Warning... the following is the guitar nerd in me babbling on about something probably only I will ever care about.
When I was a little boy, about 12 years old, and just beginning to learn the drums, my dad bought me a CD. "The Urge" by Stuart Hamm was recommended by the guy at the store for having some great drums. But as solid as the drums were I was equally, if not more, impressed by the bass and guitar tracks on this album. Stu Hamm, after all, is a bass virtuoso. One track in particular caught my attention, a song called Lone Star that featured exquisite electric guitar playing - both in tone, technique, and musical taste. This is before I ever even knew anything about, or thought about learning to play guitar. But I checked the CD jacket to look for the guitarist behind this awesome playing. It wasn't a household name by any stretch, a name I've never heard of, and someone I assumed was just some hired studio session musician. Though I continued to appreciate the song, revisiting it every once in a while and imagining myself playing the solos in front of an awed crowd, I immediately forgot the name of the guitarist and never gave it a second thought. Until now.
Now, a 27-year-old, and a guitarist of 12 years, the song comes up on shuffle on my ipod. On a whim I decide to look up the name of the guitar player and am quite surprised to find it is none other than Eric Johnson. Indeed, as I said before, his is not a household name. But on my journey with the guitar, I've grown to appreciate many "masters" of the instrument and Eric Johnson has become one of my heroes. He is unknown to most of the music world, but among avid electric guitar players and aficionados he is well known for his perfectionist pursuit of guitar tone and playing. So to find that this hero of mine, unbeknownst to me, was the hands behind one of the songs that have been a staple of my journey of music and guitar appreciation was quite a revelation to me.
This revelation probably means very little to you, and you'll wonder why I'm even bothering to write about this. But try this analogy: Imagine you are a young kid and you acquire this painting. You assume that this piece of art was merely painted by some undistinguished guy. But this painting really speaks to you, and it's a painting you'll never forget. Fast forward your life, you've spent the majority of your life pursuing art, studying the masters, and honing your discipline. Then one day, unexpectedly, you find out that the beloved painting you've had in your possession since you were a child was painted by none other than a master that you've grown to revere and idolize.
I don't know, call me a nerd. But this revelation just confirms for me the discerning ear I've always had and this love affair I have with this wonderful instrument.
