Late rock musicians Jimi Hendrix (news) and Duane Allman (news) lead the list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time in the upcoming issue of Rolling Stone magazine.
Hendrix, who invariably tops such polls, received a glowing tribute from Who guitarist Pete Townshend (news), who wrote that he “made the electric guitar beautiful.”
Allman was hailed by the magazine for transforming “the poetry of jamming” with the Allman Brothers Band, the Atlanta rock group he founded with younger brother Gregg in 1969.
B.B. King, who turns 78 next month, came in at No. 3. “His string-bending and vibrato made his famous guitar, Lucille, weep like a woman,” the magazine said.
Clapton landed at No. 4, followed by Delta bluesman Robert Johnson. Rounding out the top 10 were Chuck Berry, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ry Cooder , Jimmy Page and Keith Richards.
The No. 100 spot went to Kim Thayil of defunct Seattle rock band Soundgarden. Townshend himself was No. 50. Two women made the list: Joni Mitchell (news) at No. 72 and Joan Jett (news) at No. 87.
The survey is featured in the next issue, which hits streets on Friday.
Source Yahoo.com.
Fans of seminal New York hard rock act Helmet will have a little something to celebrate later this year, when Universal releases a retrospective of the group’s three studio albums for Interscope. The set is due Nov. 4, although it’s unknown whether any rare or unreleased tracks will be included.
Contrary to a published report, the group, which split in 1999, has no plans at present to reform for a tour in conjunction with the retrospective. A management spokesperson for Helmet frontman Page Hamilton was unsure how the rumor began, but confirmed to Billboard.com that Hamilton is working on a new project with late period Helmet guitarist Chris Traynor, among others. The two musicians recently played together on tracks intended for Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale’s solo debut.
According to the spokesperson, Hamilton is no longer pursuing his band Gandhi, which featured former White Zombie drummer John Tempesta and Rob Zombie bassist Rob Nicholson.
Source Pollstar.com.
Dave Matthews will make his major studio film acting debut in “Because of Winn-Dixie.” Director Wayne Wang will direct the 20th Century Fox feature. Also in negotiations to join the cast of the dramedy are Jeff Daniels and Eva Marie Saint.
Due to start shooting in late September, the film tells the story of a 10-year-old girl who moves to the small Florida town of Naomi with her preacher father (Daniels). Lonely and friendless, the girl grows close to a big, ugly, suffering dog, Winn-Dixie, whom she names after the supermarket where she finds him. Because of the dog, she winds up meeting and befriending a colorful cast of characters that becomes her extended family, including a drifter (Matthews) and a librarian (Saint).
Co-producer Joan Singleton adapted the screenplay based on the novel “Because of Winn-Dixie,” by Kate Dicamillo.
Source Billboard.com.
Matthews’ past acting credits include the independent feature “Where the Red Fern Grows.
California heartland indie rockers Grandaddy just keep announcing those dates. They’ve been touring since spring behind their latest release, Sumday, and plan to stay on the road until mid-December.
With guitarist Jim Fairchild on the mend after a May run-in with a tractor-trailer, the band will set out on the latest leg September 18 in San Francisco. They’ll have Super Furry Animals in tow through October 4, after which Starlight Mints will take over for the remainder of the U.S. dates. Then in November it’s off to Europe, where the Grandaddy fever knows no borders. They’ll make stops in at least a dozen countries, with extensive runs in France and the U.K., before finishing off at London’s Brixton Academy December 10.
For a complete list of dates visit Pollstar.com.
