Best Thing in Texas
November 10, 2023
A Texas Teen Is Introducing Pedal Steel Guitar to a New Generation
Noah Faulkner’s popular twangy covers countrify songs by Duran Duran, Joy Division, U2, and more.
Guitar
One by Willie
July 14, 2023
Foo Fighter Chris Shiflett on the Unlikely Intersection of Willie, Waylon Jennings, “Good Hearted Woman,” and Kiss’s ‘Alive II’
The Foos’ lead guitarist and ‘Shred With Shifty’ podcast host discusses an outlaw anthem and the technical specs of a great Willie guitar solo.
Music
January 9, 2023
Checkerboards, Stripes, and Fish: A Family of Luthiers Unearths Its Magical Guitars
For many legendary musicians, there was no finer guitar than one made by San Antonio’s Guadalupe Acosta and his sons. Their descendants are restoring their legacy.
Music
November 30, 2020
Collings Guitars Are Worth Every Penny
In a nondescript space outside Austin, the team behind these world-renowned guitars carry on the exacting legacy of their founder.
Music
January 21, 2013
Trigger: The Life of Willie Nelson’s Guitar
Most guitars don’t have names. This one has a voice and a personality, and bears a striking resemblance to his owner.
Music
January 20, 2013
Little Boy Lost
From the moment he first held a guitar pick, Charlie Sexton was said to be on the road to stardom, but high praise and high cheekbones haven’t kept him from stumbling along the way.
Music
June 1, 2007
Let There Be Lightnin’
Twenty-five years after his death, Sam Hopkins is still one of the most influential bluesmen in history—that much we know. But we don’t know nearly enough about who he was.
Music
April 30, 2000
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Who was Stevie Ray Vaughan's musical role model?
Music
June 30, 1999
Jake Andrews
A seven-year-old guitarist who makes his stage debut alongside blues legend Albert King is a novelty, even after he has jammed with Buddy Guy, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, and Albert Collins. But what happens when the kid grows up? He becomes a seasoned veteran—more of a contender than less experienced peers
Music
August 31, 1996
The Music Man
Most businesses in the West Texas town of Alpine cater to locals, but one attracts Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Junior Brown, and other musical greats. It’s the modest building where Michael Stevens, luthier to the stars, produces electric guitars—fewer than two dozen a year, at $2,700 to $10,000 plus. “We
Music
February 1, 1988
With Strings Attached
Willie Nelson’s true love may have a body that’s worse for the wear, but woe to the man who tries to pick it up.