A Tribute to Izzy Young
Izzy Young’s accomplishments are the stuff of legend, from producing hundreds of folk concerts (among them Bob Dylan’s first) to organizing protests and beyond.
Guitar on Record: The Early History of Recorded Sound and Acoustic Instruments
Advances in recording technology would open up multiple new dimensions for the music business.
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Hail Caledonia: A Brief History of Scottish Song in America
Speed through the distant past and get right to the most action-packed chapter of Scots-American musical history: the past 50 years.
Eddie Lang, Wes Montgomery, Django and More | A Century of the Acoustic Guitar in Jazz
When you see the words “jazz guitar,” what pops into your mind’s ear first? Odds are that you hear the clean, smooth, rich sound of an electric archtop, possibly with its tone knob rolled down for extra low-mid emphasis, picking out chord melodies à la Joe Pass or octave lines in the manner of Wes Montgomery. Without a doubt, this is the stereotypical jazz guitar sound, but over more than 100 years of history, there have been many others. And a significant percentage of them were (and are) produced without the aid of a pickup, cable, or amplifier.
How Bossa Nova Made a Mark on Popular Music
A look at bossa nova's impact on popular music and how the acoustic guitar is at its core.
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Bill Collings, 1948-2017: Read Tributes & Watch a Short Documentary About the Legendary Luthier
Bill Collings was one of the world’s most respected names in acoustic guitar making
100 Years After His Death, Ragtime Composer Scott Joplin Continues to Inspire Guitarists
As Joplin reigned during the music’s heyday, he reclaimed the throne upon its return. Though “Maple Leaf Rag” was at no point forgotten, it was again a popular gateway to the genre.
Gregg Allman, 1947–2017
Along with his brother Duane, Gregg and Duane formed the Allman Brothers Band, a powerhouse band that pioneered a new, groove-and-guitar-based style that came to be known as Southern rock.
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Ry Cooder Pays Tribute to Lalo Guerrero, “the Father of Chicano Music,” at Centennial Birthday Concert
Cooder and others honored the internationally acclaimed singer, performer, and prolific composer Eduardo “Lalo” Guerrero on what would have been Guerrero's 100th birthday.
A Tribute to British Fingerstylist Bert Jansch and His Influential Arrangements
The legendary Scottish musician sojourned through the pits and pinnacles of music-making guided by his own compass, largely disinterested in popular trends.
Remembering Americana Icon Guy Clark, 1941-2016
He wrote some of outlaw country's most memorable songs, crafting intimate, finely detailed narratives and philosophical reminiscences that make him an American icon.
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What Would Kurt Cobain Be Today: Acoustic Singer-Songwriter or Washed-Up Grunge Dude?
By Mark Kemp As you read this post, please think about the question posed in the headline. For many who admired and came to love Kurt Cobain and his band Nirvana, April 5, 1994, was a horribly dark day. [See note at bottom for clarification on the sequence of events leading…
The Circle, Unbroken: 50 Years of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
By Mark Kemp “What in the world are you listening to in there?” My mom was confused. It was the early 1970s and she was hearing acoustic guitars, banjos, and fiddles blaring from the wooden stereo console in our living room. Ordinarily, mom would have been fussing at me for…
A Space Odyssey: Jefferson Airplane’s Paul Kantner, 1941-2016
Even though he helped form one of San Francisco’s great pyschedelic bands, Paul Kantner was always a folkie at heart.
High on Bluegrass: Grateful Dead Guitarist Jerry Garcia’s Acoustic Side
We sipped hot tea and Garcia chain-smoked as he spoke affectionately of the acoustic guitar and his love of bluegrass