Black History Month: Let's Talk About Black Guitarists

bodia said:
I hate to correct you, but it's a Leap Year. That means 29 days this February. C'mon man, get it right!:p:D:cool:
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Oh yeah, that's right! It's a special year, just because of that here's another guy:

Chuck Treece

He was all over those VHS skate videos I had as a kid with his band McRad. I later fell in love with him in the band Underdog and then scooped up his solo record that was on the Caroline records imprint back in the day.

He's a talented multi instrumentalist and producer as well, who worked with Sting, Amy Grant, filled in on drums with Bad Brains and freakin' Pearl Jam, he was also the bassist and co-composer of that wacky Billy Joel song "In The Middle Of The Night".

Chuck's a personal hero of mine and is also quite involved with PRS on Instagram, so you know... He's family too.



 
I'll have to check out Chuck Treece. S.T. were cool. Saw them with Megadeth at UIC back in the early 90s, IIRC.

Here's a few more:
Tony MacAlpine. Not just a monster guitar player, but a virtuoso keyboard player as well.

Greg Howe, another burner. Loved him back in the day. I know he's still around, but I haven't listened to his music in several years. Shame on me.

And let's not forget about a local monster....Tom Morello
 
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sergiodeblanc said:
For the same reason there are Valentine's Day decorations everywhere: It's February. Don't be that guy.
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The guy that dont give a rats *** what color someone is?
When I hear someone playing guitar, I cant tell what color they are and I dont care. I only care if they are good or not.
When Im in my room playing I only hear a bad guitarist. My color doesnt help me at all.
 
sergiodeblanc said:
It's probably my age but I can't get enough of him.
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no, it's just my nature. I listen to people I really like and when I feel like I understand them I move on to something else. I hate the thought of getting into a rut and stagnating. Somewhere down the road I go back to them for another listen and keep listening for quite a while.

There are lots of people in this thread that are overdue for another listen. And a few I never listened to closely before.
 
veinbuster said:
no, it's just my nature. I listen to people I really like and when I feel like I understand them I move on to something else. I hate the thought of getting into a rut and stagnating. Somewhere down the road I go back to them for another listen and keep listening for quite a while.
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Man, you're a smarter man than I am... I still haven't been able to fully understand everything that George can pull off! His style and command is still astounding to me... And that voice! I even totally dig his 80's pop stuff.

For all the younger shredders here and the people that need inspiration for that second listen:


Of course this:


This is a bit embarrassing but this is how I was first exposed to "Breezin'" and goes to show how influential he really is.


And then just because it's one of my jams.


veinbuster said:
There are lots of people in this thread that are overdue for another listen. And a few I never listened to closely before.
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Totally! I haven't thought of Tony MacAlpine in years. It's good to hear him again... I'm a little bummed he dont have that Poodle-fro mullet anymore though. :p
 
Here's a killer guitarist that don't get any credit: Steve Shockley.

He was a member of Lakeside, Shalamar, and wrote and played on "And The Beat Goes On" by The Whispers.
His playing still gets 20yr old girls in bikini's loose at spring breaks in Miami. Oh yeah, there was that Coolio track too.

Look at those double necks! Guitar whores!


That Breezin' track must've triggered some Will Smith virus that way laying dormant.


I refuse to look up Coolio though. ;)

 
Eddie Hazel - Funkadelic

Mark "Drac" Hicks - Slave

Marlon "the magician" Mclain - Pleasure

The first tune is a landmark funk rock instrumental from the 70's, "Slide" has a couple killer solos in it, and "Joyous" has some serous wahwah licks after the 4:00 minute mark.

Nice idea for a thread Serge, thumbs up!!
(Most of the biggies are already named so I figured I'd share some lesser known cats.)
 
bodia said:
Tony MacAlpine. Not just a monster guitar player, but a virtuoso keyboard player as well.
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Huge fan.

Several years ago I went to NAMM with the keyboardist from my band. I wouldn't ordinarily find myself visiting the Hammond booth, but I did because of my friend's interest. We walked in and TM was sitting alone at the keys with a set of headphones on his head. There was a bench on the other side as well with 2 additional sets of headphones for listeners. My friend and I sat and listened to TM on the keys for quite a while. He was playing some classical piece, and he blew us away. I've read that he was performing classical pieces to audiences at age 6.* Like you said, he is truly a "virtuoso."


* Maybe that's why I could identify with it. :p
 
11top said:
Huge fan.

Several years ago I went to NAMM with the keyboardist from my band. I wouldn't ordinarily find myself visiting the Hammond booth, but I did because of my friend's interest. We walked in and TM was sitting alone at the keys with a set of headphones on his head. There was a bench on the other side as well with 2 additional sets of headphones for listeners. My friend and I sat and listened to TM on the keys for quite a while. He was playing some classical piece, and he blew us away. I've read that he was performing classical pieces to audiences at age 6.* Like you said, he is truly a "virtuoso."


* Maybe that's why I could identify with it. :p
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Very cool! Send some good mojo his way. He's battling colon cancer
 
Phelps "Catfish" Collins

The older brother of "Bootsy", Catfish was a monster! He put the "machine" in James Brown's "Sex Machine" as a member of the JB's, he played on "Flashlight" for Parliament, and even helped introduce the world to Deee-Lite with "Groove Is In The Heart".

One of the things that distinguishes a great guitarist from a merely good one is their sense of timing and groove, and Catfish held the line like it was the 38th parallel!

Flashy guitar solos may seem impressive, and they are... But through my years as a musician and the time I've spent playing in reggae and funk bands, I've learned that the hardest thing to do is to play a seemingly simple part over and over and in time within a groove.

Don't believe me? Try it. Sit down with a drum loop or a metronome and just play the "skanks" or the "chicks" and nothing else for 6 minutes straight every day. If you aren't disciplined enough to make it through without f@cking up... Burn a $20 bill (adjusting for inflation) while pretending you are working for The Godfather of Soul. At the end of the week you be at least $200 poorer but you'll be a better player for it.



 
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