I am following the interesting comments in the Writer's Guild Strike topic, rather than take it farther off topic start a new one here.
As a non-musician, if I was asked who were the guitar greats, I would have listed the following, not in order and with many omissions, the usual greats, Eric Claption, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, Peter Frampton, Pete Townsend, David Gilmour, Brian May and many others but in common was they all depended on the electric Guitar with overdrive, reverb, distortion and other effects to create interesting sounds. But then I stumbled upon several internet personalities who specialize analyzing and deconstruction of the methods and techniques of the frat board and alternative picking, clean tones and found there was a different list that included people I knew but never cared about because they were not playing rock. But according to British guitarist Fil of Wings of Pegasus, the guitar players at the very highest level were the country and western players, that their guitar playing techniques are the very same techniques used at the top level of rock except they are based on clean tones, absent of effects, overdrive, distortion, reverb. At the top level whom I would never have imagined, were the superstar entertainers of television who not only played but sang and presented, something that No One is doing today, and that their guitar technique and talent was at the very highest level, Glen Campbell, Roy Clark, Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed to name a few.
I never cared much for Glen Campbell or the Goodtime Hour, nor HeeHaw but when Fil deconstructs the techniques Glen and Roy played, it is of the very highest level. Glen Campbell was a session player for the "Wrecking Crew," which was Elvis Presley's band, played session work for everybody, Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Roger Miller, Wayne Newton, Doris Day, The Everly Brothers, Merle Haggard, the Monkees, Kingston Trio, Stone Temple Pilots, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Gene Clark, Bob Wills. That's the short list! All of that work was before his own television and song, where he made hits like Gentle On My Mind, Wichita Lineman, Galvestion, Rhinestone Cowboy, all songs written by Jimmy Webb and others, and made them his own. He said he got out of session work because he liked to sing and didn't get enough of that as a session player. Glen gave guitar lessons to Keith Urban and Tom Petty.
Roy Clark could play anything with strings at the very highest level, guitar, banjo, fiddle, sing and combine it with comedy acting; the 12 string guitar of Glen Cambell, never missing any notes, and the acoustic guitar that could fill with the sound without the extension of sustained tones of the electric guitar. Of course, he could play those as well, and often did, but always played clean tones, not the pedal. On his tv show The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour he seldom rehearsed, his techniques and timing were honed by ear; he never had formal training and couldn't read music, but played with symphony orchestras, Boston Pops, lead, rhythm, chords and vocals covering nearly all the octaves of the human voice.
Obviously, I have become a huge fan. His and Roy's passings are missed but their works can still be enjoyed on YouTube. Check out some of his work, The William Tell Overture, MacArthur Park, Gentle on My Mind; Roy Clark and Jimmy Henley.
As a non-musician, if I was asked who were the guitar greats, I would have listed the following, not in order and with many omissions, the usual greats, Eric Claption, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, Peter Frampton, Pete Townsend, David Gilmour, Brian May and many others but in common was they all depended on the electric Guitar with overdrive, reverb, distortion and other effects to create interesting sounds. But then I stumbled upon several internet personalities who specialize analyzing and deconstruction of the methods and techniques of the frat board and alternative picking, clean tones and found there was a different list that included people I knew but never cared about because they were not playing rock. But according to British guitarist Fil of Wings of Pegasus, the guitar players at the very highest level were the country and western players, that their guitar playing techniques are the very same techniques used at the top level of rock except they are based on clean tones, absent of effects, overdrive, distortion, reverb. At the top level whom I would never have imagined, were the superstar entertainers of television who not only played but sang and presented, something that No One is doing today, and that their guitar technique and talent was at the very highest level, Glen Campbell, Roy Clark, Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed to name a few.
I never cared much for Glen Campbell or the Goodtime Hour, nor HeeHaw but when Fil deconstructs the techniques Glen and Roy played, it is of the very highest level. Glen Campbell was a session player for the "Wrecking Crew," which was Elvis Presley's band, played session work for everybody, Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Roger Miller, Wayne Newton, Doris Day, The Everly Brothers, Merle Haggard, the Monkees, Kingston Trio, Stone Temple Pilots, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Gene Clark, Bob Wills. That's the short list! All of that work was before his own television and song, where he made hits like Gentle On My Mind, Wichita Lineman, Galvestion, Rhinestone Cowboy, all songs written by Jimmy Webb and others, and made them his own. He said he got out of session work because he liked to sing and didn't get enough of that as a session player. Glen gave guitar lessons to Keith Urban and Tom Petty.
Roy Clark could play anything with strings at the very highest level, guitar, banjo, fiddle, sing and combine it with comedy acting; the 12 string guitar of Glen Cambell, never missing any notes, and the acoustic guitar that could fill with the sound without the extension of sustained tones of the electric guitar. Of course, he could play those as well, and often did, but always played clean tones, not the pedal. On his tv show The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour he seldom rehearsed, his techniques and timing were honed by ear; he never had formal training and couldn't read music, but played with symphony orchestras, Boston Pops, lead, rhythm, chords and vocals covering nearly all the octaves of the human voice.
Obviously, I have become a huge fan. His and Roy's passings are missed but their works can still be enjoyed on YouTube. Check out some of his work, The William Tell Overture, MacArthur Park, Gentle on My Mind; Roy Clark and Jimmy Henley.
