88 Elmira St.

Danny Gatton ranks with rock & roll's all-time tragic guitar heros. One of the 1980s' greatest guitarists--and unquestionably one of the most eclectic and versatile axe-men ever--he committed suicide in 1994 without achieving the kind of fame his talent should have provided. Though initially considered a rockabilly guitarist, due to his associations with Roger Miller and Robert Gordon, this all- instrumental debut solo album (later LPs feature occasional guest vocalists) reveals that the man could, and did, play everything--jazz, country, blues, folk, swing...you name it. Most of the tracks here are originals, the exceptions being a John Martyn cover, Charlie Patton's "Funky Mama," "The Simpsons Theme," and a heart-wrenching cover of the Beach Boys' "In My Room" that could make Brian Wilson weep. --Bill Holdship

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American Music

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Cruisin' Deuces

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Danny Gatton - 88 Elmira St. (Book)

Danny's work was a brilliant combination of blues, rockabilly, and rock 'n' roll. This collection features 11 transcriptions from his album, including: Funky Mama * In My Room * The Simpsons * Slidin' Home * and more.

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Hot Rod Guitar: The Danny Gatton Anthology

Gatton was such a genre-jumper that he never found a commercial niche; instead, he was the guitarist's guitarist, fluent and fluid in various forms of rock, country, jazz, and blues. But he clearly had an innate fondness for country, especially bluegrass (perhaps that's what made him the fastest picker of his time). Among the country-oriented highlights here are the scintillating "Redneck Jazz," the rockabilly "Love My Baby" (with Robert Gordon singing), "Sun Medley" (with Delbert McClinton's Fogerty-esque barking), and "Linus and Lucy/Orange Blossom Medley," in which "Steel Guitar Rag" flashes by in a blur. But his country flair also manifests itself in more subtle ways (fingerpicking the blues, for example). If you don't mind a crash course in other American music mixed in with your country--it's not like being forced to eat beets with your burger, after all--then Gatton's your man. --John Morthland

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Humbler, The

Robert Gordon with Danny Gatton. Recorded Live.

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In Concert 9/9/94 [LIVE]

The master of the Telecaster burns it up on this live set from 94.

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Portraits

Seven studio tracks and three scorching live tracks from the Roxy Club (Washington DC) circa 1989.

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Relentless

Maryland's Danny Gatton was best known as a rockabilly cat, the man who put blistering guitar licks behind the likes of Robert Gordon, Billy Hancock and Delbert McClinton. Like his heroes Les Paul, Lenny Breau and Hank Garland, however, Gatton is both a country picker and a solid jazz man; he stole the show on a Blue Note jam session with Joshua Redman and Roy Hargrove on New York Stories in '92. Gatton kept both careers going at once; Cruisin' Deuces (1993) was a rockabilly outing, while his duet album with Philadelphia organist Joey DeFrancesco, "Relentless," is a straightahead jazz project. One pursuit reinforces the other; Gatton's jazz playing brings a harmonic sophistication to his rockabilly work, and his country experience gives his jazz solos a dramatic flair. --Geoffrey Himes

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Unfinished Business (Audio CD)

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