The song that sparked the British invasion.

The song that sparked the British invasion.

The song that inspired the British musicians who sparked the British invasion. In July, 1955, a London Dixieland/trad jazz guitarist, Lonnie Donegan, recorded a speeded-up version of a 1930s American folk track, ‘Rock Island Line’, made famous by blues icon Lead Belly. Donegan’s ‘Rock Island Line’ directly inspired a generation of British musicians, from the…

Rediscovering U.S. guitar great, Randy Resnick.

Rediscovering U.S. guitar great, Randy Resnick.

Hands up those who think the Dutch-born American rock guitarist Eddie Van Halen invented two-handed guitar tapping? It’s not true, of course, with Eddie always saying he was originally inspired by Jimmy Page’s ‘Heartbreaker’ solo, on Led Zeppelin’s self-titled 1969 debut album. But guitar tapping goes back much farther. In Jim Carlton’s 2009 book, ‘Conversations…

Rocking five continents.

Rocking five continents.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Myths six and seven. “It’s very hard to tell what made me first decide to play the guitar. ‘Rock Around the Clock’ by Bill Haley came out when I was ten, and that probably had something to do with it.” David Gilmour, Pink Floyd. In 1955, Bill Haley and His Comets unlocked the pop…