Latest articles by Henry Yates
Fender vs Everyone: what you need to know as the world’s largest guitar firm takes on, er... the world
Fret Buzz Retail giant Thomann is taking legal action, guitarists are exploding on both sides of the debate, and Stratocaster has become a dirty word. How on Earth did we get here?
He played bass with Robert Plant, gave Tony Iommi his sound and created an iconic British amp brand – the life and times of Lyndon Laney
The loved and respected founder of the Midlands amp company was behind the seismic sound of Black Sabbath and countless more
YouTubers, sloppy solos, Paco de Lucía’s darkest tour secrets... In conversation with US jazz giants Al Di Meola and Julian Lage
When the two jazz giants joined the same interview, no topic was off the table
The life and times of Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell
Motörhead’s longest-serving guitarist was the perfect fit for a band whose bludgeoning sound and appetite for excess eclipsed all others
Behind the scenes of the Peter Frampton documentary
How Frampton documentary director Rob Arthur helped the iconic guitarist come alive on the big screen
“I don’t know if I got better or worse”: Jazz legend Bill Frisell reflects on his guitar journey at 75
Veteran jazz man Bill Frisell toasts his 75th birthday with a stellar lineup and questing new album, and the hope that maybe he's getting better...
Richie Kotzen and Adrian Smith on absurd volume, improv and how long a solo should be
We meet Smith and Kotzen pre-show to talk gear, their new album Black Light/White Noise, and find a pair whose chemistry makes this a hard-rock project with legs
Mark Collins on triumph, tragedy, and the long-awaited return of the Charlatans
Collins explains why the Britrock survivors still believe in albums and real amps moving air, and discusses their return to the formative Rockfield Studios after three decades
The making of the Smiths’ 1986 classic The Queen Is Dead
It was a square peg amid the shred scene and almost sank Johnny Marr, but the Smiths’ majestic third album ended up as the jewel in their crown
Meet High Fade, the Scottish funk-punk heroes we need right now
They’ve terrorized Nashville – now the Scottish funk-rockers are taking second album Twice As Nice to the streets. Guitarist Harry Valentino tells us of a riotous studio experience
The life and times of Mike Vernon, the British blues legend who got Eric Clapton his Bluesbreakers tone
The producer of vintage Fleetwood Mac and Bluesbreakers was one of British blues’ towering figures
The life and times of John P. Hammond, the blues genius who inspired Bonnie Raitt and countless others
The New Yorker will be remembered as a master of acoustic barrelhouse and an interpreter of Delta blues who performed like a man possessed
The life and times of Ralph Towner, the endlessly curious frontiersman of acoustic jazz
Taking influence from Indian classical, Brazilian bossa nova and beyond, this late jazz master’s touch and vision equalled anyone on the fusion scene
The life and times of B.B. King
To celebrate the King of the Blues' centenary, we rewind the reels of a life story that’s equal parts pain and redemption…
Ziggy Marley on what he learned from his dad, why the guitar can be a weapon, and how music can still change the world
Returning with a powerful new album, the Grammy-winning bandleader reflects on fighting racism through music, his father’s “dangerous” licks, and the “higher vibrations” of recording at 432Hz
The story of the Prince’s underrated 1986 classic – and the lip-smacking hit single that scared his record label
Parade is the Prince and the Revolution album that time forgot. But it’s time for a reappraisal...
The unsung 1986 album that inspired the ’90s Britpop boom
The big-name fans. The studio where the Smiths tracked The Queen Is Dead. The bird that got caught in the control room. This is the story of the Chameleons’ Stranger Times
Bobby Rush salutes his old friend B.B. King
In his own words, Rush reflects on the brilliance of B.B. and what he learned from the King of the Blues
Alt-rock icon Kim Gordon on the secret to making great music on bad guitars and why she never saw herself as a bassist
Returning with solo album Play Me – a stinging broadside against the modern age – the alt-rock talisman remembers the bad guitars and renegade tunings of her ’80s breakout with Sonic Youth
Ziggy Marley on the whereabouts of Bob Marley’s iconic Les Paul Special – and why he prefers a Strat now
Marley Senior’s legendary Les Paul was his prime stage and studio guitar
Jimmie Vaughan was a garbage man listening to B.B. King. Then he wound up touring with his hero
He once snuck into a B.B. King show aged 13. Now Jimmie Vaughan is part of Joe Bonamassa's all-star tribute to the King of the Blues – he explains how he approached tackling his hero's licks and what he learned from the master
Warren Haynes remembers B.B. King – from being in awe to playing with him
Haynes was one of the many guitar greats whose lives have been changed by B.B. King, and thanks to Joe Bonamassa, he got to pay tribute to him on the song he would have chosen himself
Francis Rossi on the Status Quo groove, Kempers, and his relationship with the late Rick Parfitt
The Quo’s motormouthed frontman had no intention of releasing a new solo album. But with The Accidental, Francis Rossi tells us he’s stumbled across his best work yet
Jason Isbell on the acoustic that was eons in the making and how a stolen guitar brought him into the Martin lineup
Country star Jason Isbell has played Martins ever since he was bailed out by the company after his van was looted… And now he presents new signature models based on his rare pre-war 0-17
Noodling alone at home is fine. But you’ll never be a great guitar player unless you join a band
Leaving the bedroom for the rehearsal room exposed my flaws and smashed my confidence. But if you can stick with it, you’ll have the best laugh of your life and supercharge your playing
