Gretsch 6120

The iconic American guitar is the Gretsch model 6120, that Chet Atkins has endorsed and George Harrison, Pete Townshend, Brian Setzer, and other well known musicians used. 334 bold color images reveal its evolution into a highly collectible instrument produced in limited numbers. Fresh insights, compelling images, and significant new information explain what contributed to its development. Get the most accurate account to date of events in the Gretsch production environment of the 1950s and '60s. This book is an indispensable technical resource for dealers, collectors, and vintage guitar enthusiasts.

Randy Bachman has been rolling out chart-topping songs his whole life—“You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet,” “These Eyes,” “American Woman,” “Taking Care of Business”—and, since 2005, treating fans to a lifetime of stories on his hit CBC Radio show Randy’s Vinyl Tap. His approach is always fresh—even the most hardcore music fans will be surprised by what they can learn from Randy. Writing music and lyrics, performing live and recording #1 songs, producing new music, organizing reunion tours—Randy has done it all. Music is his life, and his anecdotes put you at the centre of it all. These are his best stories. Even with all his success Randy is “still that kid from Winnipeg,” and his enthusiasm for great music is as strong as ever. Hear how after years of dreaming Randy finally got to see his musical heroes, The Shadows, play live, and then got to record a Shadows tribute song with longtime friend Neil Young. Encounters with celebrities and rock legends abound, but it is the music that is the driving force behind his extraordinary career, and what brings us back for more stories from Randy’s Vinyl Tap.

First published in 2010, Ultimate Star Guitars, the first illustrated history of ticonic guitars and their owners, is now expanded to include 32 additional instruments. Where other best-selling guitar histories look at the rank-and-file models, Ultimate Star Guitars is unique in profiling the specific favorites of famous players - oftentimes million-dollar babies, such as the 1968 Stratocaster that Jimi Hendrix burned at Woodstock and which sold at Sotheby's in 1993 for $1.3 million. Guitar journalist Dave Hunter explains the stories behind each: the important sessions on which they were used, landmark tours and gigs on which they were played, modifications made by their owners, and more. From twangy country to scorching metal, from full-throttle punk to sophisticated jazz, and from gut-punch blues to lo-fi indie rock, Ultimate Star Guitars is illustrated with performance and candid photography of the artists with their star guitars, relevant memorabilia, and more often than not, studio shots of the guitars or signature models based on them. An information-packed visual feast for guitar enthusiasts!

"The ultimate go-to book for information about vintage Gretsch guitars of the 1950s ... supported by compelling photography and an extensive, batch-by-batch recreation of the Gretsch Brooklyn factory's lost production history."--Jacket flap.

These are the guitars so famous that their names are often household words: B. B. King's Lucille, Eric Clapton's Blackie, Stevie Ray Vaughan's First Wife, Billy F Gibbons' Pearly Gates, Neil Young's Old Black, and many more. Here's the first-ever illustrated history of the actual guitars of the stars that made the music. Other best-selling guitar histories look at the rank-and-file models, but this book is unique in profiling the actual "star guitars"--the million-dollar babies, such as the 1968 Stratocaster that Jimi Hendrix burned at Woodstock, which sold at Sotheby's auction house in 1993 for $1,300,000. Amateurs buy guitars to emulate the stars--Clapton's Strat, Slash's Les Paul--and this book explains the stars' modifications, thus showing how others can recreate those famous tones.

“A supremely compelling chronicle” of Neil Young’s early life (Rolling Stone). Covering the years from 1945 to 1966, this book documents the childhood and teenage life of Canadian musician and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Neil Young. From his birth in Toronto through his school years in Florida, Ontario, and Manitoba, the book examines the development of Young’s unique talent against a backdrop of shifting postwar values, a turbulent family history, and a musical revolution in the making—and includes many previously unseen photos and set lists. “Not only takes us on Neil’s voyage but also uncovers life in the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s in Ontario and Manitoba . . . Wonderful.” —Bernie Finkelstein, author of True North: A Life In the Music Business “Having covered Neil Young for a good portion of his career, I thought I knew everything there was to know about the man and his music. I was wrong. Sharry Wilson’s book, marked by enormous depth of study and research, opens windows into Young’s early life and creative development I never knew existed.” —Dave Zimmer, author, Crosby, Stills & Nash: The Biography

(Book). Introduced in 1954 as one of Gretsch's "Guitars of the Future," the White Falcon was an overwhelmingly impressive instrument. The influence of this spectacular new guitar spread to other models and guitar manufacturers. It was the dawn of a half-century of awe-inspiring guitars which are now favored by widely popular artists including Pete Townshend, Tom Petty, Alanis Morisette, Sheryl Crow, John Frusciante, Bo Diddley, and more. This book compiles the best of Gretsch's inventions over the past 50 years and tells the stories of their creation and the men who created them. Includes 100 photos!

It was the twang heard ’round the world: Rockabilly was born out of country, bluegrass, jazz, and the blues in the 1950s, becoming rock ‘n’ roll and ruling the world. Here’s the story of Elvis Presley’s first Sun records that inspired all. And here’s Carl Perkins, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and many more rockabillies from the golden years of 1955—1959, in a book chock full of photos, collectible memorabilia, movie posters, rare records, fashion, and rebel lifestyle. The story continues today, with a rockabilly revival that began with stars, such as the Stray Cats and Robert Gordon, spreading around the globe from Europe to Japan. Today, rockabilly is better than ever, with bands like Rev. Horton Heat and others playing the music and living the life from Memphis to Helsinki to Tokyo. There’s still good rockin’ tonight!