My newest avatar is another of my favorite guitarists of all time...
Mr. Hank Garland.
Most sought after sideman in Nashville during the 50's and 60's.
He is the guy you hear playing the guitar behind Patsy Cline's "Crazy", Behind Elvis, Eddy Arnold, and just too many old time country legends to name.
Here's the WIKI on Hank.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_GarlandThe tune that brought him over the top was "Sugar Foot Rag". (A guitar staple, that I still enjoy playing. Youtube below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPj3yjXJzYwEverybody thought he was just a great country picker, but after hitting the dough with "Sugar Foot Rag", he went into the studio, with a young Gary Burton on vibrophone, and produced one of the greatest jazz guitar recordings ever...
"Jazz Winds from a New Direction" I've wore out countless copies. I think it's a must have CD for anybody that plays guitar..
Here's a cut from the LP. "All The Things You Are"...
Notice the great improvisation and the Bach-like thing he and Burton get into at times. (Burton was 19 at the time of this recording)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM1wOVP0oacAfter this recording was released every jazz guitarist in the country was thinking "Who in the hell is this Hillbilly that is just killing it on the guitar"...(He also snuck off with Wes Montgomery and there's rumors of recordings of the two, but as of this point they are still rumors.
I have talked via email with the Garland family through the years, while they were trying to get the dough together to produce Hank's life story into a movie. I'm so glad they succeeded, and the Movie "Crazy" was finally released a couple of years ago. It is available on NetFlix for instant streaming, and also for sale at several box stores that sale DVD's. I thouroughly enjoyed the movie and every recording the man every made. Jimmy Bruno also greatly admired the man and they were close friends.
The trailer to the Movie "Crazy"..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npI43xKxiUsFrom the recording studios in Nashville with the top stars of the day, to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, to the smoke filled Jazz and Blues joints of all the great cities. Hank did it all.
