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Guitar Greats
by Univideit Gauitin
http://www.guitarsuniverse.com
Mutual agreement on greatness could be very subjective.
Individual choices may vary if one tries to compile a list
of guitar legends. Different people would have different
yardsticks of greatness per season. But an attempt to make
a list would be quite interesting.
Many connoisseurs consider Robert Johnson, the blues
guitarist, great. He started as an average guitarist but
became great in a period of just one year. Many legends
thrived to explain such sudden burst of talent. Some gave a
Dr Faustus like theory that he had made a pact with the
Devil. His rivals and common people disbelieved his
explanation of practice and hard work for his newfound
talent.
Rumors abound about how he made the deal with the Devil in
the Deep South. Johnson did not do much to dispel this
notion. Instead his songs like Crossroad Blues and Me And
The Devil Blues further stoked suspicion. The legend
strengthened even further by his death in 1938 at the age
of 27. Nothing is known about the cause of death, whether
it was poisoning, stabbing or the Devil claiming his soul.
Jimi Hendrix, another great guitarist, also died young at
28. He too became great in a short time. He is more well
known for his antics like playing solos behind his back,
with his teeth, setting his guitar on fire; than for his
superb guitar playing skills. He was a great and fantastic
musician better known for the wrong reasons.
Hendrix was a great innovator. Being left handed, he
re-strung his guitar upside down for ease of play. He had
all types of music in his bouquet like blues, rock or jazz.
His talent could be gauged from the fact that he gave live
concerts with support from just a bassist and drummer.
Like all legends, stories about Hedrix are legion. He was
famous for covering other bands songs in concert and on
record. Sometimes he would do his cover of a track before
the original band had managed to perform it live, as was the
case with the Beatles 'Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club
Band'. Though he couldn't read or write musical notation,
it's said that a single listen to a new song was enough for
him to be able to play it. He is also one of a very small
number of musicians who earned the approval of the hardest
man to please in the history of popular music, Miles Davis.
The guitar players are not just limited to rock or blue.
Guitar is such a versatile musical instrument that it is
played in all sorts of concerts and shows. Therefore, there
are innumerable guitar greats worldwide. The other great
and popular guitar players are Django Rheinhardt (jazz)
John Williams (classic), Paco de Lucia (flamenco). They
have been immortalized by their inimitable style and
mind-blowing music.
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