<![CDATA[ Latest from Guitar World in David-bowie ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/tag/david-bowie Fri, 22 May 2026 14:16:24 +0000 en <![CDATA[ “Mick came in with his Les Paul, plugged in to my amp and fiddled with the controls. All of a sudden there it was, the full Ziggy Stardust tone”: The post-Bowie career of Mick Ronson, rock ’n’ roll’s most quietly spoken guitar hero ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/the-post-bowie-career-of-mick-ronson Lb5PiS3fR2bktrsTEAPyzM Fri, 22 May 2026 14:16:24 +0000 Fri, 22 May 2026 14:18:32 +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[ “Mick was a star. It felt like replacing Keith Richards. I shat my pants”: Earl Slick on the fear he felt replacing David Bowie’s most iconic guitar player – and how Bowie calmed him down ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/earl-slick-replacing-mick-ronson-david-bowie 9cRjiqLsrGeqdAPweBSxvW Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:14:51 +0000 <![CDATA[ “No-one believed in us. The manager said, ‘You can only play for a few minutes.’ The entire audience jumped up on their tables”: The story of Fanny, one of the world’s first all-female rock bands ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bands/the-story-of-fanny emRce3jwrdm26r49xDKQYj Tue, 21 Apr 2026 11:27:21 +0000 Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:11:44 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It’s not a Bowie tribute, though it’s hard for people not to think of us as that, because look who we have”: How David Bowie's longest-serving guitarist became the hero in his own story ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/killerstar-earl-slick-the-afterglow P5eg9RobU5ep6cFsARFBRH Tue, 31 Mar 2026 19:25:14 +0000 Wed, 01 Apr 2026 08:37:22 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Opening the case, we find ourselves transported back in time some 54 years”: How Gibson made the ultimate tribute to David Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/electric-guitars/gibson-mark-ronson-1968-les-paul-custom 7PJeouLy2YBPo3K9BcvGZi Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:20:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Sometimes David had suggestions. If he wanted a specific thing, he'd ask for or try to explain it. Lenny's the opposite – he wants it to sound exactly like he did it!” How Gail Ann Dorsey honed her bass craft with David Bowie and Lenny Kravitz ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-gail-ann-dorsey-honed-her-craft-with-david-bowie-and-lenny-kravitz 6Cb2gYvVoddWB66RBhHUxG Sun, 08 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “We hope that this project advances the broader recognition he so richly deserves”: Gibson honors Mick Ronson with limited-edition recreation of his iconic David Bowie Les Paul ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/electric-guitars/gibson-mick-ronson-1968-les-paul-custom-collectors-edition RouZ2LRCktgtU2nPVQvxW7 Wed, 25 Feb 2026 12:17:57 +0000 <![CDATA[ “David shook my hand and said, ‘Here’s the song I want to do.’ It was Golden Years. I was auditioning during the making of the album”: Bassist George Murray’s six-year stint with David Bowie ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/george-murray-david-bowie-heroes HQ7xZh67RbfCHFfewG8TUJ Sun, 15 Feb 2026 14:15:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Jim Carrey stormed the stage mid-song to air guitar his right leg like a maniac”: From David Bowie going rogue to George Harrison x Paul Simon, EVH and SRV – the 50 greatest guitar moments in SNL history ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/top-50-snl-guitar-moments 74hqPhFYSyE35ewqdBsEUD Tue, 11 Nov 2025 12:53:19 +0000 Thu, 13 Nov 2025 15:13:19 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I was attracted to melodic bass players like Carol Kaye. Why should a rock bassist play dumb notes all the time?” How Tony Visconti rethought rock bass for David Bowie’s The Man Who Sold the World ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/tony-visconti-david-bowie-the-man-who-sold-the-world QiwuFJMzhxZmxfuiMpXABi Thu, 02 Oct 2025 15:09:47 +0000 Wed, 15 Oct 2025 16:08:03 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He walked into my bedroom, and he says, ‘Darling, I think this is a hit.’ And I went, ‘Cool man, let me hear it…’” How Nile Rodgers and David Bowie accidentally wrote Let’s Dance – with a 12-string that was missing 6 strings ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/how-nile-rodgers-and-david-bowie-accidentally-wrote-lets-dance uB6g3f6PUQGkKqHCSQ3i8F Tue, 16 Sep 2025 09:22:41 +0000 Wed, 24 Sep 2025 14:45:10 +0000 <![CDATA[ “David said, ‘Slicky, you don’t have Les Pauls anymore.’ I said, ‘I haven’t been playing them.’ He said, ‘You need to get a couple’”: The one time David Bowie ordered Earl Slick to swap his Fenders for Gibsons ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/earl-slick-david-bowie-guitar-request J4GMomp5EcB8rubjzGYvKg Mon, 08 Sep 2025 13:52:26 +0000 Wed, 17 Sep 2025 15:04:57 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Bowie heard we were thinking of packing it in. He wrote a letter saying, ‘I really love your band… would you consider doing this song?’” The life and times of Mick Ralphs, the innovative founding guitarist of Mott the Hoople and Bad Company ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/mick-ralphs-obituary ZXhHGJKQENBmpb6mRdyAHV Tue, 19 Aug 2025 09:05:05 +0000 Wed, 27 Aug 2025 15:58:28 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Steve Vai walked me through the process – he’s had it done twice. He introduced me to one of the best surgeons in the US”: Adrian Belew on his carpal tunnel fears and recovery, working with Vai and Frank Zappa, and his next musical adventure ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/adrian-belew-beat-live ibqr5QfDSRnu2SCGjBnRiF Tue, 12 Aug 2025 10:55:40 +0000 Tue, 19 Aug 2025 14:53:19 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I used a Gibson EB-3 through my time with David, trying to get the same bass sound Andy Fraser got with Free”: How the late, great Trevor Bolder applied melodic flair to anchor this irresistible 12/8 rocker from David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/trevor-bolder-david-bowie-spiders-from-mars SZy6ndVZQBw5jBZBvcQzBe Sat, 14 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Mon, 23 Jun 2025 09:55:20 +0000 <![CDATA[ “We got back to the hotel, and when we walked up to the desk, the guy said, ‘There’s a message from David Bowie’”: Fanny's June Millington recalls the band's first encounter with the Thin White Duke, who would become one of their biggest fans ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/fanny-june-millington-recalls-the-bands-first-encounter-with-david-bowie RUdVtQPRp4QZAG8Ksg6VhY Fri, 06 Jun 2025 12:02:39 +0000 Tue, 10 Jun 2025 14:58:19 +0000 <![CDATA[ "We wrote a song based on a riff I had. The idea was to be Mahavishnu Orchestra with vocals": After Deep Purple decided not to hire him after Ritchie Blackmore's departure, Clem Clempson almost formed a wild supergroup with Glenn Hughes and David Bowie ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/clem-clempson-on-his-deep-purple-audition NqMvysD8cK8a8FyZapjcpQ Fri, 16 May 2025 11:16:58 +0000 Wed, 21 May 2025 10:32:08 +0000 <![CDATA[ Kurt Cobain's 1989 Takamine expected to fetch up to $500,000 at auction – alongside guitars played by the likes of Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen, David Bowie, Joe Perry and Melissa Etheridge ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/guitars/kurt-cobains-1989-takamine-acoustic-at-auction kSErk5LWoPqd48NreEcQPQ Fri, 09 May 2025 12:08:02 +0000 Tue, 13 May 2025 14:31:10 +0000 <![CDATA[ “When I first heard his voice in my headphones, there was that moment of, ‘My God! I’m recording with David Bowie!’” Bassist Tim Lefebvre on the making of David Bowie's Lazarus ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/tim-lefebvre-david-bowie-blackstar CAJBaGZCmS6u5tCxMiZ89C Fri, 18 Apr 2025 09:27:00 +0000 Tue, 22 Apr 2025 14:41:15 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I nicked some cymbals, the bass player’s amp head and some microphones. I got Bowie’s microphone with his lipstick on it!” On July 3, 1973, David Bowie retired Ziggy Stardust – that same day, Steve Jones stole his equipment ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/sex-pistols-steve-jones-on-stealing-david-bowie-equipment ErKcSVXUHBkodJM8Rv23gJ Mon, 31 Mar 2025 15:17:36 +0000 Mon, 07 Apr 2025 15:23:20 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Ron played bass like John Entwistle – he was definitely into that kind of rhythmic gallop”: When Ron Asheton switched from guitar to bass, Iggy and the Stooges recorded their most influential record ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/ron-asheton-iggy-and-the-stooges eazYxCt2ABa4aoHjzRVurB Sat, 21 Dec 2024 10:31:00 +0000 Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:57:07 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I played and sang Suffragette City and everyone else was doing Foxy Lady – I was so drunk, I didn’t even know”: The Cure’s Robert Smith on his disastrous first show as a singer and guitarist... when he butchered a Jimi Hendrix classic ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/robert-smiths-disastrous-first-gig urWrth2cupxFzhBrx7Esnh Mon, 09 Dec 2024 16:20:10 +0000 Wed, 18 Dec 2024 16:10:06 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Herbie Flowers was supposed to do the date, but he couldn't make it. So Bowie said to me, ‘You'll have to play bass’”: Trevor Bolder speaks out on his storied history with David Bowie ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/trevor-bolder-speaks-out-on-his-history-with-david-bowie hU2UzfThbG45q6aBBGccf3 Sun, 03 Nov 2024 11:09:00 +0000 Fri, 06 Dec 2024 16:21:29 +0000 <![CDATA[ “James Brown kept saying, ‘We’re gonna take it to the bridge.’ Finally, he whipped around and said, ‘Hit me!’ Unfortunately, I did not hit him at all”: Carlos Alomar was fined by the Godfather of Soul, scolded by Chuck Berry – and adored by David Bowie ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/carlos-alomar-on-james-brown-chuck-berry-and-david-bowie-dam-trio Yd7ekec435eVT8kcwYUPMC Mon, 21 Oct 2024 12:01:54 +0000 Mon, 21 Oct 2024 14:29:36 +0000 <![CDATA[ “David Bowie asked me if I wanted to go out to dinner with John Lennon! I had a big ‘dilemma’ moment; I was hearing certain musical things in my head. I didn’t wanna go out and lose myself”: Carlos Alomar on making Fame, Heroes – and Bowie’s Berlin era ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/carlos-alomar-david-bowie-heroes-brian-eno dS4mW4J8gCMZdWFZQpxLGN Tue, 08 Oct 2024 12:28:58 +0000 Mon, 28 Oct 2024 17:20:23 +0000 <![CDATA[ “The Allman Brothers were unbelievable. When Duane came to the studio to play on Layla, I was so taken with him that I started ignoring my own band”: How the 1970s became the greatest decade for rock guitar ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/how-1970s-became-greatest-decade-for-rock-guitar 8ZXc4TAAu2hmyVwBgjn8mY Wed, 02 Oct 2024 16:50:55 +0000 Thu, 17 Oct 2024 11:45:56 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I told Lou Reed, ‘Can I get the double bass out of the car? Because this song is a bit jazzy’”: British bass legend Herbie Flowers, best known for his work with David Bowie and Paul McCartney, dies aged 86 ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/bass-legend-herbie-flowers-dies-aged-86 J2MwJXV38pPD8eeRqi4u4Z Mon, 09 Sep 2024 13:55:51 +0000 Tue, 24 Sep 2024 16:00:53 +0000 <![CDATA[ “When David Bowie and John Lennon came in, the whole place stopped. I stopped recording – and then it was just us”: Carlos Alomar recalls playing guitar on Fame with two rock icons – and why he turned down dinner with a Beatle ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/carlos-alomar-john-lennon-david-bowie-fame-recording-session igyXg8D5rhtN2gCVoLooWE Wed, 04 Sep 2024 15:47:08 +0000 Mon, 16 Sep 2024 08:21:57 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I knew I’d have to address that situation with Earl Slick and his Marshall stacks”: Carlos Alomar on how David Bowie financed one of the first-ever rack-mounted amplifiers ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/carlos-alomar-on-how-david-bowie-financed-one-of-the-first-rack-mounted-amplifiers hc8PVgkbhcCAzohZw9S8ea Sun, 25 Aug 2024 10:20:00 +0000 Wed, 11 Sep 2024 08:55:28 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He told me he was a fan the first time I met him in '97. And then I got the call from him a couple of years later”: Helmet’s Page Hamilton is one of heavy music’s most influential riffers – but he was once handpicked by David Bowie to be his guitarist ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/helmet-page-hamilton-on-being-david-bowie-guitarist c4zTg3ZXwqxzhYnhoF9ew4 Fri, 21 Jun 2024 11:19:23 +0000 Mon, 08 Jul 2024 11:15:06 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Bowie drove me down to the audition to meet Tommy… I saw this guy with green and purple hair”: Glenn Hughes recalls meeting Tommy Bolin at his tense Deep Purple audition ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/deep-purple-glenn-hughes-on-meeting-guitarist-tommy-bolin hPTnpY9yYWEXbE2ZcYXJwC Wed, 19 Jun 2024 12:12:28 +0000 Mon, 08 Jul 2024 11:05:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “David Bowie and Brian Eno used to laugh at me, saying: ‘You’re not supposed to be able to play that!’” Adrian Belew on Frank Zappa’s lessons, Robert Fripp’s synth guitar, and what’s coming up with Steve Vai ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/adrian-belew-beat Gt8kbAY8s8k5gT96D5vAsR Tue, 14 May 2024 11:56:02 +0000 Thu, 13 Jun 2024 09:58:23 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I was very appreciative to be there. But when he transitioned to Let’s Dance, I wasn’t called back. I eventually squared with it, but it was painful”: George Murray on his bittersweet ride with David Bowie ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/george-murray-david-bowie JhHTHaRKps5RyWpaMGJoL5 Mon, 29 Apr 2024 11:15:21 +0000 Tue, 14 May 2024 15:46:03 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Once in a while, we would start playing a Beatles song, and John would go, ‘Cut that out!’” Session guitar legend Earl Slick on fast times with John Lennon and David Bowie – and saying no to Whitesnake ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/earl-slick-session-ace-talks-david-bowie-john-lennon 6vauFaVNAbg3t8jap7KtTT Thu, 18 Apr 2024 09:54:06 +0000 Fri, 20 Sep 2024 11:29:19 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I had forgotten something – I don't know what. As I came back, I heard my father say, ‘Wait a minute, here he is!’” George Murray became part of David Bowie’s famous D.A.M. rhythm trio – but almost missed the call-up because he had to catch a bus ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/george-murray-david-bowie-call-up SGann96VJM8JaNxHuyLQxT Thu, 11 Apr 2024 12:33:41 +0000 Wed, 22 May 2024 14:29:44 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I thought, ‘Oh, God, this could go really bad…’ I’m telling him that I can’t remember playing with him on a No. 1 record”: Earl Slick says he was too high to remember meeting John Lennon during David Bowie’s Fame recording session ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/earl-slick-doesnt-remember-meeting-john-lennon-david-bowie-fame-session bXpV2TeEkbJwY7XcnAgdDe Wed, 20 Mar 2024 16:17:59 +0000 Fri, 20 Sep 2024 11:26:36 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It’s probably the only time in my career I bowed out, because I knew it was going to be a fight… most of that heavy guitar was lost”: Brian May says David Bowie removed his electric guitar riffs on Under Pressure – and he never liked the results ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/brian-may-under-pressure-riff-david-bowie-mix ccrQ2245kReYoPaWBPtnrE Mon, 12 Feb 2024 17:37:15 +0000 Fri, 20 Sep 2024 11:09:35 +0000 <![CDATA[ “When you’re the bass player and it’s time for the solo, you go nuts, because you’ve been playing rhythm for everyone else for so long!” Tony Visconti on David Bowie’s The Man Who Sold The World ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/tony-visconti-on-the-man-who-sold-the-world ZV3FdSkVBdLbFqpo2guJZn Wed, 17 Jan 2024 13:46:19 +0000 <![CDATA[ “At four in the morning, I got a call from David Bowie. He said they needed a guitar player for Iggy Pop’s album”: As right-hand man for everyone from Mark Knopfler to Eric Clapton, ‘Session Man’ Phil Palmer more than earned his nickname ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/phil-palmer-session-man 2KFjxAgbrj8yjswKhyGgTe Fri, 22 Dec 2023 10:31:16 +0000 <![CDATA[ “There was no intention to be clever. We didn’t know what we were doing!” Herbie Flowers’ bassline on David Bowie’s Space Oddity ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/listen-to-herbie-flowers-on-david-bowies-space-oddity m8nbv3JFW9UADGV4ChSU4K Thu, 09 Nov 2023 15:39:02 +0000 Fri, 21 Mar 2025 15:19:28 +0000 <![CDATA[ “David united us in a truly special way. I am sure he would have loved this album”: David Bowie’s key collaborators have formed a new band – hear KillerStar's debut single ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/killerstar-shouldve-known-better VC5UABgpxsAWXs3RyTC5uk Fri, 15 Sep 2023 16:12:45 +0000 Thu, 18 Apr 2024 09:41:54 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He completely floored me. I hadn’t been so gung-ho about a guitar player since Jeff Beck”: How David Bowie helped launch Stevie Ray Vaughan’s career – and why their joint tour was canceled at the last minute ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/how-david-bowie-launched-stevie-ray-vaughans-career s36N4T39i59KiPFU44JT6Q Mon, 28 Aug 2023 13:07:28 +0000 Mon, 22 Jul 2024 15:48:55 +0000 <![CDATA[ "There was something about that picture of Marilyn that resonated with how I feel when I’m trying to get something right on the bass": Why Gail Ann Dorsey named her bass after Marilyn Monroe ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/why-gail-ann-dorsey-named-her-bass-guitar-marilyn fs5VjWgwBdhKu4q7KynRLT Tue, 25 Jul 2023 12:24:49 +0000 Tue, 21 May 2024 20:54:19 +0000 <![CDATA[ "I never wanted to be just the bass player, plonking away. I played a lot of notes – too many sometimes!" Trevor Bolder and the low-end magic of David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/ziggy-stardust-trevor-bolder-lowlist 9Trp3taZ8d6bhmeBejJAUN Sun, 25 Jun 2023 12:00:55 +0000 <![CDATA[ His playing took Eric Clapton’s breath away and David Bowie called him the most exciting guitarist since Jeff Beck: how Stevie Ray Vaughan became a blues guitar hero ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/how-stevie-ray-vaughan-became-a-blues-guitar-hero 3ByHR8tAhZXhQo3QdsdhzN Mon, 19 Jun 2023 12:36:43 +0000 Thu, 27 Jun 2024 09:22:04 +0000 <![CDATA[ Peter Frampton on the highs and lows of his remarkable guitar journey, meeting George Harrison, and how David Bowie made him cool again ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/peter-frampton-farewell-tour dE9SfY95StGFiZPbUeupb3 Fri, 09 Dec 2022 12:28:40 +0000 Tue, 16 Jul 2024 11:15:30 +0000 <![CDATA[ Peter Frampton says playing guitar for David Bowie helped him regain “credibility” as a player ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/peter-frampton-david-bowie-credibility mddvvEQVLTPTQEb8AssF7j Fri, 11 Nov 2022 17:23:06 +0000 Fri, 13 Sep 2024 14:30:30 +0000 <![CDATA[ Gail Ann Dorsey: “David Bowie asked me to sing Under Pressure – I was terrified!" ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/gail-ann-dorsey-david-bowie-asked-me-to-sing-under-pressure JSLUfWegcupVfFpjtkEhNW Thu, 03 Nov 2022 15:24:12 +0000 Tue, 16 Jul 2024 11:27:52 +0000 <![CDATA[ Producer Ken Scott on the making of David Bowie and Mick Ronson’s most iconic albums ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/ken-scott-david-bowie-mick-ronson-ziggy-stardust-hunky-dory buT6ARL6gcxtzkaN6Vd7gk Mon, 19 Sep 2022 12:00:49 +0000