Which Guitarists Have You Discovered, Maybe Late In Their Career, That You Never Knew Were Badass?

TSJMajesty

Fractal Fanatic
Couple old ones, off the top of my head: Glen Campbell, Les Paul, & Chet Adkins. And in a somewhat similar vein, Roy Clark. All of em smokin players that I never got to know until maybe within the last 5-10 years. And my old man always watched Hee Haw, LOL. And Glen was good friends with Alice Cooper! (It's the internet, dummy.)

Who are yours?
 
Jerry Donahue. When I first heard his tune King Arthur's Dream on the Hellecasters' first album, I then looked up some of his videos on youtube demonstrating his amazing string bending technique. I then went back and listened to him on older recordings I was already familiar with from Fairport Convention and Fotheringay.
 
Oh yeah, Jerry Reed was another one. And he was actually a good actor too. Not one of those, I-got-an-acting-gig-because-I'm-a-famous-musician-but-I-really-suck, kinda deals. He was GOOD! "C'mon Fred. Git in the truck."

And on the opposite side of that coin... guitarists who you thought were good, but weren't... I was such a huge Aerosmith fan in grade school that me and a buddy could name, in order, by memory, all the songs from their first 5 albums, but I never knew till decades later that sessions guitarists played the solos (at least some, including the ones on Train Kept A Rollin) on their early albums, not Joe Perry!
 
Tim Pierce. I had no idea he played on so many hit songs. Definitely one of many unsung hero session players out there. His YouTube channel is great.
This. There are a lot of modern groups that I instantly took a liking to....and later found out that Tim had a hand in doing the guitars.
 
Wow. I still didn't know that about Joe and Aerosmith.
Actually, I was a bit mistaken (memory's the first to go...)..., it was just the solos on Train Kept a Rollin. Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner played them and didn't receive any album credit in the liner notes.
 
Wow. Didn't Dick stand in for Ace on some Kiss records?

They did some sick playing and writing on those iconic Alice Cooper albums. too.
 
Saturday evenings growing up was Hee-Haw at 6PM and Lawrence Welk at 7PM. Pretty sure we
only had 2 or 3 TV channels, and they wouldn't always come in all the time with a VHF antennae. :)
 
I don't know anything else about those 2 players, but I suppose it's quite possible. I seem to recall they got around, and were in demand. Maybe somebody else knows more about them...?

"And a 1 and a 2..." Yeah, Hee Haw, 3 channels (and 1 UHF channel if you were lucky!) and the Tennarotor on top of the TV! We must've grown up in parallel universes!

I also remember staying up late for The Midnight Special on Friday's, & Don Kishner's Rock Concert on Saturday's, if I didn't fall asleep first!
 
Both of those guys are perfect for this thread you made. :)

Steve Hunter is all over the DLR album A Little Ain't Enough when he had to fill in
for Jason Becker.
 


Alice Cooper's image and theatrics often overshadow how AMAZING the music and
arrangements were. His peak 70's ear albums are works of art, in my opinion.

Steve HJunter and Dick Wagner were married for a long time as a guitar duo, playing in Lou Reed's band before
joining up with Alice.
 
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