Cluster Pluck

Extremely fast guitar players, often known as ‘shredders’, are usually most closely associated with rock or metal music. Rarely, do we think of country pickers in that light, but there are a number of country guitar slingers who can hold their own with the best in any genre. One of the best examples of country shredding is the Brad Paisley Grammy winning tune ‘Cluster Pluck’, featuring Brad and seven hired guns showing off their chops.

The Master of the Telecaster

James Burton has played lead guitar for a King, a TV son, a country boy, an ‘Okie’, and a ‘Hot Band’ leader. He is a member of the Rock and Roll and the Rockabilly Halls of Fame; was a key member of a legendary Los Angeles studio group, and continues to be one of the most respected ‘hired guns’ in the music business.

Under-appreciated

Music fans have their favorite bands and/or performers – sometimes it’s a group or performer that no one else seems to know about. You have heard their music, and you think they are (or were) great, yet the rest of the world doesn’t seem to have noticed. For me, there are four such acts – performers or groups that produced some of my favorite songs, yet they seemed to make little impact on the music business and the record/cd buying public.

The Minstrel of Guelph

Amy McCann

Every so often, you discover something new – something that strikes you as special and unique. The first time I saw an Amy McCann video, I knew I had seen something exceptional. This Canadian born singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, performer, and teacher, produces some of the best original and cover song videos on the Internet. What elevates her to a higher level is the way that her personality, her outlook on life; her heart, and soul come through so strongly and clearly in her music.