We were fortunate enough to see this guy live at many of the small clubs in and around D.C. and Baltimore. Us locals certainly knew he was one of the best talents in the biz. Miss ya a bunch Danny. RIP
danny was the best. how lucky i was to be part of his life for 23 years. my brother was his drummer for 18 of those years. he and les together, how grand.
This video had me tearing up and wiping my eyes. I remember seeing Danny at his regular Thursday night gigs on Conneticut Ave, at Roxy...? His was an astounding talent that we all miss greatly. Thanks for posting this.
This has become one of my favorite guitar solos. Thank you so much robertkittila for putting this up, I've watched it at least a dozen times and it amazes me every single one.
Rest In Peace Danny Gatton! 'In My Room' off Elmira still brings tears to my eyes after all these years. You weren't known as 'The Worlds Greatest Unknown Guitarist" for no reason.
i allways get the chills listening to Danny play. it just seems like he pours his heart and soul into it with no effort at all really ashame he aint here with us anymore a powerfull man with a powerfull sound we miss you Danny
People. Anyone that is seeing this video appreciates guitar work at its finest. Don't argue over whos is best - Jimi, etc. It is all great. It is all good. embrace it as the artists who created it wanted you to. R E L A X and enjot it all. Big and small. God bless. jmp4blues. :)
Possibly the best video I've seen on RUclips. So very thankfully, he left us with two studio albums. The passage from 1:15 to 1:45 makes my eyes water every time.
i am so thankful his music is still alive. my brother was his drummer for 18 years......dan was one of a kind, like a frank lloyd wright,elvis, degas,............
This guy was amazing - now up there jammin with Chet, Lenny and Django and all the other greats. Thank you God for creating Danny Gatton... ...we will miss him...!
I've been playing guitar for over 40 years....and I can't tie Danny's shoe laces....Man..I miss this genius....and he believe me....he was a genius.......Long live Danny Gatton Many thanks for this video... RC
I'm so glad I had the opportunity to drive into DC and see Danny playing like this every Thursday night (at the Grog and Tankard) for quite a number of years. This clip and the Gallagher's clip best capture the was he sounded live back then.
Danny was a virtuoso guitarist. He never had to worry about whether he was boring anyone or not. That he played the guitar to please himself is exactly the point. He didn't seek fame. Fame sought him. He was happy wrenching on cars by day and playing tele at night while knocking back some brew. People came to a Danny gig with the posture of "I want to hear and see this man play" vs the posture of "Entertain me". He was fortunate that way. A true original.
a million covers of this song by a million guitarists. this is is the only guy who can groove that hard while capturing the hazy somnambulence of the original
I have most of his CDs. There is absolutely no one who comes close to him. "Danny could play like everybody, but nobody could play like Danny". Rest in peace, Great One.
Awesome! Great performance by one of the all-time masters of the electric guitar. Tragic life - a great shame that he didn't get the work and appreciation during his lifetime that he truly deserved. No doubt we all will continue to learn from him. Thanks for the vid - can't get enough!
i've listened to this solo so many times that i feel like i know the phrasing by memory. such a great loss, hope he found some kind of relief afterwards.
He was the nicest and most approachable genius you can find. After his show at Graffiiti in Pittsburgh, he was out of smokes and I was out of beer, The bar was closed, but he fixed that, we traded smokes and beers for an hour. He also explained the mysterious story of the Custom Shop pinstripe Tele that got painted a horrible copper color (which he played that night). An incredibly humble, down to earth and friendly person
This man truly is amazing. I grew up in the D.C. area and began playing in bars at around age 21. I have a memory of a guy coming in to Sam's Crab House in Clinton MD around 1980 and asking to sit in on "Johnny B. Goode". He used my guitar and played like a damn tornado, cutting himself on my strings! When I got the guitar back, it was covered in blood! Who knows...Danny?
I'm teaching my partner - a violinist - to play this on guitar so we listened to the various versions from S&J to Chet Atkins and - at the risk of repeating myself - have to say that this guy makes em all sound like Bert Weedon. Danny you were - by miles and miles - the greatest!
The best I've ever seen and heard, and the best I'll ever see and hear. My God, what a great talent. Descanse en paz, gran señor don Danny Gatton, ojalá la esté pasando mucho mejor donde está ahora que como lo pasó en esto que llaman "el valle de lágrimas".
Totally agree with you. I grew up with all of those heroes too, Page, Clapton, Duane, SRV, Vai, EVH, etc. , etc. but, when I discovered the Telecaster, and its players like Albert Lee , Danny Gatton,Albert Collins, and on, and on I was floored by their dexterity, tone, and phrasing. Most of the level of difficulty in pulling off those licks, and expressive notes with a clean amp.Its true what they say"Strip away the Overdrive, and distortion, and you will reveal the roots Player" Great Video.
For those slingers who have never listened to Gatton, this guy was one of the best ever, anywhere, anytime. A blues/country/jazz master tele blaster who left us way too soon..listen and learn...for those not impressed get his 1st DVD and just try to keep up!
Many reasons - reluctance to tour anywhere that was more than a 2 hour drive from his farm, failure to follow up on oppurtunities like being called up by John Fogerty, released a string of albums that didn't come close to catching his fiery live improvisational magic (he was a chronic 'fixer-upper' in the studio). Although some stuff like Notcho Blues off of Unfinished Business go some ways to capturing his aggressive blues sensibilities.
Such an INCREDIBLE talent,, and his attitude was so cool....as good as he was....none of the publicity ever went to his head. A REAL HONEST ARTIST, that left us too early...like Roy Buchanan
An Incredible master of his art, point blank. And yet, what an incredible bastard he was!! To be so self centered and to only think of himself, and the illusions of pain that he couldn't even understand the devastation it would cause his family. Ultimately, The he really didn't understand what is important to sustain the human spirit. The love of his wife, and especially his daughter. How can you not understand the pain that his totally devoted family will have to endure for the rest of their lives, especially his daughter for even contemplating suicide. She was so young. He was a beautiful man with a gift, and unfortunately, there's so much more to life than there is on the outside... God Bless You Danny.....
Bingo, been saying this for years; and I grew up idolizing Jimi and still do. I have a huge collection of Jimi. I still really like Hendrix but when you discover Gatton it's like holly shit; this guy destroys all my guitar heroes I grew up with...
One of the first shows I ever saw in DC was at the Bayou in Georgetown - first time I ever heard of Danny Gatton. I knew then I was in the presence of an awesome talent and now DG resides with the guitar gods.
A guy I work with turned me on to Danny, gave me a few of his lessons on DVD, I'm slowly learning rockabilly, roots and old time rock-n-roll,, ( away from my Gilmour, Beck, Vaughn fetish's..lol ) and he's simply amazing.. self taught, no theory, a child prodigy..to learn this all by listening....pure talent. A shame he couldnt find happiness in this world, a great loss, a Tele master no doubt...pick on Danny.. can you imagine the jam session..Chet, Danny, Jerry Reed, Gallup....
Very admirable comment and a great tribute to an outstanding musician who left this world under such tragic circumstances- I don't understand how the record co. can live with itself. Danny won't be forgotten although I've forgotten the record Co who dropped Danny and consequently killed him !
I used to see Danny all the time. Some of the more amazing stuff he did was use his mechanical ability to rig a box of cables that ran from his Les Paul and somehow moved the recording heads on one or more echo-plex tape loop units letting him record a break and then play along with it in harmony and other Les Paul type effects live.
I lived 8 miles from Dan. I'm reading "Unfinished Business" a story of Danny's life. I think his genius was fueled by his parents unhealthy, stealth family dynamic, which made him a great player. Stayed out late, drank often. I think he was happiest when he would work a small, out of the way gig. It's very possible that in his mind, he had attained his goals and there was nothing left for him to strive for. He tried to end his life at least once (wife Jan stopped him) before following through.
Those comparing Jimi Hendrix to Danny Gatton are comparing apples and oranges. They were totally different kinds of artists. Hendrix was flambouyant, sang and composed... a frontman and star. Danny hated celebrity; he was at his happiest playing in some little dive with his buddies, and fixing hot rods. He didn't sing or write original vocal material, but was compelled to play guitar. I'm just glad both of them lived long-enough to record and share their unqiue talents and gifts with us.
I've been paying for many years and like it ALL. I love Jimi, SRV, Carlton, EVH, VAI, Bonamassa, EJ, etc, etc but this guy moves me like no other and my main style of play is Rock/Blues. Wish you were still here Danny :(
One minute he sounds like Hendrix, then Larry Coryell, then Joe Pass...amazing versatility and command. The last 30 seconds are worth the price of admission.
Yeah, the Dingus Box was mounted directly to the front of the guitar on the plate. As I understand it, there was only one Magic Dingus Box, but he wanted to be able to use it with different guitars, so he devised a mounting system he could put on more than one guitar. If you look close at the plate in this video (especially at about 3:14 where he turns the guitar into the light) you can se two low-profile pegs attached, so I assume there were matching holes on the Dingus Box.
Mastercollector, looking forward to your project you spoke of. I'm sure I don't have much in the way of Gatton stuff. I do have all his cd's that are available, except New York Stories... and some cassettes. I'm in Virginia, by the way, near Norfolk. No one here much has heard of Danny. I play some of his tunes (the ones I can!) very crude though, when I play out in the area. So sad that the world has missed one of the greats. Danny who?.. is response I usually get. I just hang my head.
The thing about Danny Gatton is that he understood the Telecaster like few players have ever done. I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of his music, but he really grasped something about the essential nature of his particular model of guitar that the rest of us stumbly Tele players can learn from. So whereas this strikes me as great virtuosity but doesn't really move me emotionally, I still feel like I'm understanding the guitar better just by watching it.
![Quando Rondo - Life Goes On [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/eIf3fhMXAow/mqdefault.jpg)
We were fortunate enough to see this guy live at many of the small clubs in and around D.C. and Baltimore. Us locals certainly knew he was one of the best talents in the biz. Miss ya a bunch Danny. RIP
danny was the best. how lucky i was to be part of his life for 23 years. my brother was his drummer for 18 of those years. he and les together, how grand.
It's great the way he goes "nuts", and then emerges into the melody in slow motion...
This video had me tearing up and wiping my eyes. I remember seeing Danny at his regular Thursday night gigs on Conneticut Ave, at Roxy...? His was an astounding talent that we all miss greatly. Thanks for posting this.
This has become one of my favorite guitar solos. Thank you so much robertkittila for putting this up, I've watched it at least a dozen times and it amazes me every single one.
i love the way he makes it look even more effortless than every other guitarist there is and ever has been
This is a virtuoso performance from a master steel string guitarist... Just plain awesome! Danny Gatton R.I.P.
Danny has perfect facility--he makes everything look so easy. Amazing sense of harmony too.
Rest In Peace Danny Gatton! 'In My Room' off Elmira still brings tears to my eyes after all these years.
You weren't known as 'The Worlds Greatest Unknown Guitarist" for no reason.
i allways get the chills listening to Danny play. it just seems like he pours his heart and soul into it with no effort at all really ashame he aint here with us anymore a powerfull man with a powerfull sound we miss you Danny
definitely one of the all time greatests...period. RIP brotha
People. Anyone that is seeing this video appreciates guitar work at its finest. Don't argue over whos is best - Jimi, etc. It is all great. It is all good. embrace it as the artists who created it wanted you to. R E L A X and enjot it all. Big and small. God bless. jmp4blues. :)
Any amp,any guitar, this master of the guitar can make any guitar SING. Rest in Peace Danny. Way ahead of his time.
Possibly the best video I've seen on RUclips.
So very thankfully, he left us with two studio albums.
The passage from 1:15 to 1:45 makes my eyes water every time.
WOW! There is no other! Best solo performance ever.....I miss you Danny!
I always love coming back to this video! Just an amazing talent that won't be duplicated.
Thanks for sharing this!
this is pure feeling. that's how you supposed to "shredd" and play the notes. amazing music pulled out of the notes
Just about any video I see of Dannys performing goes straight to my studies folder...
i am so thankful his music is still alive. my brother was his drummer for 18 years......dan was one of a kind, like a frank lloyd wright,elvis, degas,............
This guy was amazing - now up there jammin with Chet, Lenny and Django and all the other greats. Thank you God for creating Danny Gatton... ...we will miss him...!
I've been playing guitar for over 40 years....and I can't tie Danny's shoe laces....Man..I miss this genius....and he believe me....he was a genius.......Long live Danny Gatton
Many thanks for this video...
RC
I'm so glad I had the opportunity to drive into DC and see Danny playing like this every Thursday night (at the Grog and Tankard) for quite a number of years.
This clip and the Gallagher's clip best capture the was he sounded live back then.
fantastic to see this live...one of the best players of ALL time, thanks for posting this...I"m blown away, Danny lives!
Danny was a virtuoso guitarist. He never had to worry about whether he was boring anyone or not. That he played the guitar to please himself is exactly the point. He didn't seek fame. Fame sought him. He was happy wrenching on cars by day and playing tele at night while knocking back some brew. People came to a Danny gig with the posture of "I want to hear and see this man play" vs the posture of "Entertain me". He was fortunate that way.
A true original.
a million covers of this song by a million guitarists. this is is the only guy who can groove that hard while capturing the hazy somnambulence of the original
Anybody know how to "double like" on RUclips? So good, so much variety. Kinda showing off, but in an easy kinda way. It's great.
Hey i found this tape I shot 20 years ago in DC. It was my friend Danny Gatton. Still sounds good.
RK
The greatest guitar player never heard...
R.I.P
Danny left us much, much too soon. He was a great musician, and, he is greatly missed. RIP, Danny.
I have most of his CDs. There is absolutely no one who comes close to him. "Danny could play like everybody, but nobody could play like Danny". Rest in peace, Great One.
Awesome! Great performance by one of the all-time masters of the electric guitar. Tragic life - a great shame that he didn't get the work and appreciation during his lifetime that he truly deserved. No doubt we all will continue to learn from him. Thanks for the vid - can't get enough!
Sublime. Literally brings tears to my eyes.
Thanks for the video. I love seeing a Danny Gatton video for the first time, like this one here.
Danny Gatton is sorely missed.
what an amazing player.....he could go from sweet and melodic to chaos in a split second........what a talent !!!!!!!
beautiful
i've listened to this solo so many times that i feel like i know the phrasing by memory. such a great loss, hope he found some kind of relief afterwards.
He was the nicest and most approachable genius you can find. After his show at Graffiiti in Pittsburgh, he was out of smokes and I was out of beer, The bar was closed, but he fixed that, we traded smokes and beers for an hour. He also explained the mysterious story of the Custom Shop pinstripe Tele that got painted a horrible copper color (which he played that night). An incredibly humble, down to earth and friendly person
Wow - makes me think my telecaster must secretly hate me for what I do to it! lol
This man truly is amazing. I grew up in the D.C. area and began playing in bars at around age 21. I have a memory of a guy coming in to Sam's Crab House in Clinton MD around 1980 and asking to sit in on "Johnny B. Goode". He used my guitar and played like a damn tornado, cutting himself on my strings! When I got the guitar back, it was covered in blood! Who knows...Danny?
I had to close my tab for RUclips after watching.listening to this one. Beyond Belief !!
I'm teaching my partner - a violinist - to play this on guitar so we listened to the various versions from S&J to Chet Atkins and - at the risk of repeating myself - have to say that this guy makes em all sound like Bert Weedon. Danny you were - by miles and miles - the greatest!
NOBODY ever could or will play like this...RIP Danny.
if there ever was a genius on guitar, it must be this guy
Good God man, you make the rest of us look silly, Danny! Nobody, but nobody comes close to you. Wayyyy beyond stupendous~
...and of course,
Danny Gatton is beyond words. Only
his music speaks for his greatness.
The best I've ever seen and heard, and the best I'll ever see and hear.
My God, what a great talent.
Descanse en paz, gran señor don Danny Gatton, ojalá la esté pasando mucho mejor donde está ahora que como lo pasó en esto que llaman "el valle de lágrimas".
The Greatest guitar player of all time. Truly stunning virtuosity but so darned musical.
Totally agree with you. I grew up with all of those heroes too, Page, Clapton, Duane, SRV, Vai, EVH, etc. , etc. but, when I discovered the Telecaster, and its players like Albert Lee , Danny Gatton,Albert Collins, and on, and on I was floored by their dexterity, tone, and phrasing. Most of the level of difficulty in pulling off those licks, and expressive notes with a clean amp.Its true what they say"Strip away the Overdrive, and distortion, and you will reveal the roots Player" Great Video.
Incredible performance..thanks for posting..we miss ya Danny. :)
he was and is the greatest! my brother was his drummer for 18 years.
wow! this is great! ty for turning me on to this amazing artist, only sorry i found him after he's gone!
...the humbler indeed.
One of the greats, maybe the greatest.
For those slingers who have never listened to Gatton, this guy was one of the best ever, anywhere, anytime. A blues/country/jazz master tele blaster who left us way too soon..listen and learn...for those not impressed get his 1st DVD and just try to keep up!
I love Danny's playing so much.
Many reasons - reluctance to tour anywhere that was more than a 2 hour drive from his farm, failure to follow up on oppurtunities like being called up by John Fogerty, released a string of albums that didn't come close to catching his fiery live improvisational magic (he was a chronic 'fixer-upper' in the studio).
Although some stuff like Notcho Blues off of Unfinished Business go some ways to capturing his aggressive blues sensibilities.
Such an INCREDIBLE talent,, and his attitude was so cool....as good as he was....none of the publicity ever went to his head. A REAL HONEST ARTIST, that left us too early...like Roy Buchanan
Love that twang, baby! One & only, never duplicated nor copied.
An Incredible master of his art, point blank. And yet, what an incredible bastard he was!! To be so self centered and to only think of himself, and the illusions of pain that he couldn't even understand the devastation it would cause his family. Ultimately, The he really didn't understand what is important to sustain the human spirit. The love of his wife, and especially his daughter. How can you not understand the pain that his totally devoted family will have to endure for the rest of their lives, especially his daughter for even contemplating suicide. She was so young. He was a beautiful man with a gift, and unfortunately, there's so much more to life than there is on the outside... God Bless You Danny.....
+sebring1960 Thank you King Solomon for your judgment. Wait until your turn comes (might be sooner than later) ... hope you get some understanding.
Danny Gatton was murdered. So was his friend Roy Buchannan. By nefarious folk in DC. Sorry.
Such an interesting take on blues soloing.
I saw Danny at a bar called "Zacks" in Alexandria, VA.
I was totaly blown away.
Yes we do miss ya Danny.
Bingo, been saying this for years; and I grew up idolizing Jimi and still do. I have a huge collection of Jimi. I still
really like Hendrix but when you discover Gatton it's like holly shit; this guy
destroys all my guitar heroes I grew up with...
Danny makes that tele look like a 1/4 size kids guitar. What a monster, physically and artistically.
One of the first shows I ever saw in DC was at the Bayou in Georgetown - first time I ever heard of Danny Gatton. I knew then I was in the presence of an awesome talent and now DG resides with the guitar gods.
Simply stunning.
A guy I work with turned me on to Danny, gave me a few of his lessons on DVD, I'm slowly learning rockabilly, roots and old time rock-n-roll,, ( away from my Gilmour, Beck, Vaughn fetish's..lol ) and he's simply amazing.. self taught, no theory, a child prodigy..to learn this all by listening....pure talent. A shame he couldnt find happiness in this world, a great loss, a Tele master no doubt...pick on Danny.. can you imagine the jam session..Chet, Danny, Jerry Reed, Gallup....
That is just mind-blowing.
by far one of the greatest musicians and a master of all.
lol he just used the lipstick pickup as a fret! insane
Very admirable comment and a great tribute to an outstanding musician who left this world under such tragic circumstances- I don't understand how the record co. can live with itself. Danny won't be forgotten although I've forgotten the record Co who dropped Danny and consequently killed him !
just brought it up, you're right... the minute he started I dropped my head and choked up
Greatest live guitar clip ever . . . long live Danny Gatton!
i could watch the intro all day
wow! just love his freedom all over the next. masterclass in guitar.
I used to see Danny all the time. Some of the more amazing stuff he did was use his mechanical ability to rig a box of cables that ran from his Les Paul and somehow moved the recording heads on one or more echo-plex tape loop units letting him record a break and then play along with it in harmony and other Les Paul type effects live.
I lived 8 miles from Dan. I'm reading "Unfinished Business" a story of Danny's life. I think his genius was fueled by his parents unhealthy, stealth family dynamic, which made him a great player.
Stayed out late, drank often. I think he was happiest when he would work a small, out of the way gig. It's very possible that in his mind, he had attained his goals and there was nothing left for him to strive for. He tried to end his life at least once (wife Jan stopped him) before following through.
That's very sad either way. In either case, thank you for uploading so much of his music!
What a great sounding telecaster!!
That guy is close to heavenly perfection
Damn I can't believe I never heard of this guy till today. I live not to far from where he lived. Incredible playing.
He was a true master,no one can play like him
Those comparing Jimi Hendrix to Danny Gatton are comparing apples and oranges. They were totally different kinds of artists. Hendrix was flambouyant, sang and composed... a frontman and star. Danny hated celebrity; he was at his happiest playing in some little dive with his buddies, and fixing hot rods. He didn't sing or write original vocal material, but was compelled to play guitar. I'm just glad both of them lived long-enough to record and share their unqiue talents and gifts with us.
I've been paying for many years and like it ALL. I love Jimi, SRV, Carlton, EVH, VAI, Bonamassa, EJ, etc, etc but this guy moves me like no other and my main style of play is Rock/Blues.
Wish you were still here Danny :(
Wow! Danny was an amazing guitarist!
I discovered Danny Gatton two weeks ago and I'm already beginning this think that he was was the best guitarist that has ever lived.
the absolute greatest guitar player of all time.
this video still gives me shivers!
Master of the Telecaster....the Humbler... musical genius Danny Gatton
One of the greats!
Danny Gatton and Roy Buchanan two of my fvorites laying it down for all future generations they smoked on guitar.
Really nice! What a master. Much like the great Roy Buchanan.... another unsung hero of the tele.
One minute he sounds like Hendrix, then Larry Coryell, then Joe Pass...amazing versatility and command. The last 30 seconds are worth the price of admission.
Yeah, the Dingus Box was mounted directly to the front of the guitar on the plate. As I understand it, there was only one Magic Dingus Box, but he wanted to be able to use it with different guitars, so he devised a mounting system he could put on more than one guitar. If you look close at the plate in this video (especially at about 3:14 where he turns the guitar into the light) you can se two low-profile pegs attached, so I assume there were matching holes on the Dingus Box.
i just walked over to my telecaster after watching half of this haha
Blue crabs and cold beer, Danny was loved by all who have heard him play.
Chills every time.
RIP
Mastercollector, looking forward to your project you spoke of. I'm sure I don't have much in the way of Gatton stuff. I do have all his cd's that are available, except New York Stories... and some cassettes. I'm in Virginia, by the way, near Norfolk. No one here much has heard of Danny. I play some of his tunes (the ones I can!) very crude though, when I play out in the area. So sad that the world has missed one of the greats. Danny who?.. is response I usually get. I just hang my head.
Simply awesome.
I've finally discovered the real meaning of a virtuoso. Shredders don't even compare.
possibly the best guitarist nobody knew.
If you read the title it says Sleepwalk SOLO. The melody is another video available on u-tube.
RK
The thing about Danny Gatton is that he understood the Telecaster like few players have ever done. I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of his music, but he really grasped something about the essential nature of his particular model of guitar that the rest of us stumbly Tele players can learn from. So whereas this strikes me as great virtuosity but doesn't really move me emotionally, I still feel like I'm understanding the guitar better just by watching it.