Jun 22 2009
The Five Funkiest Guitar Players Ever
Since we’re on a roll with these lists, I figured maybe we should round out the rhythm section. Here are some funky guitarists.
1 & 2. Jimmy ‘Chank’ Nolen and Alfonso ‘Country’ Kellum
This two guys have to be listed together, because most of their work was done together! Jimmy and Country made up the guitar section in the James Brown band throughout most of the 1960’s. It’s often hard to tell who is playing what, as the parts they play are so beautifully linked and intertwined. You can hear these two great guitarists on ‘I Got The Feelin’, ‘Funky Drummer’, ‘Cold Sweat’, ‘Mother Popcorn’, and the early studio version of ‘Give It Up (Turn It Loose)’. Country Kellum also plays bass on some James Brown cuts, like ‘Don’t Be A Dropout’, so sometimes Jimmy Nolen is the only guitar player. They both can be found on the Maceo and the King’s Men album ‘Doing Their Own Thing’, and Jimmy Nolen is the guitar player on the original version of ‘Willie And The Hand Jive’ by Johnny Otis.
3. Leo Nocentelli
Leo is responsible for the funky guitar playing in The Meters. I don’t think he’s ever really gotten the credit he deserves. He’s got it all covered - backbeat rhythm, chicken scratch, funky riffs, single note lines and he’s a monster soloist. All of the early instrumental Meters stuff is worth hearing. Of the later period, the best albums are Cabbage Alley, Rejuvenation and Fiyo On The Bayou. Like the rest of The Meters, Leo Nocentelli plays on a stack of New Orleans rhythm and blues sessions with artists like Lee Dorsey. I think he also plays guitar on the original version of ‘Lady Marmalade’ by Labelle.
4. Cornell Dupree
One of the session greats. Cornell is featured on the second side of the ‘Donny Hathaway Live’ album (tracks 5-8 in CD talk), and you can tell it’s him right from the first two notes he plays on ‘Little Ghetto Boy’. His solo on ‘(Voices Inside) Everything Is Everything’ is especially brilliant. As well as being a great soloist, he’s a magnificent rhythm guitar player and can be heard on a ton of Atlantic soul sessions - if you ever get a copy of the ‘Atlantic Rhythm And Blues 1947-1974′ box set, you’ll find him on a lot of tracks. He also plays on the Aretha Franklin albums ‘Live at Fillmore West’, ‘Young Gifted And Black’ and ‘Amazing Grace’. In the 1970’s, in between millions of sessions, he played some very tasty guitar alongside Eric Gale in the band ‘Stuff’. Like a lot of session musicians, his own solo albums are pretty hit-and-miss, but his ‘Saturday Night Fever’ covers album is pretty fun 
5. Jimi Hendrix
Something that seems to get overlooked about Jimi is his rhythm guitar playing. Given that he spent so much time on the chitlin circuit playing in rhythm and blues bands, it’s no wonder his rhythm playing is so strong, and that there is so much of that music in his sound. I’d say Jimi is responsible for making the Curtis Mayfield guitar style part of the common guitar language, for one thing. If you feel that Jimi Hendrix is an odd addition to the list, I would say go and have a listen to the Band Of Gypsys album, then have a listen to the guitar intros on ‘Killing Floor’ on Live At Monterey, and ‘Lover Man’ on South Saturn Delta. His rhythm playing on those tracks is SCARY! You don’t really need the band to come in at all with a guitar player like that driving everything. For some vintage Hendrix, check out the original version of the song ‘Have Mercy’ by Don Covay. Jimi plays the intro and guitar rhythm, uncredited, but it’s unmistakably him.
Another list down! Other candidates for the list were ‘Catfish’ Collins (Bootsy’s big brother), Eddie Hazel, the Motown guitar players, Steve Cropper, and Sydney-based guitarist Arne Hanna.
Nick
