Guitars
Keb’ Mo’ is the Grammy-winning blues guitarist and songwriter who got his big break in the music business thanks to Taj Mahal (interview class of 2016). He has performed as Keb’Mo’ ever since his original drummer, Quentin Dennard, stopped calling him Kevin Moore. During his NAMM Oral History...
Thom Bresh was a Grammy Award nominated country music singer and guitarist. In the early part of his life, Thom worked as an actor and stuntman. He gained stage presence early on, acting as soon as three years old, and starring in Las Vegas at 15. He later found himself into music after portraying...
Mark Slaughter was a founding member of the hard rock band, Slaughter, which has sold more than five million records and placed four songs on the Billboard Top 30 Charts. In addition to his musical career, Mark is also a voice actor for the Cartoon Network. The acting job exposed him to TV and...
Jerry Woods really enjoyed working in music stores. As a musician, it gave him a day job. As a passionate music maker, it gave him the incredible feeling of placing a guitar in the hands of a young player. After working for Skip’s Music in Sacramento, California, for several years, he had the...
Taj Mahal helped expand the scope of the blues by incorporating elements of world music and a style of guitar playing that was rooted firmly in the African traditions that helped form the musical genre. His goal was to play music that he felt inside him. If others appreciated it, then he saw that...
Freddie Roulette pioneered the use of the slide guitar in the blues style. When he began playing slide guitar he was emulating country and western music and felt the instrument would fit nicely in old blues traditions, which he did to great success. In fact, his playing has been a strong influence...
Michael Simmons is a co-founder of the Fretboard Journal and the author of several articles and books about vintage guitars and other fretted instruments. He began his career at Gryphon Guitars in Palo Alto, where he caught the bug for the history of the instruments. Over the years he has...
Frank Ford was beginning to build guitars and mandolins when he met Richard Johnston. The two guitar lovers decided to open a repair shop in Palo Alto, California called Gryphon Stringed Instruments. Before long he had a need to expand and the shop became an important retail store for the emerging...
Mal Stich worked for the BC Rich Guitar Company from 1975 until 1985, which was an important time of growth for the guitar maker. Mal helped the company's founder, Bernard Rico, expand the models, enhance the distribution, and monitor the quality control while working in the factory. Over the ten...
Mitch Holder is among the legendary Los Angeles recording studio musicians known for playing all styles of music. As a well-respected guitarist, Mitch has played for nearly every studio and every composer in LA over the last forty years! He has worked on movies for conductors such as John...