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Looking for a new cover photo? We don’t know who came up with this image, but we figured it was a good one to use to celebrate reaching 40,000 likes on Facebook and almost 200 followers on Tumblr. Thanks to all of you for reading, and spread the word that this is the place to get your daily guitar fix. All the best from The National GUITAR Museum.
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Looking for a new cover photo?

We don’t know who came up with this image, but we figured it was a good one to use to celebrate reaching 40,000 likes on Facebook and almost 200 followers on Tumblr. Thanks to all of you for reading, and spread the word that this is the place to get your daily guitar fix. All the best from The National GUITAR Museum.

John Dawson Winter III has been a fixture of electric blues guitar since 1968 … and today is his 69th birthday. Born in 1944, Johnny’s Texas blues playing as a teenager gained him notoriety across the state, but it was an invitation from Mike Bloomfield that led Johnny to New York. His playing at the Fillmore East led to a record contract from Columbia that was allegedly one of the highest paying of the time. Johnny still tours constantly, and is a member of the NGM Advisory Board. A brand new app covering Johnny’s playing styles and life story is available at http://www.johnnywinter.net/ Happy birthday and all the best, Mr. Winter.
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John Dawson Winter III has been a fixture of electric blues guitar since 1968 … and today is his 69th birthday. Born in 1944, Johnny’s Texas blues playing as a teenager gained him notoriety across the state, but it was an invitation from Mike Bloomfield that led Johnny to New York. His playing at the Fillmore East led to a record contract from Columbia that was allegedly one of the highest paying of the time. Johnny still tours constantly, and is a member of the NGM Advisory Board. A brand new app covering Johnny’s playing styles and life story is available at http://www.johnnywinter.net/ Happy birthday and all the best, Mr. Winter.

: Pink Floyd - “Wish You Were Here.”Floyd’s 1975 follow-up to “Dark Side Of The Moon” was heavier on the guitars and served to bring David Gilmour out of the shadow of the band’s hallucinogenic synth-based sound. The album’s opus, “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” contains a Gilmour 4-note riff that is one of the most identifiable phrases in the history of the guitar. His acoustic playing on the title track, along with the slide overdubs, showed that there was still a lot of life left in the basics of playing G C & D chords. And the shimmering two-chord minor dirge of “Welcome To The Machine” – strummed upwards – proved that Gilmour was a master at creating atmospherics in the simplest of progressions.“Wish You Were Here” holds up as one of the defining albums of the 1970s, and is considered by many to be the apex of Gilmour’s playing (others will, of course, point to “Comfortably Numb”). No matter what, the album is one of the finest examples of minimalist guitar playing that broke out of the blues realm and helped establish a sound, and an ambience, that has had huge influence in the nearly 40 years since its release.
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: Pink Floyd - “Wish You Were Here.”

Floyd’s 1975 follow-up to “Dark Side Of The Moon” was heavier on the guitars and served to bring David Gilmour out of the shadow of the band’s hallucinogenic synth-based sound. The album’s opus, “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” contains a Gilmour 4-note riff that is one of the most identifiable phrases in the history of the guitar. His acoustic playing on the title track, along with the slide overdubs, showed that there was still a lot of life left in the basics of playing G C & D chords. And the shimmering two-chord minor dirge of “Welcome To The Machine” – strummed upwards – proved that Gilmour was a master at creating atmospherics in the simplest of progressions.

“Wish You Were Here” holds up as one of the defining albums of the 1970s, and is considered by many to be the apex of Gilmour’s playing (others will, of course, point to “Comfortably Numb”). No matter what, the album is one of the finest examples of minimalist guitar playing that broke out of the blues realm and helped establish a sound, and an ambience, that has had huge influence in the nearly 40 years since its release.

: Genesis - “Trick Of The Tail.”On 1976’s “Trick Of The Tail,” guitarist Steve Hackett finally got a vehicle in which to showcase his prodigious talent. After Peter Gabriel’s departure, the remaining members of Genesis had to prove that they were every bit as creative as he was. Without being buried in Gabriel’s lavish vocal productions, and with a bit less of Tony Banks’ keyboards — both of which had minimized his role in the classic “Lamb Lies Down On Broadway” — Hackett re-established himself as a player who could single-handedly carry anything the band attempted. From the charging opener of “Dance On A Volcano” all the way to the instrumental epic “Los Endos,” Hackett’s guitar garnered recognition in a way it never had before. His melodic lines, coupled with the occasional bombast of chords, showed that Hackett’s style was as distinctive as any of his contemporaries. “Trick Of The Tail” is still an an excellent example of how to integrate guitars and synths without the two battling each other at every turn.
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: Genesis - “Trick Of The Tail.”

On 1976’s “Trick Of The Tail,” guitarist Steve Hackett finally got a vehicle in which to showcase his prodigious talent. After Peter Gabriel’s departure, the remaining members of Genesis had to prove that they were every bit as creative as he was. Without being buried in Gabriel’s lavish vocal productions, and with a bit less of Tony Banks’ keyboards — both of which had minimized his role in the classic “Lamb Lies Down On Broadway” — Hackett re-established himself as a player who could single-handedly carry anything the band attempted. 

From the charging opener of “Dance On A Volcano” all the way to the instrumental epic “Los Endos,” Hackett’s guitar garnered recognition in a way it never had before. His melodic lines, coupled with the occasional bombast of chords, showed that Hackett’s style was as distinctive as any of his contemporaries. “Trick Of The Tail” is still an an excellent example of how to integrate guitars and synths without the two battling each other at every turn.

: The Ventures - “Walk Don’t Run”The debut release by the all-instrumental Ventures was massively influential in the guitar universe from the moment it was released in 1960. The band’s core - rhythm player Don Wilson, lead guitarist Bob Bogle, and bassist (eventually lead guitarist) Nokie Edwards - recorded “Walk Don’t Run” after hearing Chet Atkins’ version. It was a brilliant choice, and cameto define the Ventures’ sound for the next 50 years: recording guitar-drenched versions of popular tunes, dance songs, and the occasional original. And by relying solely on instrumentals, the Tacoma, Washington band was able to overcome any international resistance, promptly becoming a worldwide sensation.This album also featured a cover of the popular “Sleep Walk” and the original composition “The McCoy” (said to have been the inspiration for the name of Rick Derringer’s first band). The band is credited with making Fender guitars popular with rockers in the early 60s, along with inspiring innumerable bizarrely shaped six strings, starting with the Mosrite, which they used exclusively for years. The Ventures remain the most popular instrumental band in history, and continue to tour, spreading the gospel of surf guitar the world over.PS. The cover of this album features NO members of the actual Ventures, who were on tour when the photo was taken. The fumbling musicians are stand-ins.
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: The Ventures - “Walk Don’t Run”

The debut release by the all-instrumental Ventures was massively influential in the guitar universe from the moment it was released in 1960. The band’s core - rhythm player Don Wilson, lead guitarist Bob Bogle, and bassist (eventually lead guitarist) Nokie Edwards - recorded “Walk Don’t Run” after hearing Chet Atkins’ version. It was a brilliant choice, and cameto define the Ventures’ sound for the next 50 years: recording guitar-drenched versions of popular tunes, dance songs, and the occasional original. And by relying solely on instrumentals, the Tacoma, Washington band was able to overcome any international resistance, promptly becoming a worldwide sensation.

This album also featured a cover of the popular “Sleep Walk” and the original composition “The McCoy” (said to have been the inspiration for the name of Rick Derringer’s first band). The band is credited with making Fender guitars popular with rockers in the early 60s, along with inspiring innumerable bizarrely shaped six strings, starting with the Mosrite, which they used exclusively for years. The Ventures remain the most popular instrumental band in history, and continue to tour, spreading the gospel of surf guitar the world over.

PS. The cover of this album features NO members of the actual Ventures, who were on tour when the photo was taken. The fumbling musicians are stand-ins.

The NGM is extremely pleased to announce that Tony Iommi has joined our Board of Advisors. While recording the new Black Sabbath album, Tony said “I welcome the opportunity to be part of the National GUITAR Museum’s goal to highlight the history of the guitar—the instrument that has been part of my life since I was a teenager.” For more on our announcement, go to http://www.nationalguitarmuseum.com/NEWS/NEWS.html
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The NGM is extremely pleased to announce that Tony Iommi has joined our Board of Advisors. While recording the new Black Sabbath album, Tony said “I welcome the opportunity to be part of the National GUITAR Museum’s goal to highlight the history of the guitar—the instrument that has been part of my life since I was a teenager.” 

For more on our announcement, go to http://www.nationalguitarmuseum.com/NEWS/NEWS.html

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