Latest articles by Henry Yates
When a 13-year-old Jimmie Vaughan was stopped from watching B.B. King play, another blues great came to his aid
Vaughan wanted to watch his guitar hero play live for the first time – and another hero saved the day
“Steve was on the session when history was made”: Why Steve Cropper was one of guitar’s most humble heroes
The departed soul man was the Stax band’s MVP, writing and driving the R&B classics that ruled the ’60s
How Boss reimagined the wildest effect on your pedalboard
Boss's Matt Knight gives us the lowdown on the XS-1 and XS-100 Poly Shifter series, the pitch-shifting pedals that put the DigiTech Whammy on notice
Meet the mystery guitarist rewriting a new future for prog – with a little help from superstar players Greg Howe and Mohini Dey
DarWin guitarist Greg Howe and bassist Mohini Dey, plus the supergroup’s mysterious namesake, tell us about new album, Distorted Mirror, and how it is reinventing the concept album
How some inspiration from Yngwie Malmsteen helped transform Europe's the Final Countdown from “dreadful” demo into smash hit
A staple of sporting events around the world, this keyboard-driven anthem was given a healthy dose of muscle by its skeptical guitarist, transforming it into a perfect-for-the-era, stadium-pleasing classic
“Sometimes we were recording a song and the power shut down because of the wind. Since we do everything live, we had to start over”: Assouf rockers Imarhan on how a Peavey amp, the weather and Stevie Ray Vaughan tapes were the making of their new album
Algerian desert rockers’ new release, Essam, fuses electronica with fuzzbox vibes, political flashpoints and ancient poetry. Call it desert blues if you like – but they don’t
“I put it on a stand at a guitar show, with no strategy. And it changed everything”: How relic’ing conquered the guitar world
The not-so-gentle art of relic’ing has enjoyed a renaissance since its maligned roots in the mid-’90s. We asked scene godfather and Gibson Custom Shop guru Tom Murphy how the tide turned
Lita Ford had her prized Mockingbird stolen – but crossed paths with it in the most bizarre circumstances
Ford was briefly reacquainted with her beloved Mockingbird when an auditionee rocked up to her studio with her stolen guitar
A-list guitar auctions are now a firm fixture, and the sums involved are eye-watering. But who is driving the boom – and is it sustainable?
The amount of money changing hands for artist-owned guitars at auction is eye-watering. Amelia Walker of Christie's London explains what sells and who's buying – and whether it will last
The life and wild times of Danny Thompson, the legend of upright bass who “brought greatness to everything he played”
The fabled upright acoustic bassist leaves us with a thousand tales of misadventure and an extraordinary body of music that weaves through the rock ’n’ roll era
Stephen Dale Petit on break-ups, cancer, Eric Clapton and why the original “blues hooligan” is no gun-for-hire
Grave illness and a broken heart have tested Stephen Dale Petit – but the bluesman tells us that completing his Clapton-bolstered masterpiece, Be The Love, is all that matters
How this bluesman linked up with Eric Clapton – and got him to play a solo on his album
They’ve forged a close friendship over the years, but getting Slowhand to play an “insane” solo on his record wasn’t easy
Why Mark Knopfler’s guitar tech convinced him to play Les Pauls – and how they impacted his tone and playing
Knopfler is forever linked to the Fender Strat – however, to successfully convey the emotional weight required on Brothers in Arms, his tech pushed him towards Gibsons
Eurythmics legend Dave Stewart on gigging folk clubs underage, why Sweet Dreams is a blues song and drinking sake with Dylan
The Eurythmics legend returns with an album of Bob Dylan covers, a man who he remarkably befriended after a chance phone call
Ozzy Osbourne couldn’t play guitar. Yet he changed the guitar world by introducing some of its greatest heroes
The late heavy-metal icon did not, could not, play guitar. Yet his contribution to the scene – whether giving a platform to fledgling gunslingers or igniting their talents – was inestimable
Mark Knopfler on why one of the Dire Straits' most iconic tracks hinges on this four-note guitar intro
The Dire Straits guitarist reflects on the songwriting process of some of the band’s classic tracks
Chris Turpin on teaming up with Greta Van Fleet’s Jake Kiszka for Mirador and the unplanned magic of rock
The Ida Mae guitarist isn't even sure what to call Mirador, but with some tone mojo from cranked half-stacks and Jake Kiszka’s raw, effervescent energy, they've got something good going on
Remembering Rick Derringer: the maverick who brought the fire to Johnny Winter’s band
The Ohio guitarist was one of rock’s most adaptable talents and had the production skills to go with his playing
Mark Knopfler on 40 years of Dire Straits’ Brothers In Arms – the guitars, the riffs… the pressure of learning to play in time
From his lucky ’83 Les Paul and Fleetwood Mac-inspired soloing to “getting away with murder” at the sessions, the Dire Straits legend opens up in his most revealing interview in years
How Eurythmics legend Dave Stewart became friends with Bob Dylan – after what he thought was a prank call
Stewart was alone in the studio when he received a call from what he thought was prankster
How a Gypsy jazz guitarist came to play George Harrison’s iconic Beatles guitars on a new tribute album
Recorded in Harrison’s home studio using his most famous instruments, Robin Nolan’s Gypsy jazz covers reimagine the quiet Beatle’s best moments – and finally completes Harrison’s ‘lost’ song…
How Gibson brought relic’d finishes to its iconic acoustic guitars with the Murphy Lab
Senior product development manager, Robi Johns, tells us why playing Gibson’s new Heavy Aged Acoustic Collection is like stepping into a time machine
Scott Gorham on the future of Thin Lizzy – and how the late John Sykes gave them thunder when they needed it most
Gorham remembers John Sykes, the player who stepped in and stepped up, breathing new life into Thin Lizzy with the super hard rock sound of his Les Paul Custom
Mark Knopfler on the treasured Gibson he received as a gift from a rock hero – which became his studio go-to
Last year, Knopfler parted ways with 120 of his prized instruments for charity, including much of the Brothers in Arms gear
Mark Knopfler on why he doesn't consider himself a “guitar god” – and the ones in the industry who deserve that title
40 years after the release of the Dire Straits’ seminal album, Brothers in Arms, Knopfler reflects on that game-changing period and why he was always a reluctant rock star
