Although I play piano and organ, the guitar is the instrument that interests me most. The portability is certainly appealing, but it's probably the huge influence the guitar has had in popular music over the last 50 years that keeps making it exciting and fresh.

I own a couple of very special guitars for my own playing and recording projects. The first is a 1994 Ovation Custom Balladeer, and coincidentally I have a 1994 Fender 40th Anniversary Stratocaster upgraded with Lace Sensors. Lovely!

My inspiration for guitar at first was the Beatles, like thousands of other young lads in the sixties. In particular George Harrison was my favourite. To this day I believe his contribution to the Beatles success is under rated. His ability to produce 'just the right' sound and to have added so many perfect solos to Beatles songs is legendary among those who admire guitar players. This is not to mention his later maturity as a world-class songwriter coming out from the shadows of the Lennon-McCartney team. Here's a couple of good links on George.

Chet Atkins came along when I heard his name mentioned by George Harrison in an interview, and I quickly became a fan. Chet's recording legacy is enormous with enough material for any musician to study for years. His ability to make a solo guitar song sound like 2 or 3 musicians is phenomenal, and his particular skill at playing finger-style is unsurpassed in my view. Like George, it's not simply about speed or technical skill, but a rarer commodity... 'appropriateness' and 'ingenutiy' for the material. Here's an excellent link on Chet:

A little later came another couple of musicians whose work I greatly admire. First is Don Felder of the Eagles. Don wasn't the main singer in the band, although he contributed harmony on many tunes, but his guitar work adds so much to a number of the bands songs. Most notable perhaps Is the legendary Hotel California. Recent news indicates that he's been fired as an Eagle! Lawsuits are pending; Here's a Felder link:

Mark Knopfler blew away most contemporary pop and rock guitarists when they heard 'Sultans of Swing' in the early seventies. His unique tone, blazing speed with complete accuracy and ingenious riffs caught the ears of musicians everywhere. Later his 'Money for Nothin' added more fuel to this bright stars reputation. Mark has gone on to produce many memorable guitar performances, as well as write the scores for several motion pictures. One of my favourite albums is the one he did with Chet Atkins! Here's a link for more info:

There are many, many more - Jimmy Bryant, Albert Lee, Les Paul to name a few. Always something new and exciting with guitarists!