session player

“I managed to survive”: Albert Lee on his time as Eric Clapton’s sideman

By Janelle Borg Published 23 August 26

Lee was Clapton’s right-hand man for five years and was part of Slowhand’s legendary live album Just One Night, recorded in Tokyo

Carlos Alomar’s hazy first encounter with Paul McCartney

By Matt Owen Published 18 August 26

The session veteran provided some finishing tracks on Press to Play after a rather indulgent first encounter bonding with the Beatle

Bob Dylan has just recruited one of the world's greatest jazz guitarists – and no one quite knows what's going on

By Phil Weller Published 26 June 26

Virtuoso Julian Lage – who's very likely your favorite guitarist's favorite guitarist – has been welcomed into Dylan’s band without prior announcement or fanfare

The short-lived Kiss guitarist who was supposed to succeed Ace Frehley

By Janelle Borg Published 24 June 26

After Ace Frehley decided to leave the Kiss circus in 1982, Paul Stanley and co. were left without a lead guitarist for Creatures of the Night. One session player got the opportunity of a lifetime...

Wolfgang Van Halen’s Mammoth collaborator Jon Jourdan joins forces with PRS on a no-frills, single-pickup guitar

By Janelle Borg Published 23 June 26

PRS rolls out rare specs for the brand – a single-pickup, single-volume-control model – for the Mammoth live guitarist's first signature guitar

Veteran producer Dann Huff on the unsung art of session guitar

By Janelle Borg Published 17 May 26

Huff knows a thing or two about being a session guitarist, having contributed to records by A-listers such as Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and George Benson

St. Vincent has named her pick for the best guitar solo of all time – and says it should always be played note-for-note

By Janelle Borg Published 6 May 26

Annie Clark has named a Steely Dan solo as her favorite – and explained why it's “sacrosanct”

Sideman to the stars Doug Rappoport reveals the classic rock icon who persuaded him to up his gear game

By Janelle Borg Published 4 March 26

Rappoport was clocked for his budget gear – which didn’t quite fit the modus operandi of the ’70s legend

Steel guitarist Pete Finney – who performed with Vince Gill, Reba McEntire and the Monkees – dies aged 70

By Janelle Borg Published 17 February 26

The Nashville legend played with a variety of high-profile artists, including the Chicks, the Judds, and Patty Loveless – and was known as a connoisseur of American music history

How Leland Sklar went from being banned from the studio to a session legend

By Janelle Borg Published 13 January 26

Sklar reflects on his first encounter with the legendary collective of session musicians widely known as “Wrecking Crew”