As lead guitarist for the Beatles, George Harrison provided the band with a lyrical style of playing in which every note mattered. Harrison was one of millions of young Britons inspired to take up the guitar by British skiffle king Lonnie Donegan's recording of "Rock Island Line." But he had more dedication than most, and with the encouragement... [+] Read More

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Born in Minden, LA, on August 21, 1939, influential guitarist James Burton got his start in the 1950s as a backup musician on the radio show Louisiana Hayride, where he met Dale Hawkins. Hawkins' 1957 hit, "Suzie Q," was the first in a string of successes to feature the young Burton. A six-year stint (1958-1964) recording and touring in Ricky... [+] Read More

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Not an artist in the traditional sense of the term (he couldn't play or sing at all) producer Joe Meek has nonetheless been belatedly recognized as an important, even inimitable, figure of early British rock & roll. Like Phil Spector, Meek developed idiosyncratic production techniques that, much more than the artists he worked with, stamped a... [+] Read More

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Jorgen Ingmann was a Danish guitarist who enjoyed a brief fling with international fame thanks to his instrumental recording of "Apache," which became a Top 10 hit in the United States, Canada and Great Britain in 1961. Born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1925, Ingmann first distinguished himself as a jazz artist, and performed with violinist Svend... [+] Read More

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Link Wray may never get into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but his contribution to the language of rockin' guitar would still be a major one, even if he had never walked into another studio after cutting "Rumble." Quite simply, Link Wray invented the power chord, the major modus operandi of modern rock guitarists. Listen to any of the tracks he... [+] Read More

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Peter Frampton was one of the biggest arena rock stars of the '70s, making his name largely on the double-LP concert set Frampton Comes Alive! Frampton was one of several '70s rock artists (Kiss, Cheap Trick, etc.) to break through to a wide audience with a live album; much like the others, he'd recorded several previous albums and built a... [+] Read More

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So much has been said and written about the Beatles -- and their story is so mythic in its sweep -- that it's difficult to summarize their career without restating clichés that have already been digested by tens of millions of rock fans. To start with the obvious, they were the greatest and most influential act of the rock era, and introduced... [+] Read More

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So much has been said and written about the Beatles -- and their story is so mythic in its sweep -- that it's difficult to summarize their career without restating clichés that have already been digested by tens of millions of rock fans. To start with the obvious, they were the greatest and most influential act of the rock era, and introduced... [+] Read More

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The mere mention of the name the Eagles, for most of us, evokes the strains of Hotel California and laidback '70s rock. But for a few listeners with long memories and an attraction to more exciting sounds, the mention of the Eagles calls to mind a British beat quartet of the early '60s, and strangely soulful pop numbers like "Some People" and... [+] Read More

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Not the first but definitely the most popular rock instrumental combo, the Ventures scored several hit singles during the 1960s -- most notably "Walk-Don't Run" and "Hawaii Five-O" -- but made their name in the growing album market, covering hits of the day and organizing thematically linked LPs. Almost 40 Ventures' albums charted, and 17 hit... [+] Read More

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