Exclusive Video Premiere: Ricky Byrd —"Rock 'n' Roll Boys"

Today, GuitarWorld.com presents the exclusive premiere of "Rock 'n' Roll Boys," the new music video by Ricky Byrd.

The track is off Byrd's new album, Lifer.

As lead guitarist for Joan Jett and the Blackhearts for more than a decade, Byrd’s riffs propelled Jett’s best work, including “I Hate Myself For Loving You,” “Talkin’ Bout My Baby” and “I Love Rock 'n' Roll.” Byrd left the Blackhearts in 1993, a guitar slinger for hire, touring and recording with Roger Daltrey, Southside Johnny and Ian Hunter, to whom the video below is dedicated.

“Playing with those guys — all amazing performers — really got me thinking about what I love about rock and roll,” Byrd recently told GuitarWorld.com. “So I worked really hard on my songwriting and hooked up with some great people, and Lifer is the result.”

Byrd took his time making Lifer, beginning sessions with co-producer Ray Kennedy in Nashville before bringing it all back home to New York City, where Byrd and co-producer Bob Stander knuckled down.

“There were a couple of false starts trying to make a solo record after I left the Blackhearts, but the timing just wasn’t right,” Byrd said. “I did some pretty generic demos, and then I did some solo acoustic shows and learned how to be a frontman, which is really an art. Then I had a three-piece with Simon Kirke on drums and Kasim Sultan from the Blackhearts on bass and I played acoustic. We played little places and we recorded a cool, live, low-fi record that we really did just so we had something for bookings, but we sold it too.

"So some time goes by, and it was 2000, and I heard a Steve Earl record Ray Kennedy produced and I got inspired. But then life got busy and time went by, but I’m glad because in that time I wrote some songs with Ray and Southside Johnny and my old pal Richie Supa. So what’s the moral of the story? My meter wasn’t running. Who cares how long it took? I wouldn’t have had those extra songs if I didn’t take my time. Besides, I have nothing to do with anything that’s on the radio. So I did the record I wanted to do.”

For more about Byrd, visit rickybyrd.com. For the rest of this interview, head HERE.