JERRY DONAHUE
As the undisputed god of string bending, Donahue’s virtuoso moves include simultaneously bending strings in opposite directions, bending one up while releasing another, behind-the-nut bends, and harmonised bends.
Such is his mastery that he was profiled in a 1987 episode of BBC’S Equinox. “If this looks easy, it’s not,” intoned the narrator in classic BBC English. “To bend one string requires strength and sensitivity. To bend three, accurately and pitch perfect, takes years of practice.” The Telecaster is the perfect vehicle for Donahue’s genius. On guitars with flimsier necks or vibrato bridges, the remaining strings go flat when bending. Teles provide a rock solid surface for his pedal steel impersonations. He’s played with Fairport Convention, but guitarists know him for The Hellecasters with fellow Tele-men John Jorgenson and Will Ray.