Two-guitar bands celebrate International Guitar Month
Yesterday I was listening to The Beatles Channel. They were playing a cut from “Live in Japan”, the concert album by George Harrison with Eric Clapton. It got me thinking about some of the great bands that featured multiple guitarists. Here is a look at some of them:
You have to start with The Rolling Stones. They began with Keith Richards and Brian Jones. After they fired Brian from his own band, he was replaced with Mick Taylor. Even though the band did their best work with him, he left and was replaced by former Faces guitarist Ronnie Wood. It's hard to believe but Ronnie has been with the Stones for almost fifty years.
In my opinion, the group with the best guitar duo was The Allman Brothers Band. When you combined Duane Allman’s slide guitar with Dickey Betts's tasty, melodic lead pieces, it didn't get any better. In the band’s later years, Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks were awfully good, too.
The Eagles began as a somewhat mellow rock/country music band. When they decided they needed to add an edge to their sound, they brought in Don Felder. When Joe Walsh, who was already a guitar legend in his own right, joined the band, it led to classic guitar duels like you hear in “Hotel California.”
After Crosby, Stills and Nash released their first album they needed to tour to support the record. They needed more sound and another musician to help fill arenas. It was recommended that Neil Young join the group. When Graham Nash had reservations about this, a lunch was arranged between Young and the former member of The Hollies. Nash asked him why he should be in the band. Neil responded, “Have you heard Stephen and I play guitar together?” From Buffalo Springfield to C, S, N &Y, when the two alpha guitarists get together, magic happens.
In the Grateful Dead hierarchy, there was no question who the top dog guitarist was—Jerry Garcia. But when the original jam band goes into one of their extremely long jams, someone needs to help out. That's where Bob Weir comes in. For more than thirty years, until Garcia died in 1995, The Dead and their music influenced many of the jam bands that came afterward.
When you think of The Beatles, being a two-lead guitar band is far down the list. The instrument roles were fairly well-established—George on lead, John on rhythm and Paul on bass. Then came “Abbey Road” where they closed the album and their career as a band with “The End.” The threesome takes turns with short lead solos. McCartney has used the song to end his concerts for decades.
Thee guitar series ends this weekend with a two day look at the legends of the instrument.