<![CDATA[ Latest from Guitar World in Blues ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/tag/blues Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:17:57 +0000 en <![CDATA[ “The power went out, then this horrible rainstorm came. I got the chills. I said, ‘Dude, I think Gary Moore’s here’”: The supernatural experience Jared James Nichols had when he played through Gary Moore’s old amp ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/jared-james-nichols-supernatural-experience--playing-gary-moore-amp d72r67o4c5dJ8CQagPgjX3 Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:17:57 +0000 <![CDATA[ Dare you join us at the crossroads? Welcome to the acoustic blues masterclass ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/lessons/techniques/acoustic-blues-masterclass Z8zkXvYZh5SGtwFvxMxwTc Wed, 29 Apr 2026 11:52:33 +0000 Wed, 29 Apr 2026 11:54:10 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Nobody had ever made that kind of noise on record before”: The life and times of Mike Vernon, the British blues legend who got Eric Clapton his Bluesbreakers tone ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/mike-vernon-obituary 7gYpxPJBec8kffu84FfxW6 Wed, 29 Apr 2026 09:49:24 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Not only was John a virtuoso on guitar, harp, singing and choosing songs, to me it felt like he was totally possessed by the blues”: The life and times of John P. Hammond, the blues genius who inspired Bonnie Raitt and countless others ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/the-life-and-times-of-john-p-hammond 8Q7EYLjUvR2eaUE9BroNd Sun, 26 Apr 2026 05:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “My dad said, ‘Take a seat – a band is coming in to make a record.’ I spotted a guitar case entering through the side door… carried by none other than B.B. King”: Billy Gibbons on how B.B. King changed his life ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/zz-top-billy-gibbons-on-bb-king EZQbSKQb2zHqByP9BWuaX3 Fri, 24 Apr 2026 10:00:36 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I’m deeply uncomfortable with the amount of old men here. I’m no longer interested in playing blues or whatever the hell keeps attracting y’all”: Grace Bowers has quit YouTube over the number of “old ass creeps” ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/grace-bowers-quits-youtube EPH6D4qweqAouzXhsYFyRH Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:54:42 +0000 Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:57:03 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I love it and it’s my friend forever. If I had to, I’d f**k it”: Keith Richards on his enduring love affair with the guitar, the effects of arthritis on his playing, and why he’s still learning the instrument at 82 ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/keith-richards-rolling-stones-2026-interview LzkZfQ79FhecZpKSKQbLjX Tue, 21 Apr 2026 11:15:54 +0000 Wed, 22 Apr 2026 15:19:54 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Sometimes you’ve gotta use popsicle sticks and put it on some low-budget scaffolding to get it to work”: Joe Bonamassa on how best to set up P-90s – and what sets them apart from humbuckers ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/guitar-pickups/joe-bonamassa-on-the-difference-between-humbuckers-and-p-90s toMzb5aWEGpapv5G8g3iyL Fri, 17 Apr 2026 16:19:21 +0000 <![CDATA[ “For King, there was nothing particularly special about the show… It would go on to rank among the best live albums of all time”: The life and times of B.B. King ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/bb-king-the-life-and-times-of-the-king-of-the-blues 5iCSv3fNDxKHAVvsvSuqaa Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:34:16 +0000 Wed, 22 Apr 2026 09:20:04 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Jeff Beck arranged delivery with Marshall’s first factory arrival into the States, loading ZZ Top’s stage with stacks”: Billy Gibbons tells the tale of how an accident with a knife –and a British guitar great – set them up to conquer the ’80s ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/zz-top-billy-gibbons-el-loco dcrgS3zKNS5c7oFRpwqrdY Mon, 13 Apr 2026 11:37:06 +0000 Mon, 13 Apr 2026 11:37:17 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I’ve never been a real hot player, and a lot of kids are hot players. I’m slow because I walk slow, talk slow, sing slow”: B.B. King in his own words – the blues’ greatest guitarist on heroes, influences and his philosophy ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/bb-king-in-his-own-words 3nH9k9LCbZephjAXZYvkZC Fri, 10 Apr 2026 09:24:45 +0000 <![CDATA[ “A friend of mine called me up and said, ‘I’ve got a couple of guitars you might be interested in…’” Joe Bonamassa’s storied Lazarus Les Paul, which was once brought back from the dead, has been bought by a pop-punk guitar hero ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/joe-bonamassa-lazarus-les-paul-new-owner y9GfzyVVRPNhamGph28fiN Thu, 09 Apr 2026 11:15:07 +0000 Thu, 09 Apr 2026 11:15:38 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Ithought, ‘Is the guitar in open G tuning?’ But I soon discovered it wasn’t a standard guitar at all”: Charlie Starr on the magic of the B-Bender – and 5 bender-inspired licks you can play on any electric ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/lessons/artist-lessons/charlie-starr-b-bender-style-licks AsVhbiFUEzdSAMYGgYrJNJ Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:15:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Automatically you go into blues when you do that”: Big Country's golden guitar rule that steered them clear of the blues ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bands/big-countrys-golden-guitar-rule-that-steered-them-clear-of-blues JUrCKS6txDrkox83mVdANi Mon, 06 Apr 2026 17:40:45 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I am 10 times the player when I hold a guitar pick the ‘wrong’ way”: A blues guitar hero showed me how he held his pick – and it changed the way I played guitar ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/lessons/tips-advice/how-holding-a-guitar-pick-differently-changed-my-playing AQw8hpU7ad2PZVr9qiiCvM Sun, 05 Apr 2026 07:10:00 +0000 Mon, 06 Apr 2026 20:59:54 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It was a lot of trial and error with Dave – a lot of just trying to find out what worked, fine-tune it and then do it again”: Jimmie Vaughan on the Fabulous Thunderbirds’ Top 40 hit that got Al Bundy – and Hollywood’s – seal of approval ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/jimmie-vaughan-fabulous-thunderbirds-tuff-enuff rBhwWcmqakXiNkpy5AquyF Sat, 04 Apr 2026 06:00:00 +0000 Tue, 07 Apr 2026 13:19:28 +0000 <![CDATA[ “We continued being friends for 69 years. I don’t think there’s nobody living today that knew him as long as I did”: Bobby Rush salutes his old friend B.B. King ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/bobby-rush-salutes-his-old-friend-b-b-king Sq3Ch2W3wt9ck5Cg3NWdvh Sat, 04 Apr 2026 06:00:00 +0000 Mon, 06 Apr 2026 20:59:54 +0000 <![CDATA[ Philip Sayce: The 5 techniques that define my sound ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/lessons/artist-lessons/philip-sayce-the-5-techniques-that-define-my-sound dCRXRboB9JsuBk4XxE6nQG Fri, 03 Apr 2026 15:10:00 +0000 Tue, 07 Apr 2026 10:54:32 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I can't walk away, so I've come back to do the thing I know how to do best, which is play”: Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival announces 2026 lineup ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/concerts-gigs-tours/2026-eric-clapton-crossroads-festival-announced SuYnntMvQBPMB9uCMmtp4N Mon, 30 Mar 2026 18:07:13 +0000 Tue, 31 Mar 2026 09:32:17 +0000 <![CDATA[ “When we did the tribute to my brother, we had B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy. And just to watch B.B. playing close up was amazing”: Jimmie Vaughan was a garbage man listening to B.B. King. Then he wound up touring with his hero ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/jimmy-vaughan-bb-king-watch-yourself u2wxeiBHpnon6w5Yk5hELJ Fri, 27 Mar 2026 12:20:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “The promoter was panicking and asked me to headline. I didn't have a band with me. And I didn't have any solo material prepared”: Paul Gilbert’s completely unplanned Jimi Hendrix tribute set for first-ever digital release ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/music-releases/paul-gilbert-unplanned-jimi-hendrix-tribute-rerelease 7muy9UkTFQW2JKTh9QfgNo Thu, 26 Mar 2026 17:11:44 +0000 <![CDATA[ “There are many approaches Slash could have taken for his solo – I thought it was cool he did his own thing”: How Joe Bonamassa and Slash channeled B.B. King and the Edge for an iconic cover of an iconic tune ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/lessons/artist-lessons/joe-bonamassa-u2-bb-king-when-love-comes-to-town 9Kj4kuitSZ2ef5fj58Kqx6 Wed, 25 Mar 2026 16:10:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Fender execs were miffed that the brand was being represented by such a worn-out Strat. They gave Rory a new one to replace the ’61. It saw little use”: The story of Rory Gallagher’s ’61 Stratocaster, one of the most iconic guitars of all time ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/electric-guitars/rory-gallaghers-guitars-excerpt-sunburst-strat TVMbxr2c4s3pyku3dPZwp7 Sat, 21 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I’d never met B.B. and thought he’d look at me like, ‘Who the hell are you?’ So I just froze”: Warren Haynes remembers B.B. King – from being in awe to playing with him ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/warren-haynes-bb-king-tribute FfJFHi7LdizodhQFav9Fz4 Fri, 20 Mar 2026 12:21:08 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It’s about building intensity… think of Jeff Beck shifting to Billy Gibbons!” How to solo over one-chord blues ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/lessons/techniques/how-to-solo-over-one-chord-blues HMhNkmSmCHzSbM9qmJdK6P Thu, 19 Mar 2026 12:15:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It’s not the kind of music I want to make anymore”: Grace Bowers explains why she doesn’t want to be known as a blues guitarist ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/grace-bowers-explains-why-she-doesnt-want-to-be-known-as-a-blues-guitarist 5NzDWnfiD45Co28sYt2Xta Wed, 18 Mar 2026 17:01:13 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Legend has it that, while recording, Clarence said, ‘Hey, I need another finger to play this chord!’” Charlie Starr on the origins of the B-Bender – and how you can play those licks without one ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/lessons/artist-lessons/charlie-starr-b-bender-licks-on-regular-guitar EDbrqiD9SZ73SCjWceh7Yo Tue, 17 Mar 2026 16:10:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “When I was seven years old, my dad put a guitar in my arms – it became everything to me”: Miles Caton, Buddy Guy and Brittany Howard lead all-star Sinners performance at the Oscars – as composer Ludwig Göransson pays tribute to the guitar ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/sinners-oscars-performance-2026 4TCMCDoYBK33tDeEZWmJbj Mon, 16 Mar 2026 13:07:17 +0000 Mon, 16 Mar 2026 15:27:35 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Why an SG? Perhaps he was fed up that his two Les Paul ’Bursts had been stolen”: The history and preservation of Eric Clapton’s The Fool SG ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/electric-guitars/eric-clapton-the-fool-gibson-sg-jim-irsay-collection 6jB9RLX6sFp8FS9WDL8Jd5 Thu, 12 Mar 2026 12:55:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Every lick he plays sounds perfect, like it’s etched in stone. But I’m sure that he simply improvised everything”: How to play B.B. King’s greatest song (with some help from Joe Bonamassa) ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/lessons/artist-lessons/how-to-play-bb-king-the-thrill-is-gone 3Hu4UNawX5TboubUFqkYZ7 Tue, 10 Mar 2026 11:35:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Joe said, ‘Check this out.’ It just so happened to be a quarter-of-a-million-dollar guitar that got the job done”: How Eric Gales enlisted Buddy Guy, Kingfish, Joe Bonamassa (and his guitar collection) to pay tribute to his brother ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/eric-gales-a-tribute-to-ljk-interview 5FUtbkwURjz2HksSLmDaQk Mon, 09 Mar 2026 11:48:51 +0000 Mon, 09 Mar 2026 11:50:57 +0000 <![CDATA[ Bopping blues and greasy grooves: Ally Venable's rhythm guitar tips and secrets ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/lessons/artist-lessons/ally-venable-blues-rhythm-guitar-tips RJ7woBzySJv9ZFYkuaB9pf Sun, 08 Mar 2026 20:00:00 +0000 Mon, 09 Mar 2026 09:47:03 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He was in a terrible factory accident that cut his fingers off at the knuckles”: Melissa Etheridge reveals the most important lesson she learned from her “scary” first guitar teacher ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/melissa-etheridge-most-important-lesson-from-first-guitar-teacher XysoKRJEX8NStGd6wM7bJc Sun, 08 Mar 2026 09:30:00 +0000 Mon, 09 Mar 2026 09:47:03 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I remember he had these massive hands… I said, ‘Mr King, my name is Joanne and I’m 13, and I think I’m going to be a blues guitarist’”: Joanne Shaw Taylor’s life-changing first meeting with the great B.B. King ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/joanne-shaw-taylor-life-changing-first-meeting-with-the-great-bb-king 3QS6SZ4u9XbzKQnoVq2Ddm Fri, 06 Mar 2026 11:15:00 +0000 Mon, 09 Mar 2026 09:47:03 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I was asked to sit in with Buddy Guy. John handed me his 1930s National and smiled while I struggled to get anything out of it”: Joe Bonamassa leads tributes for musical troubadour John Hammond, who has died aged 83 ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/john-hammond-joe-bonamassa-tribute QaSPKnRS8GmKtq5xRdmByg Thu, 05 Mar 2026 16:22:58 +0000 <![CDATA[ “There was a big snowstorm. The governor asked him to postpone the show. He wouldn’t do it. He goes, ‘I told them I’m going to be here and I’m here’”: Joe Bonamassa on his friendship with the ultimate bluesman, B.B. King – and paying the ultimate tribute ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/joe-bonamassa-bb-kings-blues-summit-100 5oFXrxe64TdyrW3af3j5GC Wed, 04 Mar 2026 12:21:04 +0000 Wed, 04 Mar 2026 12:23:28 +0000 <![CDATA[ “You never want to pull out cases and have no recollection of when, where or how you acquired it”: Joe Bonamassa is cutting back on his gear collecting habit ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/joe-bonamassa-is-slowing-down-his-gear-collecting-habit RznWYd5SCgCdyGsZwJhLyd Tue, 03 Mar 2026 14:55:08 +0000 <![CDATA[ Eric Clapton announces US tour – and he’s bringing another blues guitar hero on the road with him ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/concerts-gigs-tours/eric-clapton-us-tour-2026 nrpuSChY23WAkS2DSwThzP Tue, 03 Mar 2026 10:13:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “If you play blues right all the time, you’re wrong”: Buddy Guy and his Sinners co-star play Tiny Desk concert ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/buddy-guy-npr-tiny-desk BG4sPFr58FcV5PHpTCL3xD Fri, 27 Feb 2026 16:50:02 +0000 <![CDATA[ “People got stuck on an image of axe-wielding maniacs on drugs or if they would even speak to each other”: What really happened with Cream behind the scenes? Ginger Baker’s daughter reveals all ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bands/cream-chronicled-nettie-baker-interview 6MCzxU8nizTqC3dbcyAqse Fri, 27 Feb 2026 12:50:25 +0000 <![CDATA[ “A flamboyant guitar suited to a flamboyant performer”: T-Bone Walker’s Gibson ES-5N helped give rise to electric blues – and it’s been listed for $2 million ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/electric-guitars/t-bone-walkers-gibson-es-5n-listed-on-reverb 35t4v53UeCSkAN6HLFF2Mb Wed, 25 Feb 2026 16:28:26 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Very accomplished playing that isn’t widely discussed in blues circles”: What we can learn from Mike Oldfield about breaking free of the pentatonic box ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/lessons/mike-oldfield-inspired-blues 2dAeLhC6z7iHfTSibairpd Tue, 24 Feb 2026 11:20:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Those old players had nothing to hide behind. Just their hands, their feel and the truth coming through the speakers”: 5 modern blues guitar heroes on the impossible task of imitating the blues greats ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/modern-blues-players-on-the-impossible-task-of-recreating-tone-of-british-blues-legends GW5BEfiLu8SqwrV93nBTbK Sun, 22 Feb 2026 13:15:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Buddy had a stunt singer in the booth, so he could play his guitar solo live with us”: The late Michael Rhodes provided an unshakable foundation for Buddy Guy’s 2013 salute to his hometown ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/michael-rhodes-buddy-guy-meet-me-in-chicago RkSLydgBLs6JaDfoNsqptE Fri, 20 Feb 2026 12:20:00 +0000 Tue, 07 Apr 2026 10:55:26 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I had a poster on my wall of B.B. King playing Lucille. I always wanted one of those guitars”: Gary Clark Jr. comes full circle with a new signature Gibson ES-355 that pays homage to his hero ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/electric-guitars/gibson-custom-gary-clark-jr.-es-335 9uXc7iX8QjsFni9NgQ4NfH Wed, 18 Feb 2026 15:54:10 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I’ve had great luck doing the exact opposite of what the internet tells me”: Joe Bonamassa on the ‘unorthodox’ Marshall hack he nicked from Zakk Wylde ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/joe-bonamassas-zakk-wylde-amp-trick yb5oTorKw3SoZfJaGsdsVG Tue, 17 Feb 2026 13:10:43 +0000 <![CDATA[ “In the world of extended chords, this is as far as we can go”: Demystifying 13th chords, the voicing that Stevie Ray Vaughan used to stunning effect in Lenny ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/lessons/chords/13th-chords-demystified q52kvjdw4BEXXBUn3YCVWL Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:54:09 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Albert King took me aside. He said, ‘The biggest thing about music is you can’t play what people want you to play.’ My dad said that, too”: Bernard Allison grew up surrounded by blues legends – and hid the fact he was learning guitar for years ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/bernard-allison-interview-luther-allison-stevie-ray-vaughan FPVcRsyHkYFhDzFbP4XAZS Tue, 17 Feb 2026 10:32:30 +0000 <![CDATA[ “These performances present him at his very best – and they’re thrilling to hear”: Blues gold unearthed as rare Freddie King live performance surfaces after 50 years ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/freddie-king-feeling-alright-the-complete-nancy-jazz-pulsation-concerts-unearthed-restored-recording WMspykZmQN2iULvDFnKpbm Fri, 13 Feb 2026 15:37:57 +0000 <![CDATA[ “As soon as they started to jam, all three felt the magic. They instinctively knew they were on to something”: Their first single was so bad, the label pulled 10,000 copies. Yet they went on to be one of the most influential supergroups in music history ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bands/the-history-of-cream tHT2DxZbSz2QCFiyeMTLcM Fri, 13 Feb 2026 12:25:00 +0000