Who inspired you?

We had the thread on popular acts we don't like. Now I want to turn to a more positive subject: why do we play? Who inspired you?

My grandfather on my mom's side was one talented mofo. Guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin... if it had strings, he could make it talk. He built them, too. My sister has a violin that he built a couple of years before he died. I thought he was cool as ice. He died before I was old enough to learn how to play an instrument, but I'm sure I wanted to play because of him.

So: who inspired you? Family member? Recorded act? Someone we've heard of, someone we haven't?

Initially, the Beatles. Then Wes Montgomery and Jimi Hendrix. Then Leslie West, Robin Trower, Steve Morse, Emily Remler, Jim Hall, Ted Greene, Pat Martino, Tony McManus . . . and onward. Too many to mention.

The weird/neat thing is now I find inspiration in the compositions and/or playing of guitarists younger than I am (I say "weird," because I had to come to terms with that phenomenon some years back--now I enjoy it).

My father. He played, all the time. Handed me a guitar when I was five. Turned me on to Chuck Berry, Marty Robins, and many others.

He encouraged me, bought me the instruments, and made sure I was around people making music.

Life changing.

My parents






RIP

I was certainly impressed as a kid by the big stars but as far as real inspiration it was the brother-in-law of my neighbor. He was a pro bass player but had a really old & beat Gibson flattop that he played in a way I'd never seen before. He flatpicked + hybrid etc. but mainly used open chord forms up/down the board with a lot of open string & harmonic stuff that I learned back then (about 1971) and still use. He also was a great vocalist and would do Hendrix & other stuff on the flattop with his own very inventive arrangements & phrasing.

Guy knocked me out. I remember being up late one night & calling him to ask if he was still up and he let me come over and hang out & jam with him in the wee hours of the morning. I was a rank beginner, he was just nice and cool. I spent quite a bit of time with him.

I've often wondered just what the heck happened to him as I lost touch after college/marriages etc. Whatever, he sure inspired me.

First, my parents for instilling a love and appreciation of music. Then, too many to list, starting with the Beatles on up through the '60's,70's to the present day. Eagles were big, Neil Young, Creedence, and others, they all continue to inspire me.

I'm seeing a trend. Would you say seeing people play music live- or being in the same family as people who play- makes it more... I don't know... accessible?

My list of recorded artists that inspire me off the top of my head:
SRV
Al Green
Clapton
George Jones
Frank Sinatra
Johnny Cash
Marvin Gaye
Merle Haggard
Eminem (yeah, I know)
Black Sabbath and solo Ozzy
Stones
Sublime
Loretta Lynn
Pantera
Public Enemy
Buddy Holly
Albert King

My ipod is schizophrenic.

I'm from about the least musical of families you could find.

The tune that made me go, "hey, I wanna play that" was Keith Urban's "Where the Blacktop Ends". He's no Clapton or Gatton, and not everyone loves him, but he's a damn good picker. He and Paisley still inspire me today.

My papaw was always playing something... fiddle, guitar, harmonica, singing, spoons. I never even picked up an instrument while he was living, but his style always influenced me. He didn't like any music except classic country and western swing, so I got a steady dose of Hank Williams, Ernest Tubb, Hank Snow, etc while I was younger.

My brother is also a multi-instrumentalist and at some point or 'nother has played everything from bluegress to death metal. He's the one who taught me four chords and gave my first acoustic.

I dabbled enough on guitar just to strum chords to go with all of the songs I had written. Then I heard Waylon. I mean REALLY heard him. Wow! I knew I had to get a Tele. Then I REALLY heard Keith Richards and new doors opened. Then, Mike Cooley from Drive-by Truckers hit me like a ton of bricks. Catchy song-writing and great guitar work on a T-style guitar. I knew then that I just HAD to be on stage playing rock and alt. country. Everything just came together. Now, if I can only find some talent!

I still listen to those three artists more than anyone, but I make a point to listen to different styles and artists to find new influence. For example, I'm listening to Carl Perkins right now and about to spend some time working on my rockabilly licks.

My dad gave me my appreciation of music.

First person who made me want to pick up a guitar and play - Poison Ivy from the Cramps

Person who finally did - Jeff Buckley

Who makes me want to keep going - Michael Bloomfield

I'm from about the least musical of families you could find.

The tune that made me go, "hey, I wanna play that" was Keith Urban's "Where the Blacktop Ends". He's no Clapton or Gatton, and not everyone loves him, but he's a damn good picker. He and Paisley still inspire me today.

Kieth Urban's good. A little poppy for my taste, but he's got a lot of talent.

My dad gave me my appreciation of music.

First person who made me want to pick up a guitar and play - Poison Ivy from the Cramps

Person who finally did - Jeff Buckley

Who makes me want to keep going - Michael Bloomfield

Jeff Buckley FTW.

Neither of my parents play any instrument, and they don't really "listen" to music...so I don't know where it came from. Maybe my cousins, from when I was just a little kid, but I really can't tell you when/where the bug bit me.

You know, giving it some thought, I think it was MTV. When MTV came on the air in '82, I was 11 years old. Seeing all those videos, the weekly Saturday Night Concert, and all that stuff...maybe? Who knows.

John Fogerty

When I was seven, my mom said, "I wish we had a musician in the family." Knowing nothing and having no ear, I asked for a guitar, took lessons, and learned. She got the ball rolling for me. Otherwise, I'd probably never have begun. Mom made me want to play. John Fogerty and Waylon made me want to dig in and make music. From there I've been inspired by too many to count.

Roy Rogers. He caught the bad guys, got the girl and came back to the ranch to sit around the fire to pick with the Sons of the Pioneers. His horse and dog were cool, too.

After that, James Burton of my sister's Ricky Nelson records. Of, course I didn't know who James Burton was back then. I just heard this twangy guitar...

When I was a child learning to play, my favorite guitarists, in no particular order, were...

Roy Clark
Jimi Hendrix
Charlie Christian
Eddie Lang

Ever since I was a kid I've loved guitar music (listening to my dads records by Django, Robert Normann, Segovia and many others), but it was the early 60's instrumental guitar bands that made me start playing: The Shadows, Ventures, Surfaris etc. ("Wipe Out", "Apache", "Geronimo" and "Driftin'" were probably the first songs I learned to play).

Steve Cropper and James Burton made me realize that the Telecaster wasn't just meant for rhythm playing (which I thought, since it had no trem bar:oops:).

The Beatles made me learn a lot of chords, and finally Clapton, Beck and Hendrix inspired me to start improvising solos.

Jimi Hendrix
SRV
EVH
YJM(Yngwie Malmsteen)
Brad Gillis
Tony Iommi
Jack White
David Williams(my uncle)
Bjork
The Doors
Iron Maiden
Led Zep
Frank Sinatra
Eddie Hazel
Ray Parker jr.
Curtis Mayfield
Alan Holdsworth
Ritchie Blackmore
DimeBag Darrell
Mark Morton(Lamb of God)
Steve Gaines(Lynyrd Skynyrd)

David Torn, Robert Fripp.

Guitarists/Bassist:
Toni Iommi
Geezer
Jimmy Page
John Paul Jones
David Gilmour
Yngwie Malmsteen
Randy Rhodes
Zakk Wylde
Lemmy
Kerry King
Bela Fleck
John 5
Victor Wooten
BB King
Joe Bonamassa

Bands:
Mudvayne/Hell Yeah - hometown band that made it...
Slipknot - Another midwest band that did their own thing and succeeded...
Between the Buried and Me - Crazy and Melodic at the same time...
Black Label Society - Just have to see them once to understand...
Rob Zombie - has John 5 Now!
Alice Cooper - Still rocks!

I could go on forever...

One of my earliest inspirations were the beatles. One of my very first albums was one by B.B. King, aquired on a ferry to norway or sweden, when I was just a kid (like 11 or 12 years old). It also featured joe walsh and another guitarist (can't remember the name, the album is long gone). I was amazed by the fact that the cover said who was playing where in the stereo panorama and that may have given me my first insight into differences in personal style. Later I dicovered pete townshend of the who, who somehow turned me to the tele (he was playing the black schecter when I first saw them - in Rockpalast, famous german music show back then). I was a convert and I am still a fan of his guitar work. I built my first tele from parts. I loved the police and andy summers sound in the eighties.
In my twenties (in the nineties) I was into jazz and discovered the contemporary modern players like frisell and scofield first, more classic players like grant green and kenny burrell later.
Recently I renewed my interest in the blues - B.B. King for sure, but also players like Robert Cray (my favourite singer), Albert Collins and so many more. Recently I discovered Josh Smith who is really great. And Guy King (a chicago based bluesman who is blending a lot of jazz into his tasteful style) gets a lot of playtime on my iPod.

My parents 1st, mom was a classically trained pianist & Pop was a studio guitarist. They started me young & encouraged me. Danny Gatton & Roy Buchannon who I met through my Pop. Then I heard West Side Soul by Magic Sam & I was blown away, I'd never be the same.

Bob Dylan (I learned to play guitar, harp, and sing all at the same time)

Musically:
Eric Johnson, James Taylor, Merle Haggard, Paul Simon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney,
Glenn Tillbrook, Lenny Breau, and Django Reinhardt.
Heroes, role models, inspirations:
Winston Churchhill, Mahatma Ghandi, Abe Lincoln, and my (late) parents.
I'm so glad they are/were around.