Alan di Perna
In a career that spans five decades, Alan di Perna has written for pretty much every magazine in the world with the word “guitar” in its title, as well as other prestigious outlets such as Rolling Stone, Billboard, Creem, Player, Classic Rock, Musician, Future Music, Keyboard, grammy.com and reverb.com. He is author of Guitar Masters: Intimate Portraits, Green Day: The Ultimate Unauthorized History and co-author of Play It Loud: An Epic History of the Sound Style and Revolution of the Electric Guitar. The latter became the inspiration for the Metropolitan Museum of Art/Rock and Roll Hall of Fame exhibition “Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock and Roll.” As a professional guitarist/keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist, Alan has worked with recording artists Brianna Lea Pruett, Fawn Wood, Brenda McMorrow, Sat Kartar and Shox Lumania.
Latest articles by Alan di Perna
Dhani Harrison on the incredible story of his father George's All Things Must Pass album
By Alan di Perna published
“You need a rhythm guitar player and you get Eric Clapton. How amazing is that?”
The life and times of Jamaican guitar legend Ernest Ranglin
By Alan di Perna published
The king of ska guitar, Ranglin helped define the island's sound and took it global
Leslie West: "I wanted the biggest tone, and vibrato like somebody who plays violin in a 100-piece orchestra"
By Alan di Perna published
The life and times of a titanic presence in hard rock and a trailblazer for tone
Quicksilver Messenger Service's John Cipollina: the life and times of an unsung guitar innovator
By Alan di Perna published
A bold, original and unheralded stylist, Cipollina's playing anticipated the future of rock
The life and times of Frank Zappa – composer, satirist and towering giant of the electric guitar
By Alan di Perna published
Looking back at the career of the one-of-a-kind musician and guitar visionary
Keith Richards reveals his 10 all-time favorite Rolling Stones riffs and the stories behind them
By Alan di Perna published
How the guitar used to record Gimme Shelter disintegrated immediately after the song's completion, and other incredible stories
Why The Byrds' Roger McGuinn is one of rock's greatest guitar heroes
By Alan di Perna published
In general, Roger McGuinn has gotten more love from the rock critic fraternity than from the guitar community. Maybe it’s time to turn that perception around
The genius of Andy Gill: paying tribute to the post-punk pioneer who influenced a generation of guitarists
By Alan di Perna published
The Gang of Four guitarist inspired big names from U2 and Franz Ferdinand to Tom Morello. We take a look at his diverse and storied career
The inside story of The Beatles' turbulent break-up - and what came next
By Alan di Perna published
50 years on, we dig deep into the unraveling of the most commercially successful band of all time, and the subsequent solo careers of John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison
"He was our spiritual leader": A tribute to the life and career of AC/DC's Malcolm Young
By Alan di Perna published
Young's influence and contribution to rock music continue to loom large
Guitar's biggest names tell us what really happened at Woodstock
By Alan di Perna published
Carlos Santana, Stephen Stills, Pete Townshend and more recall the trials and tribulations behind their era-defining performances
Dick Dale: the life and times of the King of the Surf Guitar
By Alan di Perna published
"I don’t know how to play a goddamned scale. I don’t know what a 13th is, or an augmented ninth. I could give a shit. All I do is make the guitar scream with pain or pleasure.”
Keith Richards' Guitar Tech Reveals Keef's Studio Rig
By Alan di Perna published
Keith Richards owns nearly a thousand guitars, so which does he typically use in the studio? Find out here.
'Imagine' This: How John Lennon and George Harrison Teamed Up to Record a Classic Album in 1971
By Alan di Perna published
“I think my greatest pleasure is writing a song — words and lyrics — that will last longer than a couple of years.”
Stephen Malkmus Talks Pavement-Era Gear, Alternate Tunings and New Jicks Album, 'Sparkle Hard'
By Alan di Perna published
He made alternative rock history with Pavement and the Jicks, but what do Guitar World readers really want to know about Stephen Malkmus?
The 10 most important electric guitars: from their 1930s invention to '80s hot-rod era
By Brad Tolinski published
10 major milestones in the electric guitar's journey from novelty to high-performance rock machine
Jack White Breaks Down His Ambitious New Album, 'Boarding House Reach'
By Alan di Perna published
Fanny: The Female Rock Pioneers Are At It Again with Help from the Runaways, Go-Go's and Bangles
By Alan di Perna published
Ritchie Blackmore: Talking Tone, Gear, Deep Purple Years and a Rocking Rainbow Revival
By Alan di Perna published
Phil Manzanera Talks Roxy Music History, Gibson Firebirds and His Neighbor and Occasional Bandmate, David Gilmour
By Alan di Perna published
Honoring George Harrison: Randy Bachman's Track-by-Track Breakdown of New Album, 'By George, By Bachman'
By Alan di Perna published
Jimi Hendrix Jams with Johnny Winter, Stephen Stills and More on a New Album, 'Both Sides of the Sky'
By Alan di Perna published
AC/DC: Young Lust
By Alan di Perna published
Ballbreaker, AC/DC’s Angus and Malcolm Young demonstrate yet again that they are randy as a pair of billygoats, out of their minds with lurid desires and obscenely concupiscent.
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