrusted boogie, with Billy Gibbons adding a couple shovels full of gravel to his insinuating baritone mumble. John Mayer abandoned his pop-idol persona to jam with drummer Steve Jordan and bassist Pino Palladino; indeed, a drummer as mighty as Jordan probably wouldn’t have tolerated “Your Body is a Wonderland,” so Mayer dug into Jimi Hendrix’s “Wait Until Tomorrow” and did a respectable job.
-Chicago Tribune Concert Review

Rich Murray from The Guitar Channel blog has posted a fantastic PHOTO GALLERY of shots taken from the event. CLICK HERE to view these photos and experience the event.

Videos are also starting to pop up on YouTube.  Here is one of the first jams to include Joe Bonamassa and Robert Randolph:

I’d bet my Les Paul that the DVD will be out soon!

Crossroads Guitar Festival

How I wish I was on my way to Chicago…..

Eric Clapton’s 2010 Crossroads Guitar Festival takes place tomorrow, Saturday, June 26th at the Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois. The Crossroads Guitar Festival is a music festival and benefit concert first held in 2004 and again in 2007.

The festivals benefit the Crossroads Centre founded by Eric Clapton, a drug treatment center located in Antigua. The concerts are also intended to be a showcase for a variety of guitarists, all of whom are hand-picked by Eric Clapton himself.

The complete performance schedule for the all day event was posted today on Eric’s Fan Club site:

(www.WheresEric.com)

Check out this lineup:

11:50A – 12:15P Sonny Landreth

12:20P – 12:55P Robert Randolply joined by Joe Bonamassa, & Pino Daneile

1P – 1:40P Robert Cray with Jimmie Vaughan, & Hubert Sumlin

1:45P – 2P Bert Jansch

2:05P – 2:20P Stefan Grossman

2:25P – 2:50P ZZ Top

3P – 3:40P Doyle Bramhall joined by Gary Clark, Sheryl Crow

3:50P – 4:35P Vince Gill joined by Albert Lee, James Burton, Keb Mo

4:45P – 5P Citizen Cope

5:05P – 5:20P Earl Klugh

5:25P – 5:50P John Mayer

6P – 6:35P Buddy Guy with Jonny Lang

6:45P – 7:35P Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band joined by Warren Haynes, Sheryl Crow, David Hidalgo, Cesar Rojas, & Johnny Winter

7:45P – 8:20P Jeff Beck

8:35P – 10:05P Eric Clapton with Steve Winwood

10:10P – 10:30P BB King with Robert Cray Band

10:30P – 10:50P FINALE

That’s a whole lotta guitar playing mojo for a single event!

I would love to hear from anyone who attends! Otherwise I will have to wait for the DVD…

Larry Carlton & Tak Matsumoto "TAKE YOUR PICK"

Gibson.com is offering a free download from the new album by Larry Carlton and Takahiro “Tak” Matsumoto!

Three-time Grammy winner Larry Carlton and Tak Matsumoto, the most renowned guitarist in all of Asia, teamed up to compose, record and release “Take Your Pick”, an extraordinary collection of 12 original instrumentals already being hailed as “one of the most significant collaborations of contemporary guitar of all time.”

Larry and Tak invite you to download their new single, “Tokyo Nights.” Click the image above to request your free download.

Note: This offer will not last forever… so get your free download NOW!

[Click the Arrow to play "Tokyo Night" from the CD titled "Take Your Pick"]

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