The Players
News and happenings from the world of your favourite guitarists
Guitarist was saddened to hear of the passing of American bluesman Lucky Peterson, who died on 17 May, aged 55. He had been celebrating his 50th year in music, having begun his career at the age of five when he tracked his first album, Our Future, with some of the tracks produced by the legendary Willie Dixon. Over the years he backed Etta James, Little Milton and Otis Rush, in addition to having a prolific solo career touring the US and Europe. His most recent album, 50: Just Warming Up! was released last year.
Mark Tremonti has revealed he’s writing a song with the player he once suggested “could be the best guitar player on Earth”. In a recent interview with
Metal Wani, the Alter Bridge man was asked about upcoming projects and responded: “Right at the moment, I’m looking into writing a song with Eric Gales,” Tremonti said. “He’s one of my favorite guitar players in the world and he’s doing a record that, I believe, Joe Bonamassa is producing. He had asked me, we had talked about doing a song together, so I’m trying to tackle that at the moment.”
Two notable Prince and Kurt Cobain guitars are up for auction in June. The 1959 Martin D-18E that Cobain used for Nirvana’s 1993 MTV Unplugged set in New York is a rare bird in itself (only 302 were made). The Prince guitar is one of his four original Cloud custom designs, credited to O’Hagan Guitar Company. The 1984 ‘Blue Angel’ was used by the musician on the Purple Rain tour in 1984 to ’85. Both go under the hammer as part of Julien’s Auctions’ Music Icons sale, taking place in Beverly Hills on 19 and 20 June.
Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino has cast doubts on traditional live music concerts returning before 2021. In a quarterly earnings report, he said that Live Nation would look at the potential for drive-in concerts and fan-less gigs in the short-term. He added: “Looking a bit further out, given that 80 per cent of shows are rescheduled rather than cancelled, and as noted, almost all fans are holding onto their tickets, we believe 2021 can return to show volume and fan attendance at levels consistent with what we’ve seen in recent years.”
Brian May has confirmed he had a “small heart attack” recently. The 72-year-old Queen legend needed surgery after a heart scare in May. “I thought I was a very healthy guy,” he said in a video posted to his Instagram page. “But I turned out to have three arteries that were congested and in danger of blocking the supply of blood to my heart.” He was fitted with three stents to open the arteries during his hospital stay. “I walked out with a heart that’s very strong now,” added May, “so I think I’m in good shape for some time to come.”