Filter frontman and guitarist Richard Patrick joins us in naming our favorite pioneering players of early rock ānā roll.
The āgolden era of guitarā could mean many things, depending on musical tastes, where you live, or what generation you grew up in. This month weāre talking about the 1950s and ā60s birth of rock ānā roll. Filter frontman and guitarist Richard Patrick joins us in naming our favorite pioneering players.
Q: Whoās your favorite guitarist from rock ānā rollās golden eraāthe 1950s and ā60s?
Richard Patrick ā Filter
A: Buddy Holly because he was weird. But also Jimi Hendrix ... his avant-garde approach with feedback and the whammy bar made me realize the rulebook had been broken. We all get that a guitar player should learn his craft, but at the same time we need to tear that down. Buddy kept it simple and Jimi fucked it up. Bravo!
My current obsession is: The Zoom G5. I programmed a bunch of the patches and Iām obsessed to see what the kiddies think. I love noise. I love being able to make music relying on equipment. People who say you should be able to play everything on an acoustic guitarāthatās bullshit. I want more tech, more chaos.
Winston Smith ā Reader of the Month
A: Link Wray and Jeff Beck. Link Wray because he pretty much defined the rebel as far as tone and punk attitude, and Jeff Beck made the pursuit of musicality and experimentation cool for all genres of guitarists from punk to jazz.
My current obsession is: To see how I can adapt my playing style and tone to genres of music Iām not very comfortable playing. Pushing my technique and ear into new territory. I have to learn 15 songs by this weekend, in three different keys, to play live in a genre Iām not familiar with, with musicians that play said genre as masters.
Andy Ellis ā Senior Editor
A: Working back through the British Invasion bands, I discovered this era of music circa 1965. The Shadows led me to Duane Eddy, whose twangy, throbbing, cavernous tones inspire me to this day.
My current obsession is: My Phantom MandoGuitar. Itās designed to be tuned like a 12-string capoed at the 12th fret, although I tune it a whole-step lower: DāDāGāGāCāCāFāFāAāAāDāD. The top three string pairs are each tuned in unison; the lower three pairs are octaves. Deluxe chime!
Shawn Hammond ā Chief Content Officer
A: Itās a toss-up between Elvis sideman Scotty Moore (holy crapāthe solo on āHound Dogā alone!) and James Brown badass Jimmy Nolen. Nolenās spare, gloriously funky lines knifed through the mix and were like absolute clockwork.
My current obsession is: My PureSalem Pink Beard fuzz, which can go from wonderfully organic and dynamically responsive to mutated and scuzzy.
Tessa Jeffers ā Managing Editor
A: When I hear Chuck Berry, Iām immediately transported to a nostalgic place I know only romantically through the sounds of those times. Berry is ā50s golden guitar to meāmost of his songs start with a variation of the same signature lick. Beyond that, he could sing and swing, inventing his own brand of rock ānā roll.
My current obsession is: Thinking about guitar phrasing in terms of voice or approaching melodic lines, like a singer would. My favorite players make their parts distinct and memorable, like a skilled vocalist catches you with their inflection.
Almost six decades after forming the short-lived Rising Sons, the two legends reconvene to pay tribute to the classic blues duo of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee on the warm and rootsy Get on Board.
Deep into Taj Mahal and Ry Cooderās Get on Board: The Songs of Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, percussionist Joachim Cooder lays out, letting the two elder musicians can take a pass through āPawn Shop Blues.ā To start, they loosely play around with the songās intro on their acoustic guitars. āYeah, nice,ā remarks Mahal off-handedly in his distinctive raspāpresent since he was a young man but, at 79, heās aged into itāand Cooder lightly chuckles. They hit the turnaround and settle into a slow, loping tempo. Itās a casual and informal affairāsome notes buzz, and it sounds like one of them is stomping his foot intermittently. Except for Cooderās slide choruses, neither guitar plays a rhythm or lead role. They simply converse.
The two legends sound less like theyāre making a record in a studio and more like theyāre hanging out and catching up over some music. Mahal describes this feel as āragged, but right.ā Itās the same kind of collective sound that historic blues duo Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee often possessed. But on Get on Board, itās unique to these two old friends, who set out on their journeys long ago. āWeāre bouncing off one another, weāre bouncing off the music, and weāre bouncing off the joy of being able to play this stuff, having the opportunity,ā says Mahal.
Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder - The Making of 'GET ON BOARD'
That āragged, but rightā vibe pervades each track on Get on Board, from the opening thump of āMy Baby Done Changed the Lock on the Doorā to the springy call and response of āDrinkinā Wine Spo-Dee-O-Deeā to the closing ritardando on āI Shall Not Be Moved.ā And itās why, as Mahal explains, Get on Board transcends its recorded form: āItās the kind of thing, when you listen in on it if you have the record playing in the other room, youāre sure those guys are in the other room,ā he says. āEven though you know theyāre not there, you gotta go and look.ā
There are plenty of blues and folk albums that celebrate the genreās early heroesātribute projects that offer a feel-good time for musicians and listeners alike. And Get on Board is a masterfully produced, creative take on fantastic old music. But itās also a one-of-a-kind reunion of two musical polyglots who, itās fair to say, have explored the depth of the blues, following it on separate paths to the ends of the Earth and delving into the music from every angleāmaybe more than anyone else. Now, five decades after their initial career-starting collaboration in 1965, theyāve come back to their roots together.
The Early Days
The short-lived Rising Sons kickstarted the careers of both Mahal and Cooder. From left: Taj Mahal, Jesse Lee Kincaid, Gary Marker, Ry Cooder, and Kevin Kelley.
Photo from KRLA Beat
Each playerās early history is essential to their music as a duo. āBoth of my parents were musical, and their culture was extremely musical and at a very high, sophisticated level,ā Mahal explains. āWeāre talking Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Count Basie, Billy Eckstein, Billy Daniels, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald ⦠this kind of music. But there was also swinging, dancing music that was happening. Jitterbugging, all kinds of different stuff.ā
He began forming his own tastes in the nascent days of rock ānā roll, which Mahal says āwas a step way downā from the music he was exploringāmusic by artists from the 1930s and ā40s, who, he points out, were still alive and recording. āI was getting their juice as it was coming throughānot as an echo. By the time I came around to hear it, I kept thinking, thereās gotta be some older form of the music. And I would hear a little bit of it; my mother would sing some songs from South Carolina.ā And thus began his lifelong search for deeper and deeper musical connections: āOnce I found out that you could jump into that river, even into the ocean, and keep on finding it, itās like fish in the sea. The more you find, the more there isāand youāll never get to the end of it.ā
āWeāre bouncing off one another, weāre bouncing off the music, and weāre bouncing off the joy of being able to play this stuff, having the opportunity.ā āTaj Mahal
A young Ry Cooder was simultaneously on his own version of this quest, digging deeper into the history of American music. At just 12 years old, Cooder found a record called Get on Board by the duo of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, along with percussionist Coyal McMahan. It was just one point in a long line of musical discoveries that would inform his life and music. Cooder points out that Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee āmust have been the most recorded blues act ever.ā But his interest set him apart from his pre-teen peers in California, and he soon developed a reputation that reached Mahalāfive years his seniorāall the way in Massachusetts.
Mahal tells the story of hearing a guitarist perform one night early in his career and says, āIt was obvious this guy was listening to something else and played the instrument in a different way.ā They struck up a friendship, and Mahal learned that this guitarist had studied with a Californian named Ry Cooder. Upon learning Cooder was just 17 years old, āI blew my top!ā he exclaims. Soon enough, he packed up, booked a few gigs across the country, and headed west to find the young guitarist and start a band.
TIDBIT: To capture the feel of a vintage Folkways-style album, Get on Board was recorded live in Joachim Cooderās living room in just three days, with a fourth day for overdubs.
Despite their quick demise, Mahal looks back favorably on the Rising Sons: āRyās work on that album is still, to this day, stellar,ā he says. āI could listen to it any time in any joint. Anything that he plays. There was never nothing that he ever played that I did not like. Nothing. He heard the music.ā Mahal struck out on his own, with Cooder in the band for his 1968 self-titled debut. But they soon went their separate ways on long and fruitful careers.
Together, After a Lifetime of Achievement
It wasnāt until decades later, in 2014, when the Americana Music Association awarded Mahal a lifetime achievement award, that Mahal and Cooder would collaborate again. Backed by an all-star band at the AMA awards show at Nashvilleās Ryman Auditorium, the two former Rising Sons revisited āStatesboro Blues,ā which they recorded almost a half-century prior. But this version sounds nothing like the quick, youthful version on the ā92 reissue. Instead, the mid-tempo grooveādriven in part by Don Wasā bass and Joachim Cooderās drumsāis slower and deeper, Mahalās voice lower and stronger, and his dry, percussive fingerpicking is complemented by Cooderās dark, fuzzy slide work.
While this warm, rousing reunion lasted just under five minutesāand got a serious standing ovationāit reconnected Mahal and Cooder and planted a seed. Soon enough, Mahal says he ātook three or four instruments and a suitcase and a handbag and got on a train and went down to L.A. We got together and did some playing.ā Mahal pitched Cooder on the idea of doing a project together, trusting Cooder to come up with the concept. āHe knows what he likes, and he knows what I like,ā Mahal says. Encouraged by his son, Cooder formulated the Get on Board idea, and as Mahal explains, āNext thing you know, Iām on the train again back to L.A.ā
Taj Mahal's Gear
Taj Mahalāseen here at Bonnaroo with a DāAngelico archtopābrought just one guitar to the Get on Board sessions. Taking the train to L.A. from his Northern California home, he opted for his Gibson Kebā Moā Bluesmaster, because he loves that instrument and it is light to carry.
Photo by Douglas Mason
Guitars
Gibson Kebā Moā Bluesmaster
Strings
DāAddario
Cooder built his concept not just around the duo, but included Joachim. āThereās Taj and me. There was Sonny and Brownie,ā he explains. āDuet music, right? But the original Get on Board included the mysterious Coyle McMahan on bass vocals and maracas. I always thought the trio was more interesting. So, Joachim stepped into the McMahan chair, and that gave us a wider range.ā
When considering songs, Cooder points out that Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee āhad a huge repertoire for us to consider. You have to figure out what will work best, and a record canāt be all blues shufflesāfor that kind of music you need Otis Spann or Memphis Slim, and a horn section, etcetera. So, we listened for songs more rural in feeling, like āHooray Hooray,ā and āI Shall Not Be Moved.ā Folk-blues, as it used to be called.ā
āA record canāt be all blues shuffles.ā āRy Cooder
āThis music was making a fleeting disappearance from the inside of the music I was listening to,ā says Mahal, adding that āsomething about the rural music was more connected with the African in it.ā But he refutes the idea that their goal was to keep Sonny and Brownieās music alive. Instead, he insists the music is already alive and he and Cooder are just helping it find new ears. āWhat you aināt seen aināt passed you yet,ā he quips.
Cooder says they aimed to capture an āold-styleā sound, ālike a Folkways record,ā the natural environment for these songs. To cultivate an authentically comfortable, low-key vibe, they set up in Joachimās Altadena, Calfornia, living room for four daysāthree for live tracking and one for overdubs. And things proceeded simply, with ālive singingāone take, maybe two at the most,ā according to Cooder.
Ry Cooderās Gear
Ry Cooder played a variety of instruments on Get on Board, including the Gibson F-4 mandolin that he used on Mahalās debut album.
Photo by Abby Ross
Adams Brothers acoustic (circa 1900)
Fairbanks long-scale custom banjo (circa 1900)
ā60s Fender āCoodercasterā modded with an early ā60s Teisco pickup (neck) and a Valco lap-steel pickup (bridge)
1919 Gibson F-4 mandolin
1946 Martin D-18
Amps
White amplifier (made by Fender)
Effects
Echoplex
Strings
DāAddario
Get on Board isnāt a genre exercise, but it feels vintage, thanks in some part to the select gear they chose. Mahal switches instruments, playing a Steinway piano, harmonicas, and fingerpicking his Gibson Kebā Moā Bluesmaster. Cooder brought along some vintage items. āI played a 1946 D-18, similar to Brownieāsālight and twangy,ā he says. āAlso, a peculiar Adams Brothers guitar, circa 1900. Itās rowboat size and super resonant. Check it on āBeautiful City.ā And my old Gibson F-4 mandolin on āHooray Hooray.ā Taj commented that I had played the same instrument on his first solo record. The lead instrument on āPacking Upā is a giant gut-string Fairbanks banjo, probably a custom order.ā
Although most of the record is acoustic, the opening track features a driving electric slide part that bears Cooderās unmistakable sonic thumbprint. āI overdubbed my usual bottleneck Stratocaster on āChanged the Lock,āā he explains. āThatās a White amp with a busted speaker, and a tape Echoplex which belonged to the great Leon Rhodes.ā [Rhodes played guitar in Ernest Tubbās Texas Troudabours.]
āWhat you aināt seen aināt passed you yet.ā āTaj Mahal
Except for the tight, driving version of āPacking Up Getting Ready to Go,ā there arenāt any particularly radical reinventions on Get on Board, so the biggest differences in Mahal and Cooderās versions of Terry and McGheeās songs are what the individuals bring to the music. As Mahal points out, Sonny and Brownie were the original purveyors, and he and Cooder are āa couple guys who have spent their lives bringing back these nuggets of great music for all to see and hear.ā
But Mahal and Cooder both bring a warmth to the music, and itās easy to think that stems from their mutual appreciationāa feeling that was missing from the original duo, who were famously at odds. In 1982, The New York Times wrote, āMr. Terry, the harmonica player and singer, and Mr. McGhee, the guitarist and singer, are staunch individualists whose partnership has been marked by feuds, splits, and reunions.ā Mahal and Cooder, as individual as they may be, are quite the opposite. Itās friendship that brought them back together after all these years, and helped fuel the creative energy on Get on Board, which Mahal says āfelt exciting.ā
And if thatās not enough, he adds: āI canāt think of anyone else Iād really wanna play this kind of music with.ā
Taj Mahal Ry Cooder Statesboro Blues
When Taj Mahal received a lifetime achievement award from the Americana Music Association, he joined the award showās house band, which featured Ry Cooder, onstage for this performance. Not only is the performance stellar, it also put the two back in touch and catalyzed the Get on Board project.
The emotional wallop of the acoustic guitar sometimes flies under the radar. Even if you mostly play electric, here are some things to consider about unplugging.
I have a love-hate relationship with acoustic guitars. My infatuation with the 6-string really blasted off with the Ventures. Thatās the sound I wanted, and the way to get it was powered by electricity. Before Iād even held a guitar, I knew I wanted a Mosrite, which I was sure was made of fiberglass like the surfboards the Beach Boys, Surfaris, and the Challengers rode in their off time. Bristling with space-age switchgear and chrome-plated hardware, those solidbody hotrod guitars were the fighter jets of my musical dreams. I didnāt even know what those old-timey round-hole guitars were called. As the singing cowboys Roy Rogers and Gene Autrey strummed off into the sunset, the pace of technology pushed the look and sound of the electric guitar (and bass) into the limelight and into my heart. Imagine my disappointment when I had to begin my guitar tutelage on a rented Gibson āstudentā acoustic. At least it sort of looked like the ones the Beatles occasionally played. Even so, I couldnāt wait to trade it in.
By the late 1960s, everybody had to have an acoustic guitar. America's youth had gone through the Greenwich Village folk boom and entered the West Coast Laurel Canyon scene. Young women who wanted to be Joni Mitchell and Neil Young-inspired men floated on down to local musical instrument emporiums to pick out their badge of artistry. In Europe, folkies blended traditional troubadour tunes with blues and rock, creating a genre that survives to this day. The most fuzzed-out psychedelic combos proudly displayed their introspective acoustic side. Everybody had an acoustic guitar. Of course, country music never forgot. Except for a short interlude of microphone-hugging country crooners, Nashville kept the strum going.
So, what makes the acoustic guitar so indefatigable? First and foremost is the beauty of its sound. Like the violin or the piano, the unadorned guitar has a purity of sound and purpose that is moving in a way electronic instruments are not. In concert, the connection between the musician and the sound the audience hears is undeniable. Itās a tightrope walk, where technology cannot fool the listener. The fewer links in the chain, the closer the bond between performer and patronāand thatās the experience people crave.d
Before you write off the seemingly fragile, hollow-bodied cowpoke guitar as the electricās poorer cousin, think again.
Another more practical aspect is portability. Although buskers have more recently turned to elaborate amplifier and looper setups for street concerts, not much beats a great singer accompanied by an acoustic guitar. Certainly, I canāt imagine dragging an amp and a synthesizer down to the beach to jam some Bill Evans while friends roast sāmores. Okay, maybe. But the simplicity of a naked guitar in a dorm hallway or in a coffee shop can be a refreshing break from the relentless attack of electronic pop culture. In a world of autotune, backing tracks, and the layered-to-death ambush of modern music, a fingerpicked guitar is like a walk in the woods on a spring day. The fact that it can be easily taken anywhere makes it the instrument of choice for so many.
Another strong argument for the acoustic axe is its supremacy as an accompanist. Being a singer-songwriter doesnāt leave a lot of viable options. Although Chet Baker managed a career as a crooning trumpeter, playing a horn while vocalizing requires additional backup. Singing while playing the violin isnāt much easier. The piano is probably the most versatile sounding accompanist, but as much as I like Diana Krall, Ray Charles, and Elton John, their instrument of choice forces them to bring the party to the piano, not the other way around. You can argue that the electric guitar is a contender. Unfortunately, the slight portability downside of needing an amp and its tendency to drown out vocals makes it the second choice, whereas the acoustic guitar checks all the right boxes.
This all isnāt to say that an acoustic guitar lacks the ability to deliver impressive soloing performance. Some of the most inspiring and emotionally vibrant instrumental music is delivered on acoustics. The roster of players currently burning up the fretboard in every genre is immenseāpossibly the most in history. The acoustic guitarās forte is to bring passionate and thoughtful melody to any song. This secret weapon has been applied to recordings from artists as diverse as the Beatles, Kiss, and Dream Theater. In the rhythm department, the acoustic steel string has been responsible for the foundational power of the Who, Alice in Chains, Pink Floyd, Guns Nā Roses, and countless other āheavyā bands.
So before you write off the seemingly fragile, hollow-bodied, cowpoke acoustic guitar as the electricās poorer cousin, think again. They might not be as loud, or as flashy, but they pack an emotional wallop that often flies under the radar. Many decades down the line, I wish Iād paid more attention to what that first student guitar had to offer me. Maybe Iād have kept it, too
Need an affordable distortion pedal? Look no further.
We live in the golden age of boutique pedals that are loaded with advanced featuresāmany of which were nearly unthinkable a decade or so ago. But thereās something that will always be valuable about a rock-solid dirt box that wonāt break your wallet. Hereās a collection of old classics and newly designed stomps that cost less than an average concert ticket.
JHS Series 3 Overdrive
This OD is part of the companyās Series 3 line which offers affordable stomps with simple control setups. Along with volume and drive controls, it offers a body knob that tweaks the EQ and a gain switch that moves between more saturated and crunchier sounds.
Thanks to an extremely dedicated following among Nashville session cats, the other green stomp is now offered in a downsized setup. It can run up to 18V for increased headroom and sports glow-in-the-dark knobs for those extremely dark stages.
This all-analog distortion offers classic, vintage-inspired tones with a familiar control setup of volume, gain, bass, and treble. The real secret sauce is in the voice switch, which allows you to move between a more natural sound and a bass cut.
Since 1978, the DS-1 has been a go-to for generations of guitarists. It offers a scooped sound that can take you from grunge to shred and has been affordable for decades.
Although loosely based on a classic circuit, EQD has replaced the 4558 IC with a JFET op-amp for a more mid-focused sound. In addition to the standard controls, the toggle switch moves between two different clipping options or no clipping at all for a wide-open clean boost.
A JRC4558 IC-loaded circuit that creates the classic symmetrical overdrive sound, this is an all-analog affair that is true bypass, housed in a rock-solid chassis, and can run on a 9-volt batteryāwhich is included.
One of the newest entries on this list is a retro-looking stomp that offers some interesting features under the hood. The original circuit allows you to control the mids before the gain stage, plus thereās an internal trim pot to wrangle the high end.
One of the most popular stompboxes of all time has been shrunk down to a mini-sized wonder. With an oversized drive knob and two smaller tone and level controls, this green monster aims to cop all the classic midrange tones of the original.
Is it a fuzz? Or a distortion? Or an overdrive? Well, thanks to the famous filter control, you can blur the lines between all the different flavors of dirt. It offers a totally analog signal path, glow-in-the-dark graphics, and the trademark heavy-duty enclosure.
Thereās no mistaking that shade of yellow. This dead-simple setup offers output and distortion controls along with a vintage-sounding germanium clipping circuit that does everything in its power to blur the line between overdrive and fuzz.