It’s ironic that two ex-bandmates from Austin’s Fabulous Thunderbirds would have overlapping new CDs. Of course, here, Wilson headed up his band on harp and vocals and ex-T-bird six-string Jimmie Vaughan just dropped a new CD too. It’s ironic here that Wilson touts that
The Big Tone Sessions was recorded on analog tape just like “the classic music from labels like Chess.” Actually, a lot of the “classic” blues was actually cut direct to disc, but that would be a step too far. No matter, Wilson gets a fat, upfront harp sound a la Little Walter with, as it should be, mostly sparse accompaniment. Wilson liberally picks over the Chess catalog (four Jimmy Rogers originals) as he attempts to emulate the same Chicago sound that came out of that primitive studio on South Cottage Grove. Covers in the mix include a hip version of Jimmy Nolen’s “You’ve Been Goofing,” but re-doing Larry Williams’ “Slow Down” doesn’t translate well. Interspersed with several Wilson
15 essential tracks by Black guitarists
Updated Feb 12, 2021;
Posted Feb 12, 2021
Prince performs on October 11, 2009 at the Grand Palais in Paris. (Bertrand Guay/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images
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Music is colorless. But really, where would guitar playing be without the contributions of Black musicians? In the ’60s and ’70s, longhaired skinny white dudes built what’s now known as classic-rock by copping Black guitarists’ licks and songs. And Black musicians have taken the guitar as far as anyone has.
In honor of Black History Month, I set out to distill Black guitarists’ mountain of amazing influential tracks down to just 15 essentials. The results are below. Consider this list a starting point. Explore out from there. And immerse your ears in the vibrant, still growing legacy Black guitarists are building.