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“He told me, ‘You got too close — you hit it on the head!’” How a classic hard rock track was written on Chris Cornell's couch with an acoustic guitar
1+ hour, 41+ min ago (735+ words) Estranged from his band and father, Jerry Cantrell dug deep and pulled out a timeless tune that still resonates today Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell was couch surfing at Chris Cornell's house in 1991 when he wrote a landmark track…...
“I said, ‘Bob, this is a folk song.’ He said, ‘No, listen to the lyrics.’” How Alice Cooper spun a 1960s ballad into his own glam-rock anthem
2+ day, 11+ hour ago (1007+ words) As the lead track to 1973s Billion Dollar Babies, it served double duty as a dramatic opening number on the albums tour In 1973, Alice Cooper was no longer just a rock star; he was the ringmaster of a high-decibel circus that…...
“It was the call to arms. It told the audience, ‘The show is starting, and you're part of it now.’” How Alice Cooper turned a folk song into his own rock and roll anthem — with a little help from a beat-up pedal-steel guitar
3+ day, 5+ hour ago (1006+ words) As the lead track to the "Billion Dollar Babies," it served double duty as a dramatic opening number on the album"s tour In 1973, Alice Cooper was no longer just a rock star; he was the ringmaster of a high-decibel…...
“Syd Barrett was doing psychedelic drugs and completely off his tree.” Friend and guitarist to David Gilmour and Roger Waters, Tim Renwick recalls Pink Floyd‘s wild rise from high school rockers to prog-rock gurus
3+ day, 9+ hour ago (1002+ words) Renwick, who has played with Eric Clapton, David Bowie and many others, was there from Floyd's start to Gilmour's and Waters' solo careers There aren't many guitarists who can say they were there when Pink Floyd formed and then went…...
“You can call the police or do whatever you're going to do to me, but I'm taking it.’” How Bob Weir stole one of his favorite guitars from George Benson
4+ day, 10+ hour ago (577+ words) Weir, who died on January 10, was "like my left hand," Jerry Garcia told us in 1978 Bob Weir rarely parted ways with his guitars. Over the years he spent as a founding member of the Grateful Dead " and afterward with groups…...
“Our initial sense was that it was very big-headed. We all looked at Fred and said, ‘Really?’” Brian May on Freddie Mercury and the mega-hit that changed Queen’s relationship with their audience
5+ day, 3+ hour ago (865+ words) The tune was a highlight of "News of the World," the album on which Queen brought their fans into the act Sometimes a song becomes something bigger than a hit. It strikes a nerve with its audience and becomes an…...
“I had to find out how they were getting that sound.” How George Harrison, banjo and a studio accident inspired Roger McGuinn’s invention of folk rock
5+ day, 22+ hour ago (784+ words) The Byrds" guitarist was later told he influenced Harrison to write a Beatles" classic. "We had some cross-pollination," he says So strong was its spell that when later guitarists like R.E.M."s Peter Buck, Tom Petty or Mike Campbell picked up…...
“When he showed up and did it all for real, it burst my bubble. I was pissed for a little while.” How Eric Clapton survived rock guitar‘s most transformative era and found his way to the blues
6+ day, 2+ hour ago (552+ words) Like Jeff Beck and Pete Townshend, Clapton was thrown when Jimi Hendrix arrived on the rock scene Jimi Hendrix changed the music so entirely in 1966 that, within months of his arrival in England, established guitarists were wrestling with how to…...
“When they saw my guitar, they all laughed at me.” How Mike Campbell survived his toughest audition — in front of Tom Petty
6+ day, 5+ hour ago (595+ words) The guitarist didn't have the gear but he had the chops, and that was all that really mattered" Mike Campbell shot to fame as Tom Petty's guitarist in the Heartbreakers. Over the years since the group formed in 1976, Campbell has…...
“I felt like I had to fight with everybody to get those songs released.” How a 1970s rock legend scored his second career-defining hit — and why it feels like a curse 50 years on
1+ week, 3+ hour ago (755+ words) Don McLean had other successes besides "American Pie" and "Vincent." He just wishes someone would ask about them As the second single from American Pie, Don McLean's 1972 album, "Vincent" rode to the U.S. charts on a wave of popularity, thanks to…...