Gary Graff
Gary Graff is an award-winning Detroit-based music journalist and author who writes for a variety of print, online and broadcast outlets. He has written and collaborated on books about Alice Cooper, Neil Young, Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen and Rock 'n' Roll Myths. He's also the founding editor of the award-winning MusicHound Essential Album Guide series and of the new 501 Essential Albums series. Graff is also a co-founder and co-producer of the annual Detroit Music Awards.
Latest articles by Gary Graff
![Nels Cline](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WtLNpofS8w9fGAK3rGwHhB-320-80.jpg)
Nels Cline on the Allman Brothers Band, the Byrds, John Coltrane and the 10 albums that changed his life
By Gary Graff published
The debut album Cline’s new band, Concentrik Quartet, comes out March 14
![Joe Bonamassa poses at his Nerdville home and museum with a 1955 Fender Stratocaster formerly owned by Howard Reed that was the first Strat with a factory black custom color finish.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ccBZoGKrfB3X6prZ7VSRWT-320-80.jpg)
Joe Bonamassa gives an update on the Nerdville guitars following the L.A. fires
By Gary Graff last updated
The guitarist was at dinner when the evacuation order for his neighborhood sent him on a mission to save the vintage collection from doom
![American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer, Todd Rundgren, performs live on stage playing a Fender Mustang guitar with Todd Rundgren's Utopia at the Dr. Pepper Central Park Music Festival at Wollman Rink in Central Park, New York City, 11th July 1979.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CDaTXGZV5gBHGa2rmr7GEm-320-80.jpg)
He kickstarted 1970s power-pop with a Gibson SG, a rented acoustic and a gem of a song that remains a classic
By Gary Graff published
Todd Rundgren’s “Couldn’t I Just Tell You” helped revive 1960s-style power-pop in the era when hard-rock and heavy-metal ruled the airwaves
![Grace Bowers performs in concert at Wave on September 10, 2024 in Wichita, Kansas.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CdACVxvxkHkp92huDauedc-320-80.jpg)
Grace Bowers on Funkadelic, Leslie West and the 10 records that changed her life
By Gary Graff published
The guitar wunderkind reveals the diverse range of funk, rock and R&B albums that shaped her as a musician
![Mike Campbell poses with the charity signings at MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Tom Petty during the 59th GRAMMY Awards at Los Angeles Convention Center on February 10, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vrgbhvVJ4AWmDCV6kHHStU-320-80.jpg)
Mike Campbell on the lessons he learned from Tom Petty and the guitars he’ll never part with
By Gary Graff published
The guitarist explains how the Dirty Knobs became his labor of love in the wake of Petty's premature death
![Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top performs in concert at Cedar Park Center on April 30, 2015 in Cedar Park, Texas.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hK7eyV84kSQwLcEDDuzdm3-320-80.jpg)
"We hit this one lick, and the lighting director came rushing forward: 'Don't change a thing!”’ Billy Gibbons reveals how a soundcheck jam turned into ZZ Top's breakthrough hit
By Gary Graff published
Gibbons says he has new music in the works with ZZ and the BFGs, whose new single — "Livin' It Up Down in Texas" from the Paramount+ series Landman — comes out today
![Mark Tremonti of Tremonti Project performs on stage at Magazzini Generali on November 8, 2018 in Milan, Italy.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TyZqSsyWtxi2qnen5efzfN-320-80.jpg)
Mark Tremonti reveals the way to create unique-sounding solos
By Gary Graff published
The guitarist shares his secrets for soloing and crafting metal guitar dynamics as his self-titled band drops its new album, 'The End Will Show Us How'
![Portrait of musician Nick Lowe playing a Hamer guitar, circa 1990.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/u58vrkfjA9CUnWrGDwP56Q-320-80.jpg)
Nick Lowe says he’s just a strummer — but these two classic-rock hits launched made him a songwriter's songwriter
By Gary Graff published
Lowe tells the story behind "Cruel to Be Kind" and four other tracks from his 50-year career
![Mark Knopfler holds his 2011 Pensa Custom guitar](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ALGH6DqK8FJzAsfyAwCqzQ-320-80.jpg)
Mark Knopfler on why he’s ditched the pick in favor of fingerpicking
By Gary Graff published
Read one of our top 20 stories of 2024: The former Dire Straits guitarist told us why he moved away from the plectrum but still regards the pick as “a superior thing”
![Steve Hunter and Aerosmith](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hzcRuY9fK6pzbeXNUdgUhm-320-80.jpg)
Steve Hunter tells how he spontaneously tracked the guitar solo for Aerosmith's "Train Kept a Rollin' "
By Gary Graff published
How the veteran session guitarist helped launch Aerosmith’s career
![Andy Summers poses with guitar in 2021](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YQRJtjnbh998ypHno2mscB-320-80.jpg)
Andy Summers reveals his role in the making of the Police hit “Every Breath You Take”
By Gary Graff published
The former Police guitarist says his riff should have earned him a writing credit
![David Gilmour performs with his Black Strat at the Royal Albert Hall.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/SvCpnqy8TavX89DcJqomhK-320-80.jpg)
Watch David Gilmour perform on a dulcimer as he hints at more to come in 2025
By Phil Weller published
The prog legend delivered his Christmas message alongside a special live version of a new standout track
![Randy Bachman of Bachman-Turner Overdrive performs on stage at The Magnolia on November 05, 2023 in El Cajon, California.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RxLreZy3Gf4bw6vbcPEQ27-320-80.jpg)
Randy Bachman tells us how an inside joke gave him a hit even bigger than "Takin' Care of Business"
By Gary Graff published
Not many artists can boast that their song won an award from the Stuttering Foundation of America
![Guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw of Styx performs at the House of Blues on January 13, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4DZmBRTGzoyZUZptNyCxQb-320-80.jpg)
Tommy Shaw tells us the twisted history of a classic Styx hit
By Gary Graff published
The Styx guitarist says “Renegade” is appropriately titled, given its criminal theme and stolen musical phrase
![(from left) Patrick Simmons, Tom Johnston, and John McFee of The Doobie Brothers perform live onstage at iHeartRadio ICONS with The Doobie Brothers at iHeartRadio Theater in Burbank, California.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/V5tsXmx8ZQmpvsuGxDXPq9-320-80.jpg)
Thrown away as a B-side, this 1974 classic-rock gem became a number-one hit
By Gary Graff last updated
"Black Water" would be the first of two chart-toppers the Doobie Brothers released
![Bob Geldof strums a 12-string while Phil Collins and Sting chat during the making of "Do They Know It's Christmas?," November 1984.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8AaHitkhHnPSbJETKVqW3Y-320-80.jpg)
The world’s most famous charity rock song lost its guitar parts in 1984. They’re finally back for 2024
By Gary Graff published
“Do They Know It’s Christmas” co-writer Midge Ure says he struggled to give guitar more prominence on the song
![A photo of guitarist Chris Herin released in association with his 2024 solo debut album, Hiding in Plain Sight](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/SxqNc4Fzm9fjBTCV2VA9Eb-320-80.jpg)
Who is Chris Herin and why are Peter Frampton, Alex Lifeson and Martin Barre on his new album?
By Gary Graff published
The Tiles guitarist calls himself “one of the luckiest guys” to have such famous six-string connections
![Portrait of American Rock musician Marshall Crenshaw, headphones around his neck and a guitar in his lap, as he sits crosslegged on the floor at the Record Plant Recording Studio, New York, New York, January 27, 1982. He was there to record his debut album, 'Marshall Crenshaw'.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/S4esvjdfnxzr4x3tFo62Ye-320-80.jpg)
Marshall Crenshaw almost let his hit single pass him by. His label had other ideas
By Gary Graff published
The guitarist tells the story behind “Someday, Someway” and other treasures from his career
![Gary Rossington of Lynyrd Skynyrd in concert at The Bottom Line on April 11, 1976 in New York City.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6ThpQDKRchgc67zTeosC4N-320-80.jpg)
Gary Rossington's 1961 Gibson SG returns to the stage for the first time in years
By Gary Graff published
The southern rocker's gear will soon be used onstage by "some very big acts"
![SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - MAY 13: Brad Delson member of the band Linkin Park performs live on stage at Autodromo de Interlagos on May 13, 2017 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6jscBUfPHrDDHC7vLJv5yF-320-80.jpg)
No longer performing, Brad Delson powers Linkin Park’s guitar riffs in the studio. The result? The #1 rock album in the world
By Gary Graff published
The group's revised lineup has proved its mettle and will launch an extensive 2025 road trek starting January 31
![Singer-songwriter and guitarist Justin Hayward (left) and bassist John Lodge, of English rock group The Moody Blues, January 1975.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZZcPUejHLsuqogR4cHvsXb-320-80.jpg)
Justin Hayward on “Nights in White Satin” and the 12-string he got from Lonnie Donegan
By Gary Graff published
The guitarist expounds on the virtues of guitar, saying, "It’s the perfect instrument to play and write with. You don’t need anything else"
![The rock group MC5 (L-R Dennis "Machine Gun" Thompson, Wayne Kramer, Fred "Sonic" Smith and Rob Tyner) perform live in 1969 in Mount Clemens, Michigan.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PqwsVneK5c7Uk59pBLAoeE-320-80.jpg)
The new MC5 album took more than 50 years to arrive. Guitarist Wayne Kramer and his bandmates have passed on, but the celebration is just beginning
By Gary Graff published
Kramer was assisted by Vernon Reid, Tom Morello and Slash in making the group's final album
![Warren Haynes plays acoustic guitar in a recording studio](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4CQfU4DTLJer5xqhDVmg8o-320-80.jpg)
Warren Haynes explains the lucky break behind his take on U2's "One"
By Gary Graff published
The guitarist has included the cover in his set from time to time, making it a fan favorite
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