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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