FEATURES
40 NASHVILLE SKYLINE As a singer, guitarist, and bandleader, Emmylou Harris has helped to define and diversify the sounds of Nashville since the early '70s. She talks to Tommy Goldsmith about her guitar style, her musical roots, and the making of Wrecking Ball, her groundbreaking collaboration with Daniel Lanois. With words and music to "Prayer in Open D."
52 MR. JOHNSON'S BLUES Not only was Lonnie Johnson a brilliant bluesman and a talented composer and arranger, but he played a key role in the birth of jazz as the guitarist in Louis Armstrong's Hot Five. Steve James looks back at Johnson's amazing career and teaches his classic licks from "She's Makin' Whoopee in Hell Tonight."
62 STETSONS AND STAGE LIGHTS From the singing cowboys of the '30s through the '60s folk revival, the Gibson J-200 changed our expectations about the look and sound of acoustic guitars. Richard Johnston traces the history of one of the most flamboyant and influential flattops.
DEPARTMENTS
6 CONTRIBUTORS
8 MAIL
13 MUSIC NOTATION KEY
14 JUMP STREET Mel Bay, the Austin Lounge Lizards, and Hit List record reviews.
22 REVIEWS Fingerstyle folios and an Appalachian CD set.
26 A.G. LETTER Kenny Hill reports from inside a California state prison, where he teaches inmates how to build classical guitars.
29 SHOPTALK Vintage Preservation: Repairing and restoring irreplaceable vintage guitars. By Dan Erlewine
32 SONG CRAFT Keen Insight: Robert Earl Keen lives to tell the tale. With music and lyrics to "Gringo Honeymoon." By Simone Solondz
80 GEARBOX Equipment picks from this issue's featured artists and new gear spotlights.
87 FOR BEGINNERS Improvising around the Melody. By Mike Christiansen
93 WOOD CHOPS Transcribing Solos. With music to "Foggy Mountain Special." By Dix Bruce
100 DEAR A.G. Answers to your questions, plus a reader tip on installing pickups.
106 GREAT ACOUSTICS Martin 5-21T. By Rick Turner
Cover: Emmylou Harris at the 1993 Merle Watson Festival. Interview on page 40. Photo by Larry Stanley.
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