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The first guitarist Slash ever fell in love with: “He was the guy”
Slash says B.B. King was the first traditional blues artist he encountered and became his favourite blues guitarist, after his grandmother played King’s music to him as a child. The account highlights the lasting influence of King’s expressive playing on Slash’s musical identity and helps explain the blues foundations of his rock guitar style.
Slash later performed with King, including at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 2011 alongside Ronnie Wood, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi. He described King as generous and hardworking, and said he admired both King’s commitment to touring and the similarities he hears between King’s playing and that of Jimmy Page.
In short
- B.B. King was Slash’s earliest blues influence.
- Slash credits his grandmother with introducing King’s music.
- They later performed together at the Royal Albert Hall.
Explained simply
Slash is the guitarist best known for Guns N’ Roses, the American rock band behind songs including Sweet Child o’ Mine and Paradise City. His playing is often associated with hard rock, but it draws heavily on blues, a style of music that developed in the United States and influenced much of modern rock.
B.B. King was one of the most important blues guitarists and singers of the 20th century. He was known for a distinctive, vocal-like guitar sound and for performing extensively throughout his long career, helping bring blues music to audiences around the world.
Jimmy Page, another of Slash’s major influences, was the guitarist in the British rock band Led Zeppelin. The connections between King, Page and Slash show how blues techniques and ideas have passed from earlier American musicians into later British and American rock music.