I often meet people (and musicians) who are unaware of some of these great players.
You can buy me a beer sometime…


Doc Watson - Doc started a generation of guitarists flat-picking fiddle tunes, myself included. Songs, instrumentals, banjo, bluegrass, blues, swing, whatever, he is the man.

Bill Monroe - Bill created a whole new sound we know and love. Bluegrass rules!

Jerry Douglas (resonators)
Tony Rice (guitar)
Dan Crary (guitar)
Jack Lawrence (guitar)
Bryan Sutton (guitar)
Bela Fleck (banjo)
David Grisman (mandolin)
Sam Bush (mandolin)
Vassar Clements (fiddle)
Mark O` Connor (fiddle)



Mississippi Fred MacDowell- Probably my favorite Delta blues guy. Fred can stop your heart with his rhythm changes and shock it back with his slide. The real deal.

Robert Pete Williams- A bit different style from a lot of the Delta blues guys. Hypnotic rhythm and great blues guitar playing with pure feeling.

Robert Johnson - Buy the whole set.

Lonnie Johnson - Generally regarded as the most technical of the blues guys. Great stuff!

Reverend Gary Davis - Probably the strongest combination of guitarist and bluesman. He played a lot of gospel, preachin` blues and ragtime. Brilliant musician.

Taj Mahal - If there is a set, buy it. Otherwise buy everything you can find! Tim Williams - Great Canadian bluesman and guitarist. Kelly Joe Phelps - Acoustic guitar, lap style slide. Sublime. Mesmerizing. Don Rooke (The Henrys) - Man, this is good stuff.

Muddy Waters - Hard to believe there could be anyone who doesn`t know this man but again, just in case…

Junior Brown - OK, so this guy decides that he needs to weld his Telecaster to his lap steel so that while fronting his killer band he can rip out country fried chicken pickin` Tele licks and switch to screamin`lap slide. The Hendrix of country…unbelievable.

Steve Morse - His stuff with the Dixie Dregs is hard to find but well worth it. What a monster guitarist…

Johnny Winter - Major guitar attitude! Sometimes accused of overplaying and being a bit over the top. I couldn't care less!! Let it rip! J.J. Cale - Never accused of overplaying or being over the top! Laid back and very groovy, understated guitar. You gotta have at least one album in any collection.

Charlie Christian - Jazz guitar great who played with all the big bands in the 30`s and 40`s.

Derek Trucks - Wow, this is frightening…

John Campbelljohn - Killer acoustic blues and over the top electric bottleneck and pedal steel.

The 12th Fret - I was scouring the big city for resonators and the only thing I could find was a roundneck Fender about 20 feet up on a rack in a chain store. At the back of the Fret there was a dozen resos in 2 lines on stands and that was surrounded by Scheerhorns, Gibsons, Beards, Johnsons, you name it. Grant walks by as I'm staring in amazement and says…

"Need any help? Try anything you want, if you need a slide there's one right there…oh, by the way, those are all squarenecks…"

Beautiful.

Best guitar store in Canada. Tell `em I said so.


MusicNL - The organization representing and supporting the music scene of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Bluegrass and Old Time Country Society of NL - The bluegrass scene on the Rock.

Rowdy Blues - A listing of blues musicians here in Newfoundland.

SJFAC - Promoting the folk arts and traditional music of the Island.

Atlantic Jazz Initiative - And yes, we have a major jazz scene as well!