That time I asked Steve Morse if the success of Joe Satriani and Steve Vai boded well for instrumental-rock artists

By Steve Newton When I interviewed Steve Morse for the first time in May of 1991, the American instrumental-rock scene was making great strides. While Morse himself was winning over critics with his Southern Steel album, both Joe Satriani and Steve Vai were heading toward gold-album status with their most recent discs, Flying in a … Continue reading That time I asked Steve Morse if the success of Joe Satriani and Steve Vai boded well for instrumental-rock artists

That time I called up 22-year-old Jeff Healey and asked him about his role in the upcoming bouncer flick Road House

By Steve Newton I was fortunate enough to have interviewed Canadian guitar wizard Jeff Healey three times. Man could that guy wail on the Strat! The first interview took place in June of 1988, when he was just 22, and still three months away from releasing his incredible debut album, See the Light. When I … Continue reading That time I called up 22-year-old Jeff Healey and asked him about his role in the upcoming bouncer flick Road House

That time I called up Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and asked for “Mr. Ugly Stinky”

By Steve Newton When I interviewed Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea back in 1996 I was instructed to call his Phoenix hotel and ask for “Mr. Ugly Stupid”, the moniker he goes by when he’s on the road. But when the receptionist answered I tried pulling a fast one and switched it to “Mr. … Continue reading That time I called up Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and asked for “Mr. Ugly Stinky”

That time Ace Frehley told me that deep down inside Gene Simmons was a teddy bear

By Steve Newton When it comes to legendary rocker Gene Simmons, you either love him or hate him. Some say he’s an arrogant, money-hungry, womanizing prick; others say that he’s a legendary rocker, so who cares. When I got the opportunity to interview Simmons’ former Kiss bandmate Ace Frehley back in 2008 I asked him … Continue reading That time Ace Frehley told me that deep down inside Gene Simmons was a teddy bear

That time Stevie Ray Vaughan told me how incredibly awesome John Hammond was

By Steve Newton When I interviewed Stevie Ray Vaughan for the second and last time, in July of 1990, he was still touring behind his fourth studio album, In Step. At one point in the conversation I mentioned that the album was dedicated to John Hammond–the famed American record producer, civil rights activist, and music … Continue reading That time Stevie Ray Vaughan told me how incredibly awesome John Hammond was

That time I asked Steve Morse if winning readers-poll awards in guitar mags meant much to him

By Steve Newton There’s a good reason I dragged the world-famous Ear of Newt Guitar to Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom one night back in 1991 when the Dixie Dregs were playing on a bill with Ronnie Montrose. It’s because Steve Morse was the guitarist in the Dixie Dregs, and I really wanted to score his autograph, … Continue reading That time I asked Steve Morse if winning readers-poll awards in guitar mags meant much to him

That time Doyle Bramhall II told me what it was like touring with the “brilliant” Eric Clapton

By Steve Newton Over the years I’ve asked various famous guitarists who they’d most like to play with, if they could choose anyone in the world, and more often than not the answer is Eric Clapton. Doyle Bramhall II is one of the lucky ones who’ve swapped solos with Slowhand. When I interviewed him back … Continue reading That time Doyle Bramhall II told me what it was like touring with the “brilliant” Eric Clapton

That time Carlos Santana told me pot should be legal and “it’s all fun once you get past the fear”

By Steve Newton Carlos Santana is one of the most amazing guitar players of all time. Everybody knows that. But he’s also got it goin’ on in the humanity department. He knows what’s important in life, it seems. I interviewed Santana in 2011, and at one point in the conversation I asked him if he … Continue reading That time Carlos Santana told me pot should be legal and “it’s all fun once you get past the fear”

Newt’s Rock Hall inducts Mountain, the Cramps, Roy Buchanan, Nazareth, the Georgia Satellites, the New York Dolls, and the Tragically Hip

By Steve Newton As you may have already heard, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2019 a couple of days ago. It includes: Stevie Nicks, the Cure, Def Leppard, the Zombies, Roxy Music, Radiohead, and Janet Jackson. That’s right: Janet Freakin’ Jackson. That legendary rock and roller finally got … Continue reading Newt’s Rock Hall inducts Mountain, the Cramps, Roy Buchanan, Nazareth, the Georgia Satellites, the New York Dolls, and the Tragically Hip

That time I asked John Bell about Widespread Panic being the first act signed to the newly reborn Capricorn Records

By Steve Newton If you were a southern-rock lovin’ kid in the seventies, like me, you no doubt owned an LP or two with the Capricorn Records label on it. Capricorn released classic Allman Brothers albums like At Fillmore East, Eat a Peach, and Brothers and Sisters, as well as discs by Wet Willie, the … Continue reading That time I asked John Bell about Widespread Panic being the first act signed to the newly reborn Capricorn Records

That time Stevie Ray Vaughan told me what it was like having two guitarists in Double Trouble

By Steve Newton I’m a huge Stevie Ray fan. Got a ton of his albums, seen him in concert a buncha times, interviewed him twice, got his autograph, shook his hand (it was like a vice). I figured I knew quite a lot about him, but maybe not so much. When I was interviewing him … Continue reading That time Stevie Ray Vaughan told me what it was like having two guitarists in Double Trouble

That time a drunk Andy McCoy from Hanoi Rocks sang me the opening lines of Mott the Hoople’s “All the Young Dudes”

By Steve Newton Back in February of 1984, 10 months before a drunk-driving Vince Neil killed Hanoi Rocks drummer Razzle, I interviewed that band’s lead guitarist/main songwriter Andy McCoy and bassist Sami Yaffa. They were both pretty wasted, and shouldn’t have been doing interviews, but at one point in the conversation McCoy proved he was … Continue reading That time a drunk Andy McCoy from Hanoi Rocks sang me the opening lines of Mott the Hoople’s “All the Young Dudes”

That time Steve Morse told me that he transforms into a different kind of person at night

By Steve Newton I did my first interview with Steve Morse in May of 1991, just after he’d released his fourth post-Dixie Dregs album, Southern Steel, and just three years before he’d join his current band, Deep Purple. At one point in the conversation I brought up Steve’s claim that he didn’t “live, breathe, and … Continue reading That time Steve Morse told me that he transforms into a different kind of person at night