Steve Howe: premier guitar interview

I remember reading somewhere about your lack of interest in blues guitar because it created legions generic sameness in many players. Care to comment?

I’d like to fix that statement. What I’ve always said is that in the late ‘60s when I was still carrying on playing psychedelic rock, every lead guitarist always played in the blues style. I found that so disappointing and so annoying! The originality of all the other inspired guitarists like Scotty Moore and James Burton…They both had more of a country influence and they brought that to rock, and you had Elvis Presley and Ricky Nelson. Loads of guitarists did that. Frank Zappa did that. He came in and had a strange style. He was determined to be that. Yet, so many people just went, “da, da, da , da, da.” [Sings main riff from “Hoochie Coochie Man.”]

I find that really annoying, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate great guitarists like the early work of Buddy Guy and B.B. King. I’m really a country blues fan. I like Big Bill Broonzy. For me Big Bill Broonzy is really inspirational. He’s a blues guitarist. So that contradicts what my general output is about blues. It’s just that it got to be overkill in every kind of bracket and racket you can think of. The important thing about rock is originality, and I think it’s all very well enjoying Eric Clapton. He’s a model guitarist. He’s been successful in ways that many of us admire and attempt not to envy. He’s been so hard working and deserving of his success. He’s a thoroughbred blues guitarist.

I guess I’m talking retrospectively really. That was all what was going on in the beginning of the ‘70s. There was a sort of inner battle. I had to keep my originality and not just become a regular blues player. full interview

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