Warren Haynes, Guitar Hero

I'd like to use my blog today to celebrate a true guitar hero and musical genius - Warren Haynes.  He is perhaps the busiest guitar player working today.  His heart and soul just drip from his guitar strings when he plays.  If you don't know who he is, you need to.  Once you've heard one of his solos, your life will be changed forever.  You may think I am exaggerating, but I'm not.

Warren, a native of Asheville, NC, began his professional career playing lead guitar in the David Allen Coe Band.  After several years, he got a call to join the Dickey Betts Band (Dickey Betts is a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band).  Then in 1989, when the Allman Brothers Band decided to reunite, Dickey Betts recruited him to join the band.  He has been playing as a member of the Allman Brothers Band ever since.  As if that didn't keep him busy enough, he also formed his own band in 1994, Gov't Mule, with Matt Abts on drums and Allen Woody on bass.  In addition to his work with the Allman Brothers Band and Gov't Mule, he has also performed with various members of the Grateful Dead after the passing of Jerry Garcia.  In fact, he was a member of The Dead when they toured together on and off again beginning in 2004.  He has performed many solo acoustic shows as well.  Most recently, he has formed the Warren Haynes Band, which may be my favorite of all his projects.

Ok, enough with his history - let's get to his playing.  He has talked on numerous occasions about his early musical influences, which become apparent after hearing him play just a few notes.  "When I first started—chronologically speaking—Hendrix and Clapton and Johnny Winter were the first three people I got turned on to. That was the Cream era of Clapton. Then eventually, I heard the Allman Brothers and everybody else from that era that I stole something from (laughs). Of course, I would read interviews with all these people and find out who they listened to. And they all listened to B.B. King and Freddie King and Albert King and Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters and Elmore James, so I would go back and discover that stuff."  Clearly, the blues, as well a soul music, runs through his veins.

I witnessed the magic that is Warren Haynes for the first time on November 17, 2001 at a Phil Lesh & Friends concert.  It was truly an all-star lineup, and that concert was a defining moment for me.  It changed the way I listened to and appreciated music.  The music was highly improvisational, conversational, and organic.  I specifically remember being blown away by their version of "All Along the Watchtower," and that was only the third song of the first set!  The whole show was amazingly good, and is still probably one of the top five concerts I've ever witnessed.

I also had the good fortune of watching him sit in with Dave Matthews Band on September 23,2004 on the Great Lawn in Central Park, NYC in front of an estimated 100,000+ fans.  His guitar playing on "Jimi Thing" and a cover of Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer" elevated the songs to new levels of energy and musicality.  You can tell just how excited the members of DMB were to have Warren join them.  This performance is forever memorialized as an official Dave Matthews Band CD and DVD release.

I also cannot discuss Warren Haynes performances without mentioning the Gov't Mule late night show at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in 2007.  The band played two sets into the early morning (about 4am), and brought many of their friends on stage to join them thoughout the night, including comedian Lewis Black, Bob Weir (Grateful Dead), and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin).  Hearing all of these great musicians trade solos with Warren was a real treat.

His most recent release with the Warren Haynes Band, Man in Motion, is one of my favorite albums of 2011.  He has put together an incredible band for this record, which includes George Porter Jr. on bass, Ivan Neville on keys, Raymond Weber on drums, Ron Holloway on sax, and vocalist Ruthie Foster.  Man In Motion puts a modern twist on old school soul and R&B.  I highly recommend giving this one a listen.

I'll leave you with a few more awesome videos I found while searching youtube for clips.  Enjoy!
Warren Haynes and Trey Anastasio interview and jam session
Warren's rig rundown
Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks - Old Friend