Great guitar players

[pawpawdiv9]

I love the blues/rock/country guitarist.
All the above are greats.
Grew up on Clapton & Stevie Ray Vaughn
I also add Joe Walsh (from the Eagles)
Johnny Lang
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
and the new kid --Marcus King

[todeen]

First, I'm adding a couple videos for you to enjoy to appreciate the instruments, not necessarily the guitars. Sorry it goes off track. This has been a great thread.

I listen almost solely to country music. I have heard with the passing of Glen Campbell, Vince Gill now holds the mantle of greatest country guitar player. Here is Chet Atkins requesting Gill play OKLAHOMA BORDERLINE. Guitar solo starts at 5:20.

https://youtu.be/Stv3ugVFZD8

Chris Stapleton (mentioned earlier with JT....I didn't know JT could play an instrument!) might compete with Eric Church as the best modern/mainstream country musician IMO who could fall under neo-country. Both Church and Stapleton could be outlaw country as well. There is a branch called bro-country and it makes me gag; Church has many bro-country friends. Lainey Wilson, mentioned earlier, is not played on my country station because she is considered too Pop (listeners are surveyed for likes and dislikes and she has not made the cut). Morgan Wallen also is never played.

Since you brought up Roy Clark and Hee Haw, you must watch ORANGE BLOSSOM SPECIAL. My wife plays the viola and she said what Clark does on the fiddle is fantastic.

https://youtu.be/zPmapd7htio

Another country / western musician is Michael Martin Murphy. His most famous song is WILDFIRE, but the instrument solos on CAROLINA IN THE PINES will bring a smile to your face. He started long ago in California with the Eagles and Jackson Browne. Murphy is considered a living legend in Western style music (not the same as country music).

https://youtu.be/c3J1J61VsYM

Finally, if you are from Tennessee, I salute you with ROCKY TOP. This is some fine picking from the Osborne Brothers.

https://youtu.be/_n9prNixjbg

Sent from my SM-G9900 using Tapatalk

[todeen]

Originally Posted by steve B

this brought a big smile to my face. thanks for sharing!

Sent from my SM-G9900 using Tapatalk

[Exhibitman]

I'm biased to rock and roll I like, and I look at the overall body of work:

1. Jimmy Page: the alpha and omega of rock guitar for me.
2. Alex Lifeson: greased lightning on the fretboard. The solo on Working Man, just amazing.
3. Prince: see Clapton's comment above. What he could do in concert when he cut loose was just transcendent. So happy I got to see him.
4. Eddie Van Halen: Eruption. nuf ced.
5. Brian May: a unique sound that worked perfectly with Freddie Mercury's vocals
6. Rossington-Collins-Gaines: had to put them in together because they played as one at the apex of Skynyrd and it was brilliant.
7. Hendrix: would rate higher but died too young
8. Duane Allman: same as Hendrix
9. Angus Young-Malcolm Young: like the Skynyrd guys, they are inseparable to me.
10. Tom Scholz: because of his innovations. Nothing sounded quite like him. Boston is the greatest debut album I've ever heard.

I left off Clapton and Beck because i just don't like their stuff as much.

Kudos also for Johnny Ramone. How different and great was he? Watch other guys trying to play like him. They struggle.

[Peter_Spaeth]

For all I know he was mediocre technically, but for making it work in the context of a hit song, Chuck Berry.

[Exhibitman]

This is phenomenal

https://youtu.be/zqUDWAt0XSE

[tschock]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

For all I know he was mediocre technically, but for making it work in the context of a hit song, Chuck Berry.

Agree. For me, the reverse is true as well. There are a lot of technically great players who lack the ability (or willingness?) to project the 'emotion' of the song they are playing. And I personally prefer those that might be lacking in the technical skills but who are able to drive home the purpose of the song they are playing.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by tschock

Agree. For me, the reverse is true as well. There are a lot of technically great players who lack the ability (or willingness?) to project the 'emotion' of the song they are playing. And I personally prefer those that might be lacking in the technical skills but who are able to drive home the purpose of the song they are playing.

People rave about Prince and While My Guitar Gently Weeps at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (I think), but to me, pyrotechnics notwithstanding, his performance had nothing to do with the mood of the song. I agree with you completely, in a vacuum I could not care less about technical prowess.

Likewise, there are many great singers with not so great voices, and vice versa.

[sthoemke]

Buckethead, seriously.

[irv]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I'm biased to rock and roll I like, and I look at the overall body of work:


6. Rossington-Collins-Gaines: had to put them in together because they played as one at the apex of Skynyrd and it was brilliant.

I assume you're familiar with this song, Adam?
Written and sung by Steve Gaines.
I remember reading/hearing a story where Cassie, his sister, tried to get the band to hear him/take him on but they were hesitant.
They decided then the sound guy, during a concert, dubbed out the rest of the band and solely listened to Steve which he shared with the rest of the band after the fact. It was then, I believe, they let him join.
I'm always torn which is my favorite band, Skynyrd or Zeppelin?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQPqoe5mnbw
https://www.songfacts.com/facts/lyny...t-no-good-life

[BobC]

Originally Posted by sthoemke

Buckethead, seriously.

Took my oldest, then 13 year-old, son and a couple of his friends to Ozzfest in 1999. When Primus hit the main stage, I remember them getting all excited and shouting about Buckethead performing with the group. I honestly did not know who Buckethead was, but quickly found out why they got so excited. Brian Patrick Carroll (AKA Buckethead) is definitely an extremely underrated guitarist who appears to be relatively unknown to a large part of the public at large, despite his many collaborations and accomplishments over many years.

I'm a little surprised that no one as of yet has given any mention to the Motor City Madman, though his politics may have some part in that. As has already been mentioned, technical virtuosity alone does not always a great guitar player make. And politics aside, there is something to be said about listening to the likes of Ted Nugent playing live.

Also, only briefly mentioned so far, Steve Howe deserves a little more attention and credit in my book as well. Someone does not get voted as the "Best Overall Guitarist" by the likes of Guitar Player magazine five consecutive years in a row (1977-81), nor become the first rock guitar player inducted into the Guitar Player Hall of Fame, without being pretty darn good.

As maybe a tangent or aside to this thread, would be curious to hear which and how many of these various acclaimed guitarists many of you have had the pleasure to see and hear perform live. Records are one thing, live performances to me can truly separate the men from the boys.

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by tschock

Agree. For me, the reverse is true as well. There are a lot of technically great players who lack the ability (or willingness?) to project the 'emotion' of the song they are playing. And I personally prefer those that might be lacking in the technical skills but who are able to drive home the purpose of the song they are playing.

I like listening to Def Leppard's Hysteria CD and the contrast between the guitarists. Especially on "Pour Some Sugar on Me." You have the technically perfect Phil Collen carrying the piece, but the spirit, personality, essence comes from Steve Clark, with his little bits that sometimes seemed out of tune. One provided the backbone while the other gave the song its emotion.

[Tere1071]

Julian Bream, Joe Pass, Eliot Fisk, Li Jei (check out her interpretation of Paganini's 24th Caprice on YouTube as a 13-year-old), Johnny Winter, George Van Eps, and Ted Greene because of his dedication to teaching guitar and that I knew personally in the late 70s as he was also a football card collector.

I also enjoy the music of Robert Fripp and Paul Dresher. My favorite in terms of rock would be Jimi Hendrix and the most fantastic guitar solo that plays through my head constantly is "I Heard Her Call My Name" by Lou Reed on the Velvet Underground's "White Light/White Heat."

I guess the best guitarist is the one whose playing is pleasing to a particular listener.

Phil aka Tere1071
A listener, not a player.

[judsonhamlin]

Two underrated guys who I haven’t seen mentioned yet are Robert Quine who was behind some of Lou Reed’s best sounds and Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze.
Fripp, May, Knopfler, Vai and Stevie Ray all rank up there with Hendrix and Prince in the top tier.

[Peter_Spaeth]

As I said above, I couldn't care less how "good" he actually was. When you can generate joy like this, that's what matters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6swgiM9vSEE&t=0s

[BobC]

Originally Posted by judsonhamlin

Two underrated guys who I haven’t seen mentioned yet are Robert Quine who was behind some of Lou Reed’s best sounds and Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze.
Fripp, May, Knopfler, Vai and Stevie Ray all rank up there with Hendrix and Prince in the top tier.

Another mention of Fripp. For those unaware, Fripp and his wife, Latoya Wilcox, have regularly throughout the pandemic been releasing their "Sunday Lunch" performance videos online for all to see and hear.

Some examples, including their Christmas 2022 release:

https://www.nme.com/news/music/toyah...-lunch-3371713

https://consequence.net/2022/11/robe...k-and-destroy/

https://www.goldradiouk.com/news/mus...-lunch-videos/

[Michael B]

Originally Posted by BobC

Another mention of Fripp. For those unaware, Fripp and his wife, Latoya Wilcox, have regularly throughout the pandemic been releasing their "Sunday Lunch" performance videos online for all to see and hear.

Some examples, including their Christmas 2022 release:

https://www.nme.com/news/music/toyah...-lunch-3371713

https://consequence.net/2022/11/robe...k-and-destroy/

https://www.goldradiouk.com/news/mus...-lunch-videos/

Toyah Willcox was originally a 'new wave' singer performing just as "Toyah'. I remember when she first started out in the late 70's early 80's. She had multiple hits in the U.K though she never caught on here in the States. She is also an actress, author and as they say over there 'tv presenter. I believe she may have had some health issues in the last decade or so.

[robw1959]

Originally Posted by gonefishin

Believe it or not - Glen Campbell.

If you haven't seen the documentary: "I'll be Me". Please watch it. It documents Glen's progression and destruction from Alzheimer's. Toward the end he couldn't remember his wife's name, however, he could still play the guitar amazingly well. The doctor said he could do that because it required no thought on his part. It was a part of his nature and required absolutely no thought. Crazy!

Here's a terrific clip of Glenn playing the "William Tell Overture." There are even other Youtube clips of him playing a portion of this same composition while holding the guitar behind his head!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bhuxkzjuQc

[robw1959]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I'm biased to rock and roll I like, and I look at the overall body of work:

1. Jimmy Page: the alpha and omega of rock guitar for me.
2. Alex Lifeson: greased lightning on the fretboard. The solo on Working Man, just amazing.
3. Prince: see Clapton's comment above. What he could do in concert when he cut loose was just transcendent. So happy I got to see him.
4. Eddie Van Halen: Eruption. nuf ced.
5. Brian May: a unique sound that worked perfectly with Freddie Mercury's vocals
6. Rossington-Collins-Gaines: had to put them in together because they played as one at the apex of Skynyrd and it was brilliant.
7. Hendrix: would rate higher but died too young
8. Duane Allman: same as Hendrix
9. Angus Young-Malcolm Young: like the Skynyrd guys, they are inseparable to me.
10. Tom Scholz: because of his innovations. Nothing sounded quite like him. Boston is the greatest debut album I've ever heard.

I left off Clapton and Beck because i just don't like their stuff as much.

Kudos also for Johnny Ramone. How different and great was he? Watch other guys trying to play like him. They struggle.

With regard to #4 on your list, Eddie Van Halen was asked by Rolling Stone Magazine in the 1980s how it felt to be the world's greatest guitar player. His response was, "I don't know; ask
Phil Keaggy." Here are a couple of his solo cllips . . .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T3to3DHLIE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aoDEMETXek

[BobC]

Originally Posted by Michael B

Toyah Willcox was originally a 'new wave' singer performing just as "Toyah'. I remember when she first started out in the late 70's early 80's. She had multiple hits in the U.K though she never caught on here in the States. She is also an actress, author and as they say over there 'tv presenter. I believe she may have had some health issues in the last decade or so.

She looks like she's doing pretty good these days though, doesn't she?

[Tere1071]

Originally Posted by judsonhamlin

Two underrated guys who I haven’t seen mentioned yet are Robert Quine who was behind some of Lou Reed’s best sounds and Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze.
Fripp, May, Knopfler, Vai and Stevie Ray all rank up there with Hendrix and Prince in the top tier.

Another unique guitarist was Glenn Branca.

[Tere1071]

How could I forget Elmore James and some of the members of the Wrecking Crew (Tommy Tedesco and Barney Kessel), which also included Glen Campbell?

Phil aka Tere1071
a listener, not a player

Slash and Eddy Van Halen

[obcbobd]

Chuck Berry and of course his greatest disciple and king of the riff Keith Richards!

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by irv

I assume you're familiar with this song, Adam?
Written and sung by Steve Gaines.
I remember reading/hearing a story where Cassie, his sister, tried to get the band to hear him/take him on but they were hesitant.
They decided then the sound guy, during a concert, dubbed out the rest of the band and solely listened to Steve which he shared with the rest of the band after the fact. It was then, I believe, they let him join.
I'm always torn which is my favorite band, Skynyrd or Zeppelin?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQPqoe5mnbw
https://www.songfacts.com/facts/lyny...t-no-good-life

I've heard that story before. I watched the LS documentary on Prime(?) a while ago.

Take a look at this one:

https://youtu.be/QxIWDmmqZzY

One of the greatest live performances I've ever seen on video. The guitarists played as one, with perfect synergy and pure rock and roll joyousness. And did they ever know how to close a song! I wish I'd been old enough to go to a show. Best comment in the comments section, referring to the numerous crowd pans of young ladies in various states of undress was "Our grandmas were hot." Our grandmas? More like our older sisters. Sic transit gloria mundi.

[GasHouseGang]

I always liked Michael Hedges. I saw him at The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano about a year before his death. Check out the video for Aerial Boundries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaIN13aDbCc

[irv]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I've heard that story before. I watched the LS documentary on Prime(?) a while ago.

Take a look at this one:

https://youtu.be/QxIWDmmqZzY

One of the greatest live performances I've ever seen on video. The guitarists played as one, with perfect synergy and pure rock and roll joyousness. And did they ever know how to close a song! I wish I'd been old enough to go to a show. Best comment in the comments section, referring to the numerous crowd pans of young ladies in various states of undress was "Our grandmas were hot." Our grandmas? More like our older sisters. Sic transit gloria mundi.

That is a great clip. I had a few friends back in day who were lucky enough to see the original Skynyrd live in Gainesville Florida. (I believe it was Gainesville?) I forget who all opened for them or who also played during this festival but it was full of southern fried rock bands according to my friends. 38 Special, The Outlaws maybe?

Anyways, I'm curious if you ever heard/read about the story of Skynyrd opening for the Rolling Stones back in 76 at Knebworth?
According to the story, the crowd was rather bored, forlorn and sleepy, but that all changed when Skynyrd came on and woke them up.
All the bands had strict instructions from Mick not to go out on "The Tongue" but of course Ronnie, being the southern rebel he was, paid no attention to that during the playing of Freebird. (You can see him pushing Collins and Rossington out onto the tongue even though they are resisting because they knew the rule then he directs Gaines to come down as well)

The following acts, once Skynyrd were done their set, were afraid to follow Skynyrd because they knew it was a very tough, if not an impossible act to follow. They all let a major amount of time pass before they did decide but it didn't matter, according to the story, as no one came close to rocking the place like Lynyrd Skynyrd did, even the Rolling Stones, who played their longest set ever.
https://willhearn.com/2019/10/04/leg...-at-knebworth/
https://patch.com/new-jersey/ridgewo...ic-performance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm7bkVxBXdA

[stlcardsfan]

Originally Posted by ClementeFanOh

Since he hasn't been mentioned and is magnificent- Alex Lifeson

Trent King

PS- great call on Terry Kath

I’ll second Alex Lifeson. Very underrated. This might be the best instrumental of all time. Check out the first guitar solo at 3:51.

https://youtu.be/eK1hmDpa8bo

[BobC]

Originally Posted by stlcardsfan

I’ll send Alex Lifeson. Very underrated. This might be the best instrumental of all time. Check out the first guitar solo at 3:51.

https://youtu.be/eK1hmDpa8bo

Fantastic link and performance. Had the pleasure to see him play in the early 70's when Rush first started touring. Cleveland had a famous bar/band venue known as the Cleveland Agora. And they would regularly have what were called "Monday Night's Out" concerts with up-and-coming acts before they become too big and famous for such a small bar venue. They were usually co-sponsored by Cleveland's then-iconic, and considered at one-time America's #1 rock-n-roll radio station, WMMS, the "home of the buzzard"! Can still remember sitting with a high school buddy of mine on the top of a table, pushed up against the back wall, only about 40-50 feet from the stage, as he led into the opening chords/riff of "Working Man".

In fact, rather than just telling you about it, cursor down in this link and you can actually hear what I was hearing, and seeing, in person while sipping on a beer.

https://www.cleveland.com/life-and-c...d-agora-c.html

And the original, iconic Cleveland Agora Ballroom that was on East 24th Street, just a block north of Cleveland State University, did this type of concert virtually every Monday night. The 35 performances listed in this link are literally just a mere drop in the bucket. And I saw a few of them. Like the Kiss performance also on this list from April Fool's Day in 1974. Oddly enough, a friend from high school and I were sitting at a table drinking 3.2 piss-water beer about 15-20 feet from the stage for that one. And Kiss wasn't even the headliner, they were only the opening act. We were actually there to see Rory Gallagher.

In fact, Rory Gallagher is another very celebrated rock guitarist who was an inspiration and admired by many other musicians of the time. Very blues oriented, and very much a live performer. He almost became a Rolling Stone, and hung out and collaborated with the likes of Keith Richards and Jimmy Page. For example, he wrote the opening riff to "Start Me Up". He was at times referred to as "the greatest guitarist you've never heard of" due to his surprising lack of overall fame, and somewhat early death in 1995 at the age of only 47.

If you like acoustic guitar and blues, check out "As the Crow Flies". For more of a rock sound, check out "A Million Miles Away".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heD3siavZBg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w0kQ74kZcw

Some interesting fact/tidbits. At the Kiss show, Kiss's finale was "Firehouse" (their first album had just come out and they didn't have any of their big hits yet), and they had some old-fashioned revolving red police/fire department lights going off during the finale, along with a smoke machine. Unfortunately, the Agora was not a regular theater type venue with a high, open ceiling over the stage. Was an old industrial building and really just one big room they built an elevated stage about 3-4 feet above the rest of the floor on. No curtains or anything like that. Kiss had their drum set on an elevated platform another couple of feet or so above the rest of the stage, and additionally on some kind of risers that pushed Peter Criss even higher up during the finale for a more dramatic effect I guess. He just barely made it to the end of the song before passing out from smoke inhalation, as the smoke had nowhere to really go and just accumulated against the low ceiling. He ended up having to be taken to the emergency room. At the Iggy Pop show, Bowie didn't really do anything other than stay in the background and play keyboard for Pop. He didn't want to take anything away from Iggy and his group. And though not on the top 35 list, after a friend and I saw The Babys with John Waite perform at the Agora one Monday night, we went to get coffee and something to eat at the nearby Swingo's Keg & Quarter restaurant, bar, and hotel. It was the place in Cleveland where pretty much all the rock groups and performers stayed when they came to perform in or around downtown Cleveland. Lo and behold, we end up in the booth right next to The Babys and Waite, My God, though a few years older than my friend and I, they acted like a bunch of ridiculous, immature, out of control, 3-year-olds with no parents around. I felt so bad for the waitress taking care of them. I think she would have clubbed each one of them if she could have gotten away with it. LOL But that was why people stayed at Swingo's back then.

[Frank A]

Originally Posted by GasHouseGang

Don't forget Roy Clark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xssnp7R51A

I remember that show, and since then I have always thought Roy was the best Guitar player I ever heard.

[stlcardsfan]

Great stuff BobC! The sound quality on the Agora tracks are superb! Listening to AC/DC Live Wire right now! What a legendary venue that must have been. Thanks for the link.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by stlcardsfan

Great stuff BobC! The sound quality on the Agora tracks are superb! Listening to AC/DC Live Wire right now! What a legendary venue that must have been. Thanks for the link.

There is still an Agora Theater today, just in a different location, but still in somewhat the same capacity as the original venue going back to the late 60s/early 70s. They still look to showcase up and coming acts in a pretty small and intimate venue. Back in the day, the Agora the was tied in with the local #1 rock station, WMMS 101.7, and thus I believe a main reason the sound quality and recordings they had from all those years ago are still so great.

https://www.ticketsales.com/agora-th...eland%20-%20OH

The man behind the Agora, Hank LaConti, is a local legend.

https://www.cleveland.com/entertainm...gora_club.html

And I was lucky enough to have a college buddy of mine, and his older brother, who both worked at the original Agora at its East 24th location. In fact, my buddy's older brother later on became the manager of LaConti's Painseville Agora when it opened in the late 70s. He used to call me when he had trouble with people calling off and remember him calling to come out and man the box office for him at times. I was lucky enough to be on hand at the Painesville Agora selling tickets the night that Jonah Koslen, the former leader guitarist for The Michael Stanley Band, had the world performing debut of his new band, Breathless, that same night. Got to watch part of a great show by an outstanding guitarist and performer.

The Agora was the Cleveland version of legendary venues such as CBGB's or the Whiskey A-Go-Go. Cleveland may not get the hype and love of other cities like New York, Chicago, or LA when it comes to music, but there is a reason the Rock HOF is here, and not in any of those other cities.

[JollyElm]

That's really bizarre. I was just looking up the Agora Ballroom, because I have mp3s of "Boston Live At Agora Ballroom 1976" and wanted to see what the place is/was. Never heard of it before, and BOOM!!! the moment I look it up, there's a reference to it in a thread. Strange days, indeed.

Oh, has anyone 'nominated' Tom Scholz yet? He unquestionably deserves to be included here.

[JollyElm]

That's really bizarre. I was just looking up the Agora Ballroom, because I have mp3s of "Boston Live At Agora Ballroom 1976" and wanted to see what the place is/was. Never heard of it before, and BOOM!!! the moment I look it up, there's a reference to it in a thread. Strange days, indeed.

Oh, has anyone 'nominated' Tom Scholz yet? He unquestionably deserves to be included here. It's nearly impossoble to listen to a Boston tune and NOT go into air guitar mode.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

That's really bizarre. I was just looking up the Agora Ballroom, because I have mp3s of "Boston Live At Agora Ballroom 1976" and wanted to see what the place is/was. Never heard of it before, and BOOM!!! the moment I look it up, there's a reference to it in a thread. Strange days, indeed.

Oh, has anyone 'nominated' Tom Scholz yet? He unquestionably deserves to be included here. It's nearly impossoble to listen to a Boston tune and NOT go into air guitar mode.

Hey Darren,

What is the old saying, "Truth is stranger than fiction!", right?

You can't make up stuff like this. Will always have the memories of the old Agora. It was open seven days a week. The concerts were just on Monday nights. The rest of the week it was just your local bar with live local bands playing. (With the exception of the Wednesday morning "Coffee Break" concerts they also held there at times, emceed by the WMMS deejay Matt the Cat, and broadcast live on local FM rock station WMMS.)

There was actually a second, separate bar in the basement of the Agora building also, somewhat appropriately called the "Mistake". Much smaller and more intimate than the upstairs Agora, and open mostly on the weekend nights. But still featured live local bands. Can still remember the night the Hell's Angels showed up in the Mistake, and I witnessed a couple of them beat and kick the $hit out of some guy who just accidently bumped into the one Angel standing at the bar. My college buddy's older brother was actually working behind the bar in the Mistake that night, and I remember looking over and seeing him standing back away from the bar with the baseball bat they kept behind it in his hands, with this absolutely shocked and stunned look on his face. The beat-down was over so fast, if you blinked twice, you'd miss it. Nobody could do anything because it had happened so quick The two Angels who did it turned right back around and started drinking and talking to themselves as if nothing had happened, totally ignoring the poor guy who lay on the floor all battered and bloody. A couple of his friends gathered him up and got him out of there pronto. The rest of the Angels gang in the bar, maybe a dozen or so, never moved or did anything, and went right back to talking and drinking themselves as if nothing had happened either. It wasn't more than five minutes or so later that I saw more Cleveland police officers than I had ever seen all in one place in my life. There were many in riot gear and with shields and shotguns. My friend and I snuck outside to watch as the cops formed two lines and "escorted" the entire gang of Hells Angels outside through the corridor of cops they had formed, and had them get onto their bikes. They left, and immediately afterwards so did all the cops, without apparently arresting anybody. It was after that that I developed a new understanding and appreciation for the biker movies put out back then. Was definitely not your typical Saturday night in Cleveland, Ohio back in the 70s. LOL Just another chapter in the Agora legend.

[KCRfan1]

A new guy to watch is Aidan Fisher.

https://m.facebook.com/aidanfishermu...2479471197465/

[steve B]

Interesting, when I hear the Agora I think of the converted hangar/quonset hut/hockey arena that is better known as the West Hartford Ballroom, but went by "the agora" for a while before that name.

Im guessing they didn't know about the other places and got told to change? Or maybe the same owner but he sold it later?

[steve B]

I forgot about buckethead.

I also forgot about Buck Dharma

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIUKlVEvyTo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUIELsVpv4M

[BobC]

Originally Posted by steve B

Interesting, when I hear the Agora I think of the converted hangar/quonset hut/hockey arena that is better known as the West Hartford Ballroom, but went by "the agora" for a while before that name.

Im guessing they didn't know about the other places and got told to change? Or maybe the same owner but he sold it later?

https://www.mmone.org/agora-ballroom/

The West Hartford location was just one of about a dozen locations across the US that Cleveland Agora founder, Hank LaConti, opened up in the late 70s/early 80s when he tried expanding the original location and idea he had started in Cleveland. For whatever reason, changing times, changing/different people, changing tastes, they didn't last like the original Cleveland location.

[earlywynnfan]

Originally Posted by BobC

Hey Darren,

What is the old saying, "Truth is stranger than fiction!", right?

You can't make up stuff like this. Will always have the memories of the old Agora. It was open seven days a week. The concerts were just on Monday nights. The rest of the week it was just your local bar with live local bands playing. (With the exception of the Wednesday morning "Coffee Break" concerts they also held there at times, emceed by the WMMS deejay Matt the Cat, and broadcast live on local FM rock station WMMS.)

There was actually a second, separate bar in the basement of the Agora building also, somewhat appropriately called the "Mistake". Much smaller and more intimate than the upstairs Agora, and open mostly on the weekend nights. But still featured live local bands. Can still remember the night the Hell's Angels showed up in the Mistake, and I witnessed a couple of them beat and kick the $hit out of some guy who just accidently bumped into the one Angel standing at the bar. My college buddy's older brother was actually working behind the bar in the Mistake that night, and I remember looking over and seeing him standing back away from the bar with the baseball bat they kept behind it in his hands, with this absolutely shocked and stunned look on his face. The beat-down was over so fast, if you blinked twice, you'd miss it. Nobody could do anything because it had happened so quick The two Angels who did it turned right back around and started drinking and talking to themselves as if nothing had happened, totally ignoring the poor guy who lay on the floor all battered and bloody. A couple of his friends gathered him up and got him out of there pronto. The rest of the Angels gang in the bar, maybe a dozen or so, never moved or did anything, and went right back to talking and drinking themselves as if nothing had happened either. It wasn't more than five minutes or so later that I saw more Cleveland police officers than I had ever seen all in one place in my life. There were many in riot gear and with shields and shotguns. My friend and I snuck outside to watch as the cops formed two lines and "escorted" the entire gang of Hells Angels outside through the corridor of cops they had formed, and had them get onto their bikes. They left, and immediately afterwards so did all the cops, without apparently arresting anybody. It was after that that I developed a new understanding and appreciation for the biker movies put out back then. Was definitely not your typical Saturday night in Cleveland, Ohio back in the 70s. LOL Just another chapter in the Agora legend.

I'm showing my age and faulty memory, was it the Agora where early Metallica was so loud plaster was falling from the ceiling during the show??

[BobC]

Originally Posted by earlywynnfan

I'm showing my age and faulty memory, was it the Agora where early Metallica was so loud plaster was falling from the ceiling during the show??

Hey Ken,

I think you may be right, I unfortunately did not go to that particular Monday night concert (married w/kids by then). But I think if you go back to the link I included in one of my earlier posts (Post #79), it talks about Metallica's 12/18/83 concert at the Agora, along with 34 other acts that had performed at the old Agora over the years as well. Unfortunately, the YouTube video/recording link from that show is apparently no longer available. I honestly wasn't aware of that site and those available recordings until doing a little online research in response to someone else's Alex Lifeson/Rush post. Talk about bringing back memories though, WOW!

[Exhibitman]

Darren, I posted Scholz earlier in the thread. So innovative, I absolutely love the first album, even Let Me Take You Home Tonight, which is a bit cringey lyrically.

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

As I said above, I couldn't care less how "good" he actually was. When you can generate joy like this, that's what matters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6swgiM9vSEE&t=0s

Originally Posted by obcbobd

Chuck Berry and of course his greatest disciple and king of the riff Keith Richards!

I'm a horny guy (tenor sax), but seeing Chuck live was a treat.

[Orioles1954]

Johnny Marr of The Smiths

[steve B]

Originally Posted by BobC

https://www.mmone.org/agora-ballroom/

The West Hartford location was just one of about a dozen locations across the US that Cleveland Agora founder, Hank LaConti, opened up in the late 70s/early 80s when he tried expanding the original location and idea he had started in Cleveland. For whatever reason, changing times, changing/different people, changing tastes, they didn't last like the original Cleveland location.

The only time I went there was that Stryper show they mentioned.

Insane and weird show and place.

The lines were crazy, all the way around the building. But the person I went with said we can just go to the box office and the lines were for people who already had tickets. Box office had a line like 10 people long.

First time I saw a vending machine that took dollars.

They had beer girls! Carrying a case of beer in a somewhat suggestive location, must have been very profitable. "Would you like a beer?" "Oh yes!" "Ok, that will be $3".... later on thinking "I paid way over retail for a warm bud just because she held the case near her chest... I'm sooo stupid"

The warmup acts were forgettable metal bands. and it was really hot in there.

Stryper... People in the crowd passed out, and were taken out over the stage. One girl realized that got her close to the band, and faked it then got away and nearly tackled the guitar player mid -solo. To his credit he didn't miss any of it. And it wasn't like the staged stuff for videos, it took 3 security guys to peel her off ... twice!

I had heard about the bibles and figured it would be pocket ones, or maybe small paperback versions... nope, full size hardcovers. Ok, they just drop them into the front rows. Umm, ok, throwing them a bit farther back and a bit farther still... last couple were really thrown all the way back near the sound board. Last one nailed some kid right in the forehead.

Wild times. And maybe close to the end, I moved back up to mass maybe a year later in late 87

[1952boyntoncollector]

John Fruciente

[BobC]

Originally Posted by steve B

The only time I went there was that Stryper show they mentioned.

Insane and weird show and place.

The lines were crazy, all the way around the building. But the person I went with said we can just go to the box office and the lines were for people who already had tickets. Box office had a line like 10 people long.

First time I saw a vending machine that took dollars.

They had beer girls! Carrying a case of beer in a somewhat suggestive location, must have been very profitable. "Would you like a beer?" "Oh yes!" "Ok, that will be $3".... later on thinking "I paid way over retail for a warm bud just because she held the case near her chest... I'm sooo stupid"

The warmup acts were forgettable metal bands. and it was really hot in there.

Stryper... People in the crowd passed out, and were taken out over the stage. One girl realized that got her close to the band, and faked it then got away and nearly tackled the guitar player mid -solo. To his credit he didn't miss any of it. And it wasn't like the staged stuff for videos, it took 3 security guys to peel her off ... twice!

I had heard about the bibles and figured it would be pocket ones, or maybe small paperback versions... nope, full size hardcovers. Ok, they just drop them into the front rows. Umm, ok, throwing them a bit farther back and a bit farther still... last couple were really thrown all the way back near the sound board. Last one nailed some kid right in the forehead.

Wild times. And maybe close to the end, I moved back up to mass maybe a year later in late 87

That is a great story Steve, and rivals some of the ones I remember and have already posted about from shows I'd seen at the original Cleveland Agora. Sounds like you had a heck of a time at the show, and I'm guessing it is one those things that you'll always be able to fondly look back upon and remember, and never regret having gone to. LOL

I think shows in small, more intimate venues like the Agora's of the world are way better than most of the huge stadium shows. Don't get me wrong, being able to see the likes of Zeppelin or the Stones, regardless of the venue size, is great. But seeing some of these groups in the smaller, night club/bar like venues before they become too big for them, takes you back to the real roots of what rock was all about, and how it was supposed to be performed, heard, seen, and truly enjoyed.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

I'm a horny guy (tenor sax), but seeing Chuck live was a treat.

Frank, I couldn't agree with you more! Glad to hear you had a chance to see him live.

Got lucky enough to catch him at an oddball, late-afternoon/early evening performance at the Tower City complex in downtown Cleveland. In other words, in one of the lower levels of the Terminal Tower building on Cleveland's Public Square. (Cleveland - The only city in the world with a Tower that is Terminal, overlooking a Lake that is Erie!) That was on March 21, 1986, and was called the Moondog Coronation Ball II (held on the 34th anniversary of the original Moondog Coronation Ball emceed by Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed who is credited with first coining the term rock-n-roll in regard to the music being played) and was one of the reasons the Rock-N-Roll HOF ended up in Cleveland. About 3,500 people actually attended, and I was lucky to be one of them.

It was one of those concerts/performances he was so famous for where he just shows up and then pulls his guitar out of its case and jumps onstage to join the supporting backup band he's never met or played with before, and whose only prerequisite is to supposedly know Chuck Berry's greatest hits. Was just an open floor, with no seats, and a makeshift stage that was obviously just thrown together and quickly taken apart after the show was done. (And Eric Carmen of the Raspberries was the opening act.) No fancy venue or acoustics, and was more like attending a high school dance at your local school gym. But for all the things that were just slapped together and could go wrong with such a questionable location and backing band, damn, could that man play, perform, and put on a show. To really appreciate Chuck Berry, you had to see and hear him perform live. There may be faster, tighter, sharper, and overall more gifted and talented guitarists in the world, but when he's duckwalking across the stage while playing "Johnny Be Good", there is nothing in the entire history and realm of rock-n-roll that ever has, nor ever will, equal, let alone exceed it.......PERIOD!

I have never thought of or considered Elvis as the king of rock-n-roll. And forget Bill Hailey and the Comets, "Rock Around the Clock", and everything and everyone else being the first of anything. Rock-n-roll truly only began with one man, and one man alone.......Chuck Berry!

https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/...at-chuck-berry

[mcgwirecom]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWRCooFKk3c


Suddenly at 3:30 into the song a guy in a red hat steps forward and channels Jimi Hendrix. I was never a huge fan but he sure could play!

[steve B]

Originally Posted by BobC

That is a great story Steve, and rivals some of the ones I remember and have already posted about from shows I'd seen at the original Cleveland Agora. Sounds like you had a heck of a time at the show, and I'm guessing it is one those things that you'll always be able to fondly look back upon and remember, and never regret having gone to. LOL

I think shows in small, more intimate venues like the Agora's of the world are way better than most of the huge stadium shows. Don't get me wrong, being able to see the likes of Zeppelin or the Stones, regardless of the venue size, is great. But seeing some of these groups in the smaller, night club/bar like venues before they become too big for them, takes you back to the real roots of what rock was all about, and how it was supposed to be performed, heard, seen, and truly enjoyed.

What's even funnier is the person I went with was more an acquaintance, kid my brother knew from scouts or something who had complained a couple months before that his friends had taken his money and ditched him or simply never shown up to pick him up three straight concerts. "Oh yeah, we'll leave a ticket for you at the will call window" So I offered to drive to pretty much any concert as long as he bought the tickets.

And there's a card collecting angle, he worked for McDonalds, and at the end of the football card promotion got me a trash bag full of that weeks leftover cards. Ended up with 100+ sets.

Later on, he cracked a bat playing in the yard with a few guys. My brother said it was pretty old, I ended up swapping a store bought bat I had for what I'm almost positive is a Fred Parent gamer, plus a few other old bats that were pretty beat, a D+M and a Batrite both I think store models.