The Guitar Hero series on Jemsite features interviews with guitarists and musicians who may not have star status YET, but their current situations have shaped them to be who they are--determined, fond of their craft, and heroes in their own right.  Perhaps you'll see in these upcoming entries the next Jimi Hendrix, Melissa Etheridge, or Duane Allman.  Or perhaps they'll become household names by doing what they do best--ripping a mean riff!

Robben Ford has played with jazz great Miles Davis, calling it a moment that was like "passing through Knighthood." If you don't think that's cool enough then ponder this: Robben also played with The Beatles rocker George Harrison on George's personal tour when he was just 22 years old!

If that's not enough, Robben has also played with Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt and many, many others.  

But that's not what makes Robben so cool.  Chalk it up to his peseverance as a young guitar player (his dad taught him a few chords but he mostly learned to play guitar by himself) and his current reputation as one of the premiere electric guitarists today...and you're onto something!

We had the privilege of interviewing this incredible guitarist for Jemsite.  Let's see what he has to say about his skill.

How did you start playing guitar? 

My father played and showed me my first few chords. I learned quickly and was given my first electric the following Christmas and started a band with my thirteen year old friends.

The Guitar Hero series on Jemsite features interviews with guitarists and musicians who may not have star status YET, but their current situations have shaped them to be who they are--determined, fond of their craft, and heroes in their own right.  Perhaps you'll see in these upcoming entries the next Jimi Hendrix, Melissa Etheridge, or Duane Allman.  Or perhaps they'll become household names by doing what they do best--ripping a mean riff!

Perhaps he's not a guitar player in the way that Steve Vai or any of our past guitar heroes are guitar players.  In fact, Andrew Durkin, a self-taught guitarist, doesn't use it for instrumental music at all.  Instead, he uses it to compose songs with vocals.

Nevertheless, I felt compelled to call him a guitar hero because of the very unique way he uses guitar as well as his infatuation with jazz music, a genre that certainly doesn't get enough credit.  

Andrew Durkin holds court as a composer on the West Coast (mainly Portland, Oregon) where the scene is ripe for his self-proclaimed "wacky LA-based acoustic jazz monstrosity, the Industrial Jazz Group.  He also counts himself as a huge Frank Zappa fan, has written a rock opera, and a screenplay among other scores, and has studied composition in his lifetime.  

The Guitar Hero series on Jemsite features interviews with guitarists and musicians who may not have star status YET, but their current situations have shaped them to be who they are--determined, fond of their craft, and heroes in their own right.  Perhaps you'll see in these upcoming entries the next Jimi Hendrix, Melissa Etheridge, or Duane Allman.  Or perhaps they'll become household names by doing what they do best--ripping a mean riff!

John Horne is quite the well-rounded guitarist and for many reasons. While he's a  soloist, who uses a fingerstyling technique, he flows with jazz tunes and standards rather than the typical rock genre.  Even more so, he doesn't really stick to any genre and is quite open to a variety of tunes--making him the kind of guy you could rock to at a concert, dance to at your wedding, or swing your body to in a mellow club with soft lights.

Beyond that, however, John Horne doesn't even get the most satisfaction out of performing. It's teaching, which he does in between gigs, that gives him the best feeling of all, AND it's a way to get feedback for his performances at the same time.

Let's find out about John and what else makes him stand out from the rest.

The Guitar Hero series on Jemsite features interviews with guitarists and musicians who may not have star status YET, but their current situations have shaped them to be who they are--determined, fond of their craft, and heroes in their own right.  Perhaps you'll see in these upcoming entries the next Jimi Hendrix, Melissa Etheridge, or Duane Allman.  Or perhaps they'll become household names by doing what they do best--ripping a mean riff!

While we here at Jemsite often hamper on the best Ibanez and JEM guitarists and the rock gods of our generation, we've realized that all guitar and music genres should be exemplified to the best of our ability.  After all, well all know it's not easy playing guitar, whether it's flamenco or rock, acoustic or rhythmic. 

So for that matter, we've gone ahead and featured some of our favorites in other categories--from blues to jazz One such performer is guitarist Mike Baggetta, who's been called this generation's most original jazz improvisers and composers.  He's received awards for his talent and is involved in more than one group including Mike Baggetta Quartet and a duo called Tin/Bag.  He's performed and recorded with countless great musicians and entertainers and currently lives in the self-proclaimed capital of great music: New York City! 

The Guitar Hero series on Jemsite features interviews with guitarists and musicians who may not have star status YET, but their current situations have shaped them to be who they are--determined, fond of their craft, and heroes in their own right.  Perhaps you'll see in these upcoming entries the next Jimi Hendrix, Melissa Etheridge, or Duane Allman.  Or perhaps they'll become household names by doing what they do best--ripping a mean riff!

It's hard enough moving music scenes from New York to Baltimore, but how does a guitar player deal with Berlin, Germany, and a long stint in Panama.  Ask Ernesto Schnack.  The versatile guitar player was born and raised in Panama, but opted to move to Berlin in hopes of finding a bigger audience for his music.  Of course, his father is German, so you'd think he'd have an easy time fitting in.

The Guitar Hero series on Jemsite features interviews with guitarists and musicians who may not have star status YET, but their current situations have shaped them to be who they are--determined, fond of their craft, and heroes in their own right.  Perhaps you'll see in these upcoming entries the next Jimi Hendrix, Melissa Etheridge, or Duane Allman.  Or perhaps they'll become household names by doing what they do best--ripping a mean riff!

As we've told you countless times before, a Guitar Hero is just someone who plays guitar live or teaches it to others.  A true Guitar Hero is someone who is doing something unique in the guitar world.  Take Ron Hamm, for instance.  As he tells it, the guitar buff always had a passion for handmade, customized boutique guitars from a young age, but when he began surfing for them online--there wasn't much out there in the Internet world.

So he came up with a great idea! Why not start a resource for guitarists looking for more information on these customized creations.  Boutique Guitar Resource was born, and with that Ron also became an accidental guitar dealer--gaining recognition in the eyes of boutique guitar collectors all over who wanted his site to feature their collections.

Here at Jemsite, we love when someone goes against the grain and does something new for the music world.  Ron has certainly proven he is a pioneer and we adore him for it.

Tell me about your guitar background and how you got involved in the Boutique guitar business?