List of slide guitarists

Last updated

Slide guitarists are musicians who are well-known for playing guitar with a "slide", a smooth, hard object, held in the fretting hand and placed against the strings to control the pitch. [1] Beginning with guitarists in the American South and Hawaii in early 20th century, [2] slide guitar styles have developed in a variety of musical settings, including blues, country, and rock. [3] Most slide guitarists may also perform with guitars using traditional fretting techniques; additionally, some also play various types of steel guitars. [4]

Contents

List

List of slide guitarists, showing name, birth year, death year, origin, primary genre, and reference(s)
NameBirth
year
Death
year
OriginPrimary genreRef(s)
Duane Allman 19461971Tennessee Southern rock [5]
Kokomo Arnold 1901*1968Georgia Acoustic blues [6]
Barbecue Bob 19021931Georgia Acoustic blues [7]
Jeff Beck 19442023England Rock [8]
Elvin Bishop 1942California Rock [9]
Black Ace 19051972Texas Country blues [10]
Mike Bloomfield 19431981Illinois Electric blues [11]
Willie Brown 19001952Mississippi Delta blues [12]
R. L. Burnside 19262005Mississippi Hill country blues [13]
Joe Carter 19272001Georgia Chicago blues [14]
George Cassidy 19362023Belfast Jazz [15]
Sam Collins 18871949Louisiana Country blues [16]
Ry Cooder 1947California Americana [17]
CeDell Davis 19262017Arkansas Delta blues [18]
David "Honeyboy" Edwards 19152011Mississippi Electric blues [19]
John Fahey 19392001Washington, D.C. Folk [20]
Frank Ferera 18851951Hawaii Hawaiian music [21]
Rory Gallagher 19481995Ireland Blues rock [20]
Billy Gibbons 1949Texas Blues rock [20]
Peter Green 19462020England Electric blues [22]
John P. Hammond 1942New York Electric blues [23]
George Harrison 19432001England Rock [20]
Earl Hooker 19301970Mississippi Chicago blues [24]
Son House 19021988Mississippi Delta blues [25]
J. B. Hutto 19261983South Carolina Chicago blues [26]
Bo Weavil Jackson UnknownUnknownU.S. Country blues [27]
Elmore James 19181963Mississippi Chicago blues [28]
Blind Lemon Jefferson 18931929Texas Country blues [11]
Blind Willie Johnson 18971945Texas Gospel blues [29]
Robert Johnson 19111938Mississippi Delta blues [30]
Brian Jones 19421969England Blues rock [11]
Joseph Kekuku 18741932Hawaii Hawaiian music [21]
Alexis Korner 19281984France Electric blues [31]
Leo Kottke 1945Georgia Folk [20]
Lead Belly 18891949Louisiana Country blues [11]
Furry Lewis 1893*1981Mississippi Country blues [32]
John Littlejohn 19311994Mississippi Chicago blues [33]
Robert Lockwood, Jr. 19152006Arkansas Delta blues [34]
John Mayall 19332024England Electric blues [35]
Mississippi Fred McDowell 19041972Tennessee Delta blues [36]
Blind Willie McTell 1901*1959Georgia Country blues [37]
Steve Miller 1943Wisconsin Rock [38]
Muddy Waters 19131983Mississippi Chicago blues [39]
Hambone Willie Newbern 19011965Tennessee Country blues [4]
Robert Nighthawk 19091967Arkansas Chicago blues [40]
Jimmy Page 1944England Rock [20]
Charlie Patton 18911934Mississippi Delta blues [41]
Dan Pickett 19071967Alabama Country blues [42]
Rod Price 19472005England Rock [43]
Keith Richards 1943England Rock [44]
Johnny Shines 19151992Tennessee Chicago blues [45]
Jeremy Spencer 1948England Electric blues [11]
Houston Stackhouse 19101980Mississippi Country blues [45]
Tampa Red 19041981Georgia Urban blues [46]
Eddie Taylor 19231985Mississippi Chicago blues [47]
Hound Dog Taylor 1917*1975Mississippi Electric blues [48]
Mick Taylor 1949England Blues rock [44]
Ramblin' Thomas UnknownUnknownLouisiana Country blues [49]
U Tin 19312019Myanmar Burmese classical, folk [50]
Joe Walsh 1947Kansas Rock [51]
Sylvester Weaver 1897*1960Kentucky Country blues [52]
Casey Bill Weldon 1909UnknownArkansas Country blues [53]
Bukka White 19091977Mississippi Delta blues [54]
Big Joe Williams 19031982Mississippi Delta blues [47]
Alan Wilson 19431970Massachusetts Electric blues [55]
Johnny Winter 19442014Texas Electric blues [56]
Oscar "Buddy" Woods c.1890*1950*Louisiana Urban blues [57]
Zoot Horn Rollo 1949California Rock [58]
An asterisk (*) denotes that other sources give different dates, origin, or style.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slide guitar</span> Guitar technique

Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos that reflect characteristics of the human singing voice. It typically involves playing the guitar in the traditional position with the use of a slide fitted on one of the guitarist's fingers. The slide may be a metal or glass tube, such as the neck of a bottle, giving rise to the term bottleneck guitar to describe this type of playing. The strings are typically plucked while the slide is moved over the strings to change the pitch. The guitar may also be placed on the player's lap and played with a hand-held bar.

Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard rock music was produced by the Kinks, the Who, the Rolling Stones, Cream, Vanilla Fudge, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. In the late 1960s, bands such as Blue Cheer, the Jeff Beck Group, Iron Butterfly, Led Zeppelin, Golden Earring, Steppenwolf, Grand Funk, Free, and Deep Purple also produced hard rock.

Electric blues is blues music distinguished by the use of electric amplification for musical instruments. The guitar was the first instrument to be popularly amplified and used by early pioneers T-Bone Walker in the late 1930s and John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters in the 1940s. Their styles developed into West Coast blues, Detroit blues, and post-World War II Chicago blues, which differed from earlier, predominantly acoustic-style blues. By the early 1950s, Little Walter was a featured soloist on blues harmonica using a small hand-held microphone fed into a guitar amplifier. Although it took a little longer, the electric bass guitar gradually replaced the stand-up bass by the early 1960s. Electric organs and especially keyboards later became widely used in electric blues.

Blues rock is a fusion genre and form of rock music that relies on the chords/scales and instrumental improvisation of blues. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock. From its beginnings in the early to mid-1960s, blues rock has gone through several stylistic shifts and along the way it inspired and influenced hard rock, Southern rock, and early heavy metal.

Texas blues is blues music from Texas. As a regional style, its original form was characterized by jazz and swing influences. Later examples are often closer to blues rock and Southern rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonny Landreth</span> American blues musician

Clide Vernon "Sonny" Landreth is an American blues musician from southwest Louisiana who is especially known as a slide guitar player. He was born in Canton, Mississippi, and settled in Lafayette, Louisiana. He lives in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cross Road Blues</span> 1936 blues song by Robert Johnson

"Cross Road Blues" is a song written by the American blues artist Robert Johnson. He performed it solo with his vocal and acoustic slide guitar in the Delta blues style. The song has become part of the Robert Johnson mythology as referring to the place where he sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for musical genius. This is based largely on folklore of the American South that identifies a crossroads as the site where Faustian bargains can be made, as the lyrics do not contain any references to Satan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rollin' and Tumblin'</span> Blues standard popularized by Muddy Waters

"Rollin' and Tumblin'" is a blues standard first recorded by American singer-guitarist Hambone Willie Newbern in 1929. Called a "great Delta blues classic", it has been interpreted by hundreds of Delta and Chicago blues artists, including well-known recordings by Muddy Waters. Rock musicians usually follow Waters' versions, with the 1960s group Cream's rendition being perhaps the best known.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Things That I Used to Do</span> 1953 blues standard by Guitar Slim

"The Things That I Used to Do" is a blues standard written by Guitar Slim. He recorded it at Cosimo Matassa's J&M Recording Studio in New Orleans, where the young Ray Charles arranged and produced the session. Specialty Records released the song as a single in 1953 and it became a bestseller the following year. Specialty founder Art Rupe believed that the appeal would be limited to the Southern U.S. rural audience. However, urban rhythm and blues radio stations in the North began airing the song and built it into a national hit. As a result, Guitar Slim became in great demand as a performer and played at venues such as the Apollo Theater in New York City.

"One Way Out" is a blues song that was recorded in the early 1960s by both Sonny Boy Williamson II and Elmore James. A reworking of the song by G. L. Crockett, titled "It's a Man Down Here", appeared on the Billboard record charts in 1965. In 1971, the Allman Brothers Band recorded an updated live version of the song, which was included on their popular Eat a Peach album (1972).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worried Life Blues</span> Blues standard

"Worried Life Blues" is a blues standard and one of the most recorded blues songs of all time. Originally recorded by Big Maceo Merriweather in 1941, "Worried Life Blues" was an early blues hit and Maceo's most recognized song. An earlier song inspired it and several artists have had record chart successes with their interpretations of the song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chief Records</span> American record company

Chief Records, together with its Profile and Age subsidiaries, was an independent record label that operated from 1957 to 1964. Best known for its recordings of Chicago blues artists Elmore James, Junior Wells, Magic Sam, and Earl Hooker, the label had a diverse roster and included R&B artists Lillian Offitt and Ricky Allen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shake Your Moneymaker (song)</span> Song first recorded by Elmore James in 1961

"Shake Your Moneymaker" or "Shake Your Money Maker" is a song recorded by Elmore James in 1961 that has become one of his best-known pieces. Inspired by earlier songs, it has been interpreted and recorded by several blues and other artists.

References

  1. AllMusic 1996, pp. 402–403.
  2. AllMusic 1996, pp. 403–404.
  3. AllMusic 1996, pp. 371–372.
  4. 1 2 AllMusic 1996, p. 405.
  5. AllMusic 1996 , p. 372; Eder, Bruce. "The Allman Brothers Band: Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  6. AllMusic 1996, pp. 8–9.
  7. AllMusic 1996, p. 12.
  8. AllMusic 1996 , p. 372; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Jeff Beck Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  9. AllMusic 1996, pp. 17–18.
  10. Komara 2004, p. 84.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 AllMusic 1996, p. 372.
  12. Ankeny, Jason. "Willie Brown – Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  13. AllMusic 1996 , p. 39; Skelly, Richard. "R.L. Burnside Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  14. AllMusic 1996, p. 46.
  15. "Van Morrison Discover Brighton". 2024-08-29. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  16. AllMusic 1996, p. 57.
  17. AllMusic 1996, pp. 57–58.
  18. Bush, John. "CeDell Davis – Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  19. Herzhaft 1992 , pp. 104–105; Dahl, Bill. "David "Honeyboy" Edwards Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Madsen 2005, eBook.
  21. 1 2 AllMusic 1996, p. 371.
  22. Allan, Mark. "Peter Green Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  23. AllMusic 1996, pp. 101–102.
  24. Shadwick 2001, p. 304.
  25. Komara 2004, pp. 465–467.
  26. Shadwick 2001, p. 312.
  27. AllMusic 1996, p. 404.
  28. Shadwick 2001, p. 315.
  29. Herzhaft 1992, pp. 177–178.
  30. AllMusic 1996, pp. 140–141.
  31. AllMusic 2003, p. 234.
  32. Shadwick 2001, p. 405.
  33. Herzhaft 1992, pp. 208–209.
  34. AllMusic 1996 , p. 407; Dahl, Bill. "Robert Lockwood, Jr. Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  35. Prown & Newquist 1997, p. 34.
  36. Shadwick 2001, p. 355.
  37. Herzhaft 1992, pp. 230–231.
  38. AllMusic 2003, pp. 402–403.
  39. Shadwick 2001, p. 431.
  40. Shadwick 2001, p. 367.
  41. AllMusic 1996, pp. 208–209.
  42. AllMusic 1996, p. 213.
  43. Madsen 2005 , p. 43; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Foghat Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  44. 1 2 Roth 1975, eBook.
  45. 1 2 AllMusic 1996, p. 407.
  46. Shadwick 2001, p. 407.
  47. 1 2 AllMusic 1996, p. 406.
  48. Shadwick 2001, p. 408.
  49. AllMusic 1996, p. 250.
  50. Ives, Mike; Nang, Saw (February 17, 2019). "U Tin, Burmese Slide Guitar Master, Dies at 87". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  51. Prown & Newquist 1997, p. 110.
  52. Shadwick 2001, p. 427.
  53. Herzhaft 1992, p. 359.
  54. AllMusic 1996, p. 408.
  55. AllMusic 2003, pp. 96–97.
  56. Shadwick 2001 , p. 443; Ruhlmann, William. "Johnny Winter Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  57. Herzhaft 1992, pp. 387–388.
  58. AllMusic 2003, pp. 98–99.

Sources