Last week we posted a list of a half-dozen of our favorite bottleneck slide players. The response was overwhelming so here is a follow-up with six more guitarists suggested by Gibson Lifestyle readers.
Sonny Landreth – When Eric Clapton gives you his personal seal of approval you know you are doing something right. Sonny Landreth got Slowhand’s thumbs-up when he was personally asked to open Clapton’s 2007 Crossroads Festival. The Lafayette, LA based guitarist is a legend in contemporary delta blues and zydeco circles dating back to his first stint with Clifton Chenier’s band. Landreth is most well known for his pioneering “ghost note” style of playing, which comes from fingering chords on the dead side of the slide and creating rich and haunting harmonic overtones. Landreth was recently the focus of a wonderful segment on NPR’s Weekend Edition which can be found here.
Here is a clip of Landreth live on-stage at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival in 2007:
Earl Hooker – Hooker made an early impression showing up to gigs and sessions with his customized doubleneck SG in tow. The two-neck guitar was no gimmick, as he could blaze on both six and 12 strings. Early sides cut for King and Sun Records put the guitarist in the same league as R&B innovators like Ike Turner and fellow Chicago bluesmen Elmore James, Muddy Waters and Hound Dog Taylor, who he is often mentioned in the same breath as.
Here he is in a classic vintage mid-’60s clip with Muddy Waters:
Johnny Winter – Winter is an elder statesman of electric Texas blues and a remarkable slide player whose overdriven Firebird style has often been emulated over the last 40 years. With bassist Tommy Shannon, the original Johnny Winter trio was a late-’60s staple, playing Woodstock and regularly sharing stages with the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan and Hendrix at the legendary Fillmore West.
Here’s a clip of Johnny Winter doing “Mojo Boogie” live in 1991:
Warren Haynes – To a new generation of fans who never got to see the original incarnation with Duane in tow, Warren Haynes is synonymous with the Allman Brothers’ bluesy jams. Haynes first met the brothers while a member of David Allen Coe’s band and a few years later was a principal member bringing his overdriven Les Paul slidework to the group. Haynes is equally known as frontman of his own power trio, Gov’t Mule.
Dig this clip of Gov’t Mule tackling the ZZ Top barnburner “Just Got Paid”:
Junior Brown – Junior Brown is one of the most unique talents to have ever played the slide guitar. In fact Brown’s style is so unique that it demands it’s own custom instrument, which he designed and built himself. The Guit-Steel is a hybrid 6-string electric and 8-string lapsteel that Brown plays live and on record. Gliding effortlessly between the two necks with virtuosity and panache, the bluesman runs circles around his band without missing a note.
Here’s Brown on the Guit-Steel doing Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues”:
George Harrison – Often overlooked for his slide guitar mastery, George Harrison was a wonderful player whose bottleneck fretwork appears throughout the Beatles’ career, as well as on numerous solo records. His deep-burgundy Les Paul figured prominently during the recording of Abbey Road and The White Album. In fact two of Harrison’s most notable Beatles contributions — “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (with a guest appearance from Eric Clapton) and “Something” — feature his signature touch. And hardcore Harrison aficionados consider “Marwa Blues” from the Brainwashed album his crowning jewel.