PAT TRAVERS
This month Phil Short delves into the humbucker-driven sounds of Canada’s blues-rock powerhouse, Pat Travers.
“Travers took a rockier approach. Wider vibrato and more heavily distorted tones are the backbone of his colossal sound”
From the mid 1960s into the 70s, some very exciting things were happening in music. Heavy guitar was starting to come into its own, with Cream, Hendrix and Led Zeppelin blowing people’s minds with their heavy, blues-rock tones, pushing the guitar onwards both tonally and musically. As the 60s became the 70s we started to see the foundations of what would become heavy metal, with British band Black Sabbath releasing their self-titled album in 1970.
Fast forward to 1976, and we welcome Canadian rocker Pat Travers to the scene. Although his playing was clearly from a blues heritage, Travers took a much rockier approach, in keeping with the heavier styles of the day. Wider vibrato (which would later become a staple ingredient of any rock guitarist) and more heavily distorted tones are the backbone of his colossal sound. As well as expressive blues vocabulary, fiery bends and vibrato, Pat also incorporated fast and flashy Pentatonic runs to give his sound the fiery edge we’ve come to associate him with. Tracks such as Speakeasy from his second album Putting It Straight features some sublime playing, packed with powerful rhythm and licks, with tons of tone to boot.
Travers was inspired by seeing a mesmerising performance by Jimi Hendrix, and it wasn’t long before he was playing in clubs around his native Toronto. While performing with his band Merge, his attacking style was noticed by local rock legend Ronnie Hawkins, who invited him to perform with him. Not long after this Travers moved to the UK where he signed a record deal and in 1976 released his self-titled debut. Appreciated for his energetic and musical playing style he was regularly seen on British rock TV shows.
Not only is Travers an exceptionally fine guitarist, he’s also an accomplished keyboard player. He’s toured alongside Rainbow and Rush, his roster of band members has included Nicko McBrain, Carmine Appice, Pat Thrall and David Pastorius, and he has been cited as a favourite player by the likes of Paul Gilbert, Alex Lifeson and Kirk Hammett.
In our first study this month we explore Pat’s melodic phrasing in a contemporary country-blues style track. This contrasts nicely with study 2, a fast-paced blues-rock style shuffle. So, grab your guitar, crank up the gain and prepare for take-off!
NEXT MONTH Phil checks out the oft overlooked playing of brilliant leftie bluesman, Otis Rush