Latest articles by Naomi Baker
The moment that Andrew Watt dived into production – after starting out his career as a recording musician
From shredder to super producer, Watts looks back on the car-crash that forced him into production
Chris Stapleton shows Josh Brolin the trashed '50s Gibson he bought for just $380 – and that became his songwriting workhorse
Stapleton has given the Hollywood star a guided tour of his glittering collection – and his favorite might surprise you
Martin Barre explains how Leslie West influenced his most iconic solo on Jethro Tull’s Aqualung
The Jethro Tull legend says his meeting with the Mountain man left an indelible mark on him as a player
Scott Gorham doesn’t rule out a future for Thin Lizzy – but he’s biding his time to find the perfect guitar foil
Lizzy’s most faithful guitarist, Scott Gorham, has left the door open for a potential return of the iconic band – but only under the right circumstances
Pat Travers owned three Gibsons by the age of 16 – his luck would not last
The Canadian rocker explains how he went through three Gibson builds in two short years
Joe Bonamassa reveals his go-to rig for guest-spots – and the amp he uses when he doesn’t want to cart out his Dumbles
The blues rock gear guru explains his bare bones gear choices for run ’n’ gun live sit-ins - and which amps complement different venues.
Alex Lifeson is one of the greatest players of his time – but he says he’s often lacked faith in his skills
The Canadian virtuoso went through a period of guitar dormancy when Rush ended – now he says he feels reborn as a player
Rockabilly rover Mick Rogers on playing with Frank Zappa, touring with Kiss, and rootsy jams with Jeff Beck
The veteran rocker recalls how Frank Zappa helped him get his first Les Paul – and also got him kicked out of Manfred Mann’s Earth Band – and discusses his recordings with Jeff Beck, which Rogers says were the last the late virtuoso ever made
Mick Rogers may be in possession of Jeff Beck's last-ever studio recording
Mark Knopfler’s charity single Going Home, released in March 2024, was widely thought to be Beck’s final recording, but Rogers says he has an unreleased studio track that may very well take that crown
Mick Rogers recalls Kiss supporting Manfred Mann's Earth Band in their early days
Kiss opened for Manfred Mann's Earth Band back in 1974, hot on the heels of their self-titled debut album
When Midge Ure joined Thin Lizzy on a make-or-break US tour, he had just one day’s notice and no rehearsals
The Live Aid orchestrator and Ultravox synth-pop pioneer looks back at his trial by fire with Thin Lizzy, swapping out his Yamaha electric because it wasn’t cool enough, refusing to join the Sex Pistols, and how The Edge might have changed Band Aid’s charity single
Thin Lizzy guitarist and Live Aid mastermind Midge Ure was asked to join the Sex Pistols – but he didn’t think twice about turning them down
Ure claims he was scouted for his look by Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren and his punk co-conspirator (and later, the Clash manager) Bernard Rhodes
Jim Suhler was married by Billy Gibbons, failed to pay Joe Bonamassa and met Stevie Ray Vaughan
Best known as George Thorogood’s right-hand man, the Texan slide demon has racked up plenty of adventures with his Monkey Beat trio
Jim Suhler on the time Joe Bonamassa played on one of his tracks – and delivered a searing solo while sick
Suhler met Bonamassa back in 2001, when the then-rising star was supporting George Thorogood, and has stayed in touch with him ever since
Jim Suhler on the first time he met SRV – and the profound advice he received
Suhler crossed paths with the blues great entirely by chance when he visited the family’s jewelry shop in 1989
Why Jason & the Scorchers’ Warner E. Hodges refused to sell his ’64 Jazzmaster to Bob Dylan
The cowpunk pioneer on the many guitar casualties of his slinging and spinning on stage, why switching from Fender to Gibson was “like learning another language”, touring with the Ramones and R.E.M. and making a Dylan song their own
