TOMMY BOLIN 20

A final interview with a great rocker.

T-BONE WALKER 22

Bluesmen recall electric guitar’s pioneer.

HARVEY BROOKS 24

Bass guitar rooted in the blues.

JIMMY RANEY 29

One of bebop guitar’s chief proponents.

THE HUMBUCKING PICKUP 30

Its creator traces its beginnings.

McCabe s guitar shop 32

Supplementing sales with teaching and performance.

DANIELS/CRAIN 36

Dual leads with ‘The Charlie Daniels Band.’

FREE TUT TAYLOR RESOPHONIC 61

GP Giveaway #26

Columns

Bill Nelson: A Pro Replies 6

Barney Kessel: Unsung Guitar Heroes 10

John Carruthers: On Tuning Devices 12

Tommy Tedesco: Two Typical Studio Calls 14

Jeff Baxter: Cheapo Customizing 16

George Gruhn: Factors Affecting Sound 18

Larry Coryell: Finding New Material 103

Craig Anderton: Who’s On First? 104

Michael Lorimer: Fingernail Care 105

Jimmy Stewart: A Tribute To Joe Pass 106

Howard Roberts: Connecting Solo Lines 107

Stefan Grossman: Flatpicking Styles 108

Jerry Hahn: Bm7b5-E7 Patterns 109

Bob Baxter: Fingerpicking Backups 110

Rusty Young: Elements Of Soloing Ill

Letters To The Editor 4

Bookpicking: New Guitar References 8

Guitaring: What’s Happening 78

Questions: And Answers 102

Album Notes: New Guitar Releases 112

It’s New: Products For Guitar 114

CHARLIE DANIELS and Tom Crain, dual lead players in

The Charlie Daniels Band, pick some of the tastiest two-

part guitar harmonies that rock music has heard since

Duane Allman and Richard Betts powered The Allman Brothers

several years ago. Along with other forerunners of the notorious

Southern school of rock and roll—Lynyrd Skynyrd. The Marshall

Tucker Band, et al—Charlie Daniels' group has inspired an

incredible regional (though by no means exclusively so) loyalty.

The wild enthusiasm of these Southern bands' followers is achieved

not so much through the dramatic impact of hit singles and huge

world tours, as through consistent production of a tight, hard-

driving and thoroughly infectious sound, in evidence whenever the

musicians appear in concert.

Daniels was born some forty years ago. and reared on the

tradition of The Grand Ole Opry, while Crain, who just turned 26,

did his musical teething on the likes of Manin Gaye and The

Beatles. The contrasting styles of the two guitarists mix effectively,

seasoning each other to create a highly emotional Southern rock

sound, with frequent overtones of jazz.

A veteran Nashville studio ace, Charlie has played with,

engineered for, or produced a wide variety of artists, from The

Youngbloods, to Bob Dylan, to The Marshall Tucker Band. Crain

migrated into The Charlie Daniels Band in 1974. replacing Barry

Barnes as Charlie’s lead partner. “He (Daniels) asked me a year and

a half before,” Tom recalls, “and I was a fool to turn him down. I

had a band with my brother, and I was really into that. Later on my

band split up, and Charlie asked me again, ‘Do you want to go out

on the road?’ I told him, ‘If you get anybody else I’ll be awful mad.’

It’s the best thing I ever did in my life.”

—GP

What first inspired you musically?

Crain: At the very first I used to listen to my daddy and

granddaddy play the piano. I think that’s what got me interested in

music. My whole family is musically inclined. My mother also

plays the piano, my brother plays guitar and piano, and my sister

works out a bit on keyboard, too. Probably the earliest commercial

stuff I listened to was Marvin Gaye; soul music like that. Then of

course The Beatles came around. That whole thing with The

Beatles changed my entire direction musically. All during that era I

played in “horn bands,” not soul music, but funky stuff. I didn’t

start playing my own music until 1968 or '69. I love jazz and 1

always have. My daddy used to play Dave Brubeck on the piano. In

fact, the first concert I ever went to was a Dave Brubeck show. 1

really like that kind of music, but for some reason musicians in that

area have a problem hearing our music; hell, I can appreciate what

they’re doing!

Daniels: Everybody who used to be on Top 40 radio: people like

Fats Domino, Little Richard, Elvis Presley, and Bill Haley. I love

some of the off-the-wall old country stuff like Eddie Arnold back

when he was kind of country, Don Gibson, Jim Reeves, and some

old gospel music. When I’m at home I’ll pull out any Marshall

Tucker LP, or The Allman Brothers Band At The Fillmore East

(Capricorn, CX4-0131), or their Eat A Peach (Capricorn, 2C4-

0102), Brothers And Sisters (Capricorn, 0111); either of the two

Duane Allman Anthologies (Capricorn, 2CP-0108; Vol. 2, 2CP-

0139); or Dick Betts’ album {Highway Call, Capricorn, CPN-

0123); or Phases And Stages by Willie Nelson (Atco, 7291).

Who are some of the guitarists you most enjoy listening to?

Daniels: I like hearing Tommy play. I am not just saying that

because he’s sitting here, but 1 really think his guitar playing is

great. I love Toy Caldwell [of Marshall Tucker; see GP, May ’76],

and I like Dick Betts [GP, March ’76] as well. As I said before,...