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DARK SECRETS: Vernon reid | Vintage Vibes

“I wasn’t told I shouldn’t listen to the Beatles. At the same time I was exposed to this incredible Motown music, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and all of that”: Living Colour’s Vernon Reid on inspirations, unsung heroes and the emotional power of a sample

The visionary guitarist walks us through the memories, sounds and people who shaped him as a player – and the sounds we hear on his bravura solo album, Hoodoo Telemetry

MusicRadar

“He was a guy in my neighbourhood who played... I was scared to say it at the time, but he played at the level of John McLaughlin!”: Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid pays tribute to a lost genius

“He should have been much more known than he was”

MusicRadar

“We’ve been guilty of doing a lot of the Meshuggah, machine-riff stuff. You gotta throw something else in there”: Car Bomb’s Greg Kubacki is exploring new heavy frontiers – with help from Gojira’s Joe Duplantier

Technical wizardry plus atmospheric brutality equals explosive results according to the Vernon Reid-approved riff mathematician

Guitar World

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“That whole thing of doing the trades with other players is a really nice thing”: Vernon Reid says he hopes he and Jack White have started a trend for pro guitarists swapping signature models

It all started with a chance meeting at the airport but now the Living Colour guitarist says he's already lined up more high-profile trades

MusicRadar

“Metal has always been a very tribal thing - some felt we were provocative merely for existing": The story of the Living Colour song that namechecked Stalin and Mussolini and inspired Tom Morello to form a band

Living Colour’s biggest hit was boosted by Mick Jagger, adopted by wrestling's CM Punk, and used to make a point by Jimmy Kimmel

Louder

"What guitar meant for everyone, he changed it, and he did it with incredible songs": Living Colour's Vernon Reid picks the soundtrack of his life

Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid picks his records, artists and gigs of lasting significance, and reveals what it's like to be in a stadium filled with people singing War Pigs

Louder

“He was completely ignored by the guitar press of that time period”: Vernon Reid on the guitarist he believes is massively underrated – even though he kept “the Hendrix voice” alive

In a chat with Guitar World last year, Reid even insisted that this guitarist's “continued non-acknowledgment as a near direct tonal descendant of Jimi Hendrix continues to this day”

Guitar World

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“I have a cassette of the session, just a rough mix of us playing, and it’s fabulous!” Vernon Reid on D’Angelo’s everlasting impact on popular music, their session together – and the deep roots of the late neo-soul trailblazer's sound

Reid says his mind was blown by D’Angelo’s virtuoso command of rhythm and just how far he could stay behind the beat, and recalls the bluesy track they made together for a Queen Latifah movie

MusicRadar

“The first time I saw Todd Rundgren with The Fool SG, I fell in love with the idea of the guitar being an art canvas”: Vernon Reid breaks down his melting-pot writing approach and the poignant symbolism of his Reverend guitars

Eclectic, protean, alive, Hoodoo Telemetry could only sprout from the wonderful mind of Vernon Reid, and is a record that he says has grounded him as an artist, ready to look on to whatever comes next

Guitar World

“I of course fully endorse ANY mods done to any of my designs, let alone from the great Hammett”: Kirk Hammett orders up custom Thinline version of Jack White’s Fender Triplecaster – and gets one for White, too

Jack White's been giving out his Triplecaster to all and sundry and now Hammett returns the favour, with a "cool mod" that White hopes will duly upset Telecaster purists

MusicRadar

“Hearing the crowd sing the War Pigs solo gave me chills”: Back to the Beginning was Ozzy Osbourne’s night – but it was also a tribute to Tony Iommi’s singular impact on guitar music

Iommi’s world-altering riffs led to some of the all-star farewell show’s biggest singalongs – no wonder the supporting cast of guitar heroes had so much fun playing them

Guitar World

Every guitar hero, special guest and all-star cover from Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s epic Back to the Beginning farewell show

Jake E. Lee, Ronnie Wood and Nuno Bettencourt were among the six-string royalty joining the likes of Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Alice In Chains, Gojira for the nine-hour celebration

Guitar World

Here's every single special guest and song played from Black Sabbath's Back To The Beginning show

Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Alice In Chains, Gojira amongst a cast of superstar guests as Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath play live for the last time

Metal Hammer

“I could listen to Vernon’s solo on that song a million times. It’s scary and strange, but in a good way”: Frank Swart of Funkwrench Blues has recruited Vernon Reid, Oz Noy and Mike Stern to his cosmic cause – but there’s one solo that haunts him

This San Francisco bass player and producer has a knack for getting top-shelf guitarists to play on his stream of Spotify masterpieces

Guitar World

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Guitar World

“If you’ve seen any of this stuff, please let us and the authorities know”: A shipment of Reverend guitars has been stolen in transit – and the firm is appealing for help

CEO Ken Haas is hoping fans can help track down the shipment, which also included a bulk pack of Railhammer pickups

Guitar World

Jack White gifted Vernon Reid his wild signature Telecaster after a random airport encounter – and now the Living Color legend is playing the Triplecaster on stage

The guitarists swapped signature axes late last year after a chance meeting – and Reid is already putting his to good use

Louder

“Our manager said Mick Jagger and Jeff Beck were in the crowd. I had to put it out of my mind and play”: The epic story of Living Colour, the band that revolutionised 80s hard rock

Living Colour are the black rock band who blazed a trail through the 80s and 90s music scene

Guitar World

“If you’re coming up against an ambush, you want her in your battalion”: Jack White has gifted his signature Fender Triplecaster to his new favorite guitar player

The punk guitarist from Otoboke Beaver has been hailed as White’s favorite new player, and now she has a fresh guitar to work her magic on

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Guitar World

“I remember watching Jimi when I was younger, while he was in the room with me. I’d have my social studies book, but I was listening and watching him”: Ernie Isley lived with Jimi Hendrix – then took his place to write hit after hit in his brothers’ band

The longtime Isley Brothers guitarist was just a kid when his older brothers scored hits with Twist and Shout and Shout, but by the time he joined the band, he was able to draw on firsthand experiences with Jimi Hendrix

Guitar World

“What do you say when you meet Vernon Reid by chance at the Memphis airport and he suggests you swap signature guitars? You say, ‘Yes sir, coming right up’”: Jack White and Vernon Reid exchange signature guitars after serendipitous airport encounter

Reid received one of White's TripleCaster Telecasters, while White got his hands on a customized Reverend Vernon Reid Signature Totem Series guitar

MusicRadar

“Thank you so much Mr. Reid, hope you get the same inspiration from that Triplecaster”: Jack White and Vernon Reid swap signature guitars after chance meeting at the airport

A heartwarming six-string story for the festive season as serendipity strikes in Memphis

Guitar World

“Billy Corgan literally said he wanted the ‘Sabbath note.’ He wanted that midrange that Tony Iommi has that really cuts through”: Reverend Guitars’ founders on their wild signature collabs with Smashing Pumpkins, Vernon Reid and Reeves Gabrels

Reverend is fast becoming the go-to brand for artists looking for something different. Ken Haas and Joe Naylor explain what it takes to make an artist's dreams come true...

Guitar World

“The Who, Van Halen – the whole thing where there’s a separate singer from the lead guitar player. That started with Hubert Sumlin and Howlin’ Wolf”: Vernon Reid on the 7 riffs that inspired him, from Hendrix to Chic, Cream, and more

The Living Colour guitarist reveals the seven riffs that stopped him in his tracks – and hints at how Jimi Hendrix might have inspired Cult of Personality

Guitar World

“Genuinely collectible art pieces that sound and play as amazing as they look”: Vernon Reid’s eagerly awaited Reverend signature series is finally here – along with a new Greg Koch S-style

Reid has been teasing the existence of his wild new signature for months, and now three distinct versions of the Living Colour legend's latest Reverend have been unveiled

Louder

"A testament to a lifetime of rock'n'roll greatness": Listen to Tom Morello play on fiery new MC5 single Heavy Lifting

Heavy Lifting is the title track of the fourth MC5 album Heavy Lifting, out next month

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