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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