When the great rock guitarists are discussed, one name is usually missing: Ronnie Montrose.
GuitarWorld recently wrote ” Often left out of discussions of the great rock guitarists of the ’70s, Ronnie Montrose had little interest in chasing hits or following a consistent artistic path. Nonetheless, he left the guitarists who heard him spellbound.”
When Ronnie joined forces with then-unknown vocalist Sammy Hagar, bassist Bill Church, and powerhouse drummer Denny Carmassi, the Montrose blueprint had already been stamped during his stints with Van Morrison (that’s Ronnie driving the melody on 1971’s Wild Night) and the Edgar Winter Group (the chilling runs on 1972’s chart-topping instrumental Frankenstein and its galloping hit partner track, Free Ride, are pure Ronnie to the core).
Indeed, all throughout the self-titled Montrose and its 1974 follow-up, Paper Money – both concurrently reissued by Warner Bros./Rhino, each packed with a treasure trove of bonus tracks, live cuts, and demos to boot – Ronnie forged an electrifying groove stencil that polarized guitar players on both sides of the Atlantic.
If I’m remembering correctly, in 2002, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes asked me to join the Montrose band with him to play a few concerts at the Namm show. Ronnie was there supporting Baker guitars at the time.
It was an incredible experience, as I was privileged to trade fours and eights with the monster guitarist.
Open thread away…
