<![CDATA[ Latest from Guitar World in Country-music ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/tag/country-music Sun, 05 Apr 2026 13:15:00 +0000 en <![CDATA[ “I wasn't trying to make a retro album. I went through a Fractal”: Avenged Sevenfold’s Zachary Baker rides alone on Dark Horse – cooking up a country album with little more than a modeler and an Epiphone acoustic ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/zachary-baker-dark-horse 4PN4Rhp2Vi3Fwxxo8xDVMk Sun, 05 Apr 2026 13:15:00 +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[ “He exemplified how top instrumentalists can adapt to a remarkable range of styles and settings”: Steel guitarist Pete Finney – who performed with Vince Gill, Reba McEntire and the Monkees – dies aged 70 ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/steel-guitarist-pete-finney-dies-aged-70 H5HJ3XJBCd8fUjsQRV5P2C Tue, 17 Feb 2026 10:23:18 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Honoring a century of music, storytelling, and unforgettable moments on country’s most iconic stage”: Martin teams up with the Grand Ole Opry on a one-of-a-kind, limited-edition acoustic ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/acoustic-guitars/martin-grand-ole-opry-limited-edition-acoustic jrKB8nnQkBLDCbGdSSmfxh Thu, 12 Feb 2026 14:06:34 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I'm playing the same thing over and over for an hour, sweating and exhausted”: When Keith Urban and Dann Huff got heated over a guitar solo ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/keith-urban-and-dann-huff-on-their-biggest-guitar-solo-clash v8HCjnNBJaV6hyctUi8jkW Wed, 14 Jan 2026 10:48:22 +0000 Wed, 14 Jan 2026 16:58:55 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I bought this on Craigslist at a parking lot in Nashville. Some random guy met me in this weird van”: How Stephen Wilson Jr. bought his workhorse, ride-or-die nylon-string guitar ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/how-stephen-wilson-jr-bought-his-workhorse-guitar 7GWoLJzkkoUrTxC4ithFTj Mon, 05 Jan 2026 15:00:09 +0000 <![CDATA[ “If all you want to do is sound like Stevie Ray Vaughan, you’re screwed. There was only one of him and he did it better than anyone else”: What Guthrie Trapp learned while escaping the country player label – and how the fretboard can change your life ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/the-guitar-styles-of-guthrie-trapp VCirstrhJutXMymwRFg4TR Mon, 24 Nov 2025 11:37:04 +0000 Tue, 25 Nov 2025 10:41:42 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He’s been wonderful, and this is an incredible gift”: Brad Paisley gifted his new favorite guitarist a prized Telecaster – and left a hidden message under the pickguard ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/brad-paisleys-new-favorite-guitar-player dMsHve4eMQ3DMnwDd75mXh Mon, 06 Oct 2025 14:30:16 +0000 Thu, 16 Oct 2025 15:09:43 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I was hitting sessions until my eyeballs were popping out. I’d go in early in the morning, start at 10 and get home midnight”: Session hero Brent Mason has played on over a thousand records. Here’s what he’s learned about getting the job done ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/brent-mason-on-what-he-learned-from-his-session-career rpv6dSFjGer44tNA3WP2Xd Tue, 23 Sep 2025 12:02:12 +0000 Tue, 14 Oct 2025 12:04:33 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He has this really old black acoustic that everybody has signed. It’s got Johnny Cash’s name scratched into it, and he had me sign it”: How a rite of passage led Margo Price to etching her signature onto a guitar next to a country legend’s ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/how-a-rite-of-passage-led-margo-price-to-etch-her-signature-next-to-a-country-legends frfQzyHz7U9dGNGYwvuy5 Wed, 20 Aug 2025 15:27:21 +0000 Wed, 27 Aug 2025 16:01:24 +0000 <![CDATA[ “‘If you’re serious, here are some things you should be working on.’ One of those was the Nashville Number System”: One of Nashville’s first-call session players on the transcription hack that helped him go from server to working with Post Malone ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/derek-wells-on-the-nashville-number-system BTHYs2UdHLTuazwuwkNNU3 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 15:24:47 +0000 Tue, 01 Jul 2025 08:50:18 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Keith didn't want anything to do with it. He hated my records”: Dann Huff and Keith Urban got off to a rocky start – but they went on to create a string of number 1 singles together ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/dan-huff-on-producing-keith-urban weeSgebPLAVwh8moWHwUEn Fri, 20 Jun 2025 08:45:00 +0000 Mon, 23 Jun 2025 10:35:46 +0000 <![CDATA[ “The last time I saw one for sale on Ebay, somebody wanted $300 for it”: Session ace Justin Ostrander on the sought-after pill bottle slide used by Duane Allman and Derek Trucks – and how he got one for free ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/justin-ostrander-on-the-pill-bottle-slide-used-by-duane-allman-and-derek-trucks W99pVnj4uSBX78Ger8gn38 Wed, 18 Jun 2025 15:44:56 +0000 Mon, 23 Jun 2025 10:19:42 +0000 <![CDATA[ “His prized possession was a 1972 D-35 that he played for all those years. Shortly before he passed away, he gave it to me”: Rockie Lynne was abandoned as an infant – years later, his birth father left him his most important legacy ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/rockie-lynnes-1972-martin-d-35 9D4YybLSh9WEELZsucgovn Tue, 13 May 2025 11:01:01 +0000 Wed, 21 May 2025 10:01:25 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It’s unreal that my own name is one of the coolest finishes I think Fender has ever done”: Fender teams up with country superstar Brad Paisley on a signature Telecaster that brings back a cult classic finish from the 1960s ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/electric-guitars/fender-brad-paisley-signature-telecaster-brings-back-a-cult-classic-finish-from-the-1960s 8FMDHcAnM6dgy45RXc5orC Tue, 06 May 2025 16:43:10 +0000 Tue, 13 May 2025 14:12:45 +0000 <![CDATA[ “The best guitar player I ever heard”: Nashville guitar extraordinaire Mac Gayden – who worked with Bob Dylan, Elvis, Linda Ronstadt and Simon & Garfunkel – dies at 83 ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/mac-gayden-who-worked-with-elvis-bob-dylan-linda-ronstadt-and-simon-and-garfunkel-dies-at-83 wzAzcr7SdwTbFBk2mVCEsc Thu, 24 Apr 2025 13:10:56 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I didn’t even know what we would play. He would just be like, ‘Honey, we’re in G.’ And I’d be like, ‘Okay, here we go’”: When she was just a teenager, Lindsay Ell was playing blues with Buddy Guy – and being mentored by Randy Bachman ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/lindsay-ell-looks-back-on-cutting-her-teeth- yanXKzMtaFvYoQxNEQuK7P Mon, 24 Mar 2025 17:05:50 +0000 Tue, 01 Apr 2025 14:52:13 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Dick Boak called him and said Martin wanted to do a signature guitar for him. He paused and said, ‘I’ve been waiting for this phone call my whole life’”: The emotional moment Johnny Cash was offered his one-of-a-kind signature acoustic ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/the-emotional-moment-johnny-cash-was-offered-his-unique-signature-martin-acoustic fgaeE9zDGCZpY7THJNwhfE Fri, 13 Dec 2024 12:57:11 +0000 Wed, 18 Dec 2024 16:44:42 +0000 <![CDATA[ “When she asked me if I would come be her lead guitar player, I just was like, ‘Um, how can I say no to Shania?’” Lindsay Ell on the “pinch-me moment” when she became Shania Twain's lead guitarist ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/lindsay-ell-on-the-pinch-me-moment-of-becoming-shania-twain-lead-guitarist 9dCrHkfyCNAsLSfLXRsezh Fri, 06 Dec 2024 13:04:17 +0000 Mon, 24 Mar 2025 16:33:43 +0000 <![CDATA[ “This album has been thousands of years in the making”: 80-year-old blues guitarist and singer-songwriter wins Australia's top music prize – beating Nick Cave and Amyl and the Sniffers ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/80-year-old-blues-guitarist-kankawa-nagarra-wins-australia-top-music-prize xhxa2vAbyRNSQwGByL7R98 Wed, 04 Dec 2024 13:49:34 +0000 Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:02:13 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Bob Dylan asked me almost every day: ‘Hey, when are you going to sell me that ’64 Jazzmaster?’” Jason & the Scorchers’ Warner E. Hodges toured with Dylan, borrowed the Ramones’ gear – and played a Tele that survived a tractor ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/warner-e-hodges-jason-and-the-scorchers-bob-dylan 32uCGy6idUrthCWd2ZGgrP Thu, 24 Oct 2024 14:12:23 +0000 <![CDATA[ “You can look at Nashville pre-Kris and post-Kris, because he changed everything”: Kris Kristofferson dies aged 88 ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/kris-kristofferson-dies-aged-88 8iQUggXNNUPqUY6PafHTYf Mon, 30 Sep 2024 10:43:25 +0000 Thu, 17 Oct 2024 14:27:32 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Paul was like, 'Good God, what are you asking for?' I'm like, 'I'm just asking for a little struggle!'” Keith Urban is working with PRS on a new Tele-style guitar – and he wants to break the company's rules ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/keith-urban-prs-tele-style-model 5YJxDt8ujioUpDhjhhg4wV Wed, 18 Sep 2024 11:30:48 +0000 Wed, 02 Oct 2024 15:19:07 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He continued to perform around the world throughout his career, carrying the torch for the Cash music legacy”: Tommy Cash, country artist and Johnny Cash's younger brother, dies at 84 ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/tommy-cash-dies-at-84 WnWZVa72QG5e9zh3hkVg5H Mon, 16 Sep 2024 13:45:12 +0000 Fri, 20 Sep 2024 15:57:51 +0000 <![CDATA[ The “train beat” is a staple of country and blues music – and learning to play over it will hone your hybrid picking and timing ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/lessons/how-to-play-over-a-country-train-beat j6Dmgs2WJa6kVYUP226syM Mon, 09 Sep 2024 10:29:39 +0000 Fri, 21 Mar 2025 15:18:46 +0000 <![CDATA[ “People are responding because of the realness and vulnerability, instead of that persona of a drunk rockstar”: Koe Wetzel abandoned his party animal image to show who he really is on 9 Lives, and found a new reason to play his beat-up Gibson J-200 ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/koe-wetzel-9-lives-mental-health Bw8xeNgf3c4vTjDMFpVhaB Wed, 04 Sep 2024 10:54:18 +0000 Wed, 09 Oct 2024 10:35:55 +0000 <![CDATA[ “How did my life end up here, chatting to Alanis and seeing Joan Jett watching my whole set? That’s crazy!” Morgan Wade on famous fans, oversized Gibson acoustics and why country is just “four chords and the truth” ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/morgan-wade-obsessed ybPBcSr2DUk62bmU2asF5N Fri, 30 Aug 2024 08:44:59 +0000 Fri, 30 Aug 2024 08:50:16 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Dolly just sat there and listened very sweetly. I asked the producer, ‘Is there anything special you want from me? He said, ‘I want you to do what Skunk does’”: Jeff “Skunk” Baxter recalls recording guitar on Dolly Parton mega-hit 9 to 5 ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/jeff-skunk-baxter-recalls-recording-guitar-on-dolly-parton-9-to-5 FFupPexLV9tWa2CfvsEJai Wed, 28 Aug 2024 14:40:33 +0000 Wed, 11 Sep 2024 08:36:20 +0000 <![CDATA[ “John said to me, ‘When you hear a solo, you can tell how well that guy knows that guitar.’ I went, ‘He's so true’”: Keith Urban and John Mayer agree – having fewer guitars can make you a better guitar player ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/keith-urban-on-the-valuable-lesson-he-learned-from-john-mayer vttj7tQryp4CV3MQyZQ6hA Mon, 26 Aug 2024 09:12:00 +0000 Wed, 11 Sep 2024 08:35:53 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I felt like I was cheating on my guitars that were on life support in the hospital, and I'm looking at dating sites”: Keith Urban reflects on rebuilding his entire guitar collection after Nashville's devastating 2010 flood ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/keith-urban-on-rebuilding-his-guitar-collection-after-the-2010-nashville-flood zZHKaJqVLyPdga2wUufbC7 Wed, 21 Aug 2024 15:08:59 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It was around midnight when I got there… I was blown away when I heard what he had started making”: Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga team up with Pearl Jam producer Andrew Watt on unexpected new country-inspired single ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/bruno-mars-lady-gaga-andrew-watt-team-up-on-new-single mSsL8ibnPTX7VMvfNh5g6X Mon, 19 Aug 2024 12:32:52 +0000 Mon, 03 Feb 2025 11:53:50 +0000 <![CDATA[ “People often laugh, telling me I’ve chosen to play the biggest guitars possible”: Morgan Wade explains her love of oversized acoustics and why they're great for country music ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/country-star-morgan-wade-on-why-she-prefers-oversized-acoustics tZKfijBFKwb9NaR5GzxbBW Thu, 01 Aug 2024 10:41:06 +0000 Tue, 13 Aug 2024 08:49:20 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It was a half-hearted effort. I knew he would clock it”: Foo Fighters' Chris Shiflett once tried (and failed) to trick Joe Bonamassa into believing he had bought a genuine '59 Les Paul Burst ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/foo-fighters-chris-shiflett-attempts-to-trick-joe-bonamassa xyUAW3qNXbWPPd9yH3Hv4J Wed, 03 Jul 2024 16:30:20 +0000 Tue, 16 Jul 2024 09:45:55 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It’s my love letter to that rhinestone-y and flashy era of country”: Gretsch unmasks a new signature guitar in collaboration with alt-country star Orville Peck ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/gretsch-orville-peck-falcon ouCdHrsr9tyLTkUoLu4JKR Wed, 22 May 2024 15:21:36 +0000 Fri, 20 Sep 2024 15:24:12 +0000 <![CDATA[ “As soon as I heard the demo, I knew it would be crucial to add rock elements”: Justus West reveals how he sneaked Tosin Abasi and Plini onto the new Beyoncé album (sort of) ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/justus-west-beyonce-cowboy-carter-gear sh6yEQ3aCmCuLmRuCh4jHT Thu, 16 May 2024 16:00:25 +0000 Mon, 21 Oct 2024 15:53:04 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Searing hotness that will cut through any mix”: Seymour Duncan promises country tone without the hum with new noiseless Hot Chicken Strat and Tele pickups ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/seymour-duncan-country-hot-chicken-pickups NnYMG32YUZ2AzECPpGq5kb Wed, 15 May 2024 09:40:03 +0000 Fri, 20 Sep 2024 15:52:52 +0000 <![CDATA[ “If it makes it more accessible and achievable for girls to chase their dreams, then it’s a win in my book”: Gibson’s Miranda Lambert Bluebird was its best-selling signature acoustic of the past year. Now there’s a much more affordable Epiphone model ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/miranda-lambert-epiphone-bluebird XYvDUZAa7Go7XwFvSMe28F Tue, 07 May 2024 12:01:43 +0000 Tue, 07 May 2024 12:03:11 +0000 <![CDATA[ Zac Brown Band's guitarists on being each other's favorite players and why having a singular leader keeps them together ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/the-zac-brown-bands-guitarists-on-being-each-others-favorite-players-and-why-having-a-singular-leader-keeps-them-together qHpBKYAaLQ9mxfJbKrhW9f Tue, 17 Dec 2019 16:15:55 +0000 Mon, 06 Jan 2020 14:39:11 +0000