Hey my gang of fellow Canadians. I was reading about guitar greats and came across this great website. Canada does kick ass. Last week I drove my friend Brennan Dylan(another Canadian) to do a TV interview. He was will be awarded Rock Guitarist of the Year @ the 20th Annual LA Music Awards on Nov.18 and will be performing at the Paramount Theater. While he was in the studio(Los Angeles) filming the interview I was talking to the MC for the Paramount event and for some reason he started bad mouthing Canadians. He is an American and just out of nowhere started a negative rant about Canadians. Supposedly his buddy is dating a Canadian which for some reason ticked him off. Even when I told him Brennan is a Canadian and that I am a Canadian he didn't shut up. Subtly didn't work on the guy so I took the direct approach. That worked. L.A. is filled with famous Canadians.....we all know that. Lenny Breau was one of the greatest guitarists in the world and he taught at UCLA. I think Brennan Dylan is one of the greatest guitarists around....I've been told by A&R reps, music journalists, booking agents etc that he is "currently one of the best players on the L.A. circuit today." L.A. has 300,000 plus guitarists roaming around. Canada does Kick Ass
All greats and arguably (the point of the thread I guess) some of the greatest in Canadian talent.
Neil Young
Randy Bachman
and others BUT...... you know I have to give a nod to some of my blues buddies.
Here is some Great Canadian Blues talent you should hear
Steve Rowe
http://www.steverowe.com/
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea ... d=37061842
Paul Deslaurier
http://www.myspace.com/pauldeslauriers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MndhhE3Q ... re=related
How about Jack DeKeyzer
http://jackdekeyzer.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZBxjYWvYIU
Randy Bachman is a big one for me and Jeff Healey's version of George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" drives home what a fantastic guitarist he is.
But someone mentioned Hendrix earlier and believe it or not, there is a debate going on. There is a Victoria guitarist who they say was playing Hendrix style long before Hendrix ever was. And that Hendrix himself, must have come up from Seatle on the ferry and saw this guy only to be influenced by his play style. I can't remember the man's name but they were debating it on the Royal City Music Project website a couple of years back.
Randy Bachman is my fav Can guitarist but others I have appreciated over the years were people like Grant Gislason from Sweeny Todd and Holy Smoke, Julian Mays from Julio Mayhem to name a couple.
Well, if we get out of the rock/pop category for a second, I'd have to say Liona Boyd.
But when it came to pure chops, definitely Jeff Healey. I got a chance to see him at the University of Windsor pub when his career was starting. Never even heard of him before that night but I was blown away