Danny Gatton at Gallagher's

[wyclifdotnet]

Incredible playing and sense of rhythm. Looks like DG is playing a bound body Tele here.

[max75016]

luve it

[Mamertum345]

In my humble opinion.....probably the greatest guitarist of all time. Simply beyond comparison. RIP

[seth5654]

DG Is in his own league!!!! Its hard to look off a mountain and not want to jump off!!!

[sherriffofhongkong]

He makes it look so easy......the king of them all..!!

[joshua9312]

why the hell did he shoot himself?

[knittingbecky]

@joshua9312 The music biz sucks that's why

[joshua9312]

@knittingbecky yea, i figured. Because in his gig @ Austin City Limits, he did state that it took him like 15 years or something to get a record deal. I reckon that he got fed up of trying so hard and not getting the recognition he deserved while others not as good or those who didnt put as much effort were over taking him in the music scene.

[pedru32]

I love me some roy buchanan, sweet dreams.... the messiah shall return!

[twangbarfly]

Now I remember exactly where I was the first time I heard Roy's version of Sweet Dreams!!!! Couldn't get enough of it way back then - still can't!! :-)

[EricCirca6566]

This is fantastic!

[EricCirca6566]

What if Les Paul played a Tele?

[pedru32]

im sure he did many times. Im sure he was never caught on film. haha!

[laurentius88]

What'd I say!

[twangbarfly]

Sadly, we're in an age where if your face looks good, and you can play a bit, you might just get ahead. Nobody pays their dues anymore. But how can you be an artist in any domain without putting in the time and effort? These days you have to ask "Where are the craftsmen, let alone the towering artists?"

[twangbarfly]

Danny was at the back end of an era where it was enough to simply play good - you didn't have to look the part and go through the antics so people would take you seriously as a musician. Danny wasn't a poser.... His problem - like Roy - is that he looked like an ordinary Joe, not a guitar hero or a rock superstar, so sadly, despite their massive talent, players like them will remain on the fringes of obscurity, even to people who really should know about them..

[twangbarfly]

Life story part 3 :-) I remember vividly the exact moment when I heard Danny for the first time - I was dabbling in rockabilly and stuck on "Nitpicking" on the Guitarist magazine floppy record - I nearly jumped out of my skin!!! - but at the same time I was CRINGING with embarassment at my own ignorance - as a guitarist, not knowing about Danny until after he was dead and gone seemed scandalous:-) I had a hard time taking myself seriously for months after that :-)

[GeorgiaBoy1961]

@twangbarfly: I had about the same reaction to that soundpage, too... I remember riding around in my car listening to that tune over and over again, just amazed that anyone could play that way. Now, 25 years later, I haven't changed my mind. About a year later, I heard Scotty Anderson for the first time, and had roughly the same reaction.

I was blessed to see DG twice live, and just saw Scotty for the first time. Folks, please support these musical giants while you can. 

[pedru32]

isnt it cool enough for him to be dead and gone and we are all here obsessing over his playing. Of course we missed it at the time. hell I was a kid. I was busy listening to Bush and the Smashing pumpkins.

we ALL come around eventually.

[twangbarfly]

pedru 32 - Well that makes me feel a bit better ! Anyway, that's one of the things - sadly - that defines Danny - "Unknown" :-)

[twangbarfly]

TERRIFIC!! The GREAT Ted Greene said that? I am speechless! I love Danny and Wes, and can't see anyone getting past JS Bach any time soon:-) For TG (a genius in my books) to put Danny and Bach at the head of his personal musical pantheon is immense. You have made my day with this story, believe me, and I thank you for sharing it!

[hakanozelguitarist]

its sad these guys never got the recognition they deserve while u got Superstar shows etc on tv. Still, at least posthumously they are getting some acknowledgement of their skills.

[ffairlane57]

We don't listen to this cra! Fall Out Boy is 100% better.

[hakanozelguitarist]

theres evrything u need to know about the world we live in right there..a guy playing world class amazing artistry..stuck in a corner in front of a dartboard! theres a clip of Shawn Lane i saw...hes on some stage somewhere playing the most incredible jawdropping stuff, and theres these guys kind of moving around behind him. i was thinking "what r they doing on the stage?" and then i saw what it was... they r playing pool!! its not a stage, its a tiny bar!

[chuckhughes2]

I saw Gatton with Seaton in 1987, and talked to him backstage, where talked about his high action. He later signed my unfinished business LP, and thanked me for buying his 1980's Licks and Tricks video (his best).

I saw Roy in 1971 at the Crossroads tavern in Bladensburg, Md. I was underage and didn't even get carded. Roy was unreal, with his Vibrolux turned around backwards. Both guys would have made much more $ had they each written 5 original signature songs, IMHO.

[gattonmaster]

SOMEBODY THAT HAS ACCESS OR KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE DOING NEEDS TO TAKE THE 2 GALLAGHERS CLIPS OFF YOUTUBE. YOU NEED TO PUT THE 7 COME 11 SOLO FROM THIS SHOW ON YOUTUBE WITH THE CIGARETTE HANGING OUT OF THIS MOUTH. THAT IS THE CLIP YOU ALL DESRVE TO SEE; IT BLOWS AWAY THE 2 GALLAGHERS CLIPS ON YOUTUBE RIGHT NOW!!!!! formally mastercollector now new namw is GATTONMASTER

[JerseyBach]

Damn, Danny Gatton is gone, Gallaghers changed names, Bill Koerner stopped bartending. DC sure has changed.

[MasterCollecter]

jerseybach we need to put out a serious advertisement for ALL BIGTIME Gatton collectors to come onto the Gatton youtube and SHARE!!!! mastercollector

[JerseyBach]

Agreed, I wonder if Skip from the old Y&T records in Rockville has anything. I think he closed his shop, but still does mail order. He at least knows someone who would have stuff on Danny.

[MasterCollecter]

Do check on that for me please!!! mastercollector

[Nileswest1969]

hello all you gatton fan's out there, you might like this info, my mom is 87 years old and played guitar back in the 60's and 70's i showed her gallagher's dvd and she was speechless for 5 min. or so, she was blown away by what she saw! she was trying to figure out how he was playing and just shook her head in amazement! she commented that he doing so much so fast and tech flawless and so on! she loved it! the most awesome guitarist she has ever seen! a true story guy's! ps. she played flamen

[howco77]

One of the best guitarists of all time. Recognition came too late

[jkaaco]

I remember seeing Danny for the first time with the Johnny Seaton band in College Park Md around 74 or 75. Great rockabilly!!!!!

[MasterCollecter]

I'm very impressed by anyone who saw Danny in the 70's!!! Tell me more ikacco. Do you know anyone with video or audio of 70's live Danny Gatton? mastercollector Gatton with Seaton was smokin like Danny with Robert Gordan.

[jkaaco]

Johnny Seaton played great rockabilly. He and Danny were so young and raw together. I remember them winning a battle of bands a couple years in a row. To bad johnny Seaton left to do his Elvis thing!!!!!

[JDtheMusicMan]

Johnny Seaton played in southern Maryland last year during the summer, I think it was. I saw him. He does a great "Elvis". I saw Danny play a couple of times in southern Maryland. He was very popular in the DC region where he played a lot. The last time I saw him someone got me in backstage to meet him after a show. That was pretty cool! I can't remember now for sure, but I someone was recording (I think it was video) that last show I saw in 1994. Love to see that one again.

[MasterCollecter]

74 or 75?; Killler jkaaco that must have been raw drop jaw bigtime. Know anyone with audio or video from an of those 70's shows? mstercollector

[jkaaco]

Not many people had video equipment back then. Have you tried to get in touch with Johnny Seaton(He is still in Las Vegas doin his Elvis thing)I also went to his estate sale in Southern Maryland I guess about 5 years ago and do not remember any video tape( lots of guitars and cars) He was a great 1970's DC area guitar player along with Nils Lofgren and Roy Buchannan. Boy that was a long time ago - brings back memories

[fuxgood]

jkaaco, you and I must have crossed paths. I saw the above mentioned performers many times in the Balto./DC area. Honestly, I forgot about Nils. Haven't heard that name in years. And Johnny Seaton. Forgot about him too but now that you mentioned him it all came back. Man we saw some fabulous shit. And I knew it was fab at the time or I wouldn't have gone to see them. Music scene is shit now. Hanna Montana-who cares? lol Thanks for bringing back the memories my friend.

[Zepster77]

It's a shame this is a bit oout of synch - but it's cool just the same.

[eatme765wes]

wow he knows his way around the guitar i doubt ill ever get that good

[wildwaxcombo]

Danny is my HERO... ;O)

[str1ngBEEN]

Watching Danny, I feel like a kid playing around a hornet's nest. I know I'm gonna get stung, but I keep going back for more... Unbelievable!

[tacochild1]

umm... how the hell is that at all like going near a hornets nest? anyway, Gatton is awesome.

[str1ngBEEN]

The sting... comes from having to accept that Danny was so many miles above the rest of us with his mastery of the guitar. But you can still learn all kinds of things from him & enjoy playing even if you never come close to his level. The sheer energy of his sound is irresistible-- makes you want to attack the guitar all over again, and learn to "rip it up" like he did. Cheers!

[MasterCollecter]

Good point, sometimes its amazing what comes out of his amplifier and its hard to explain. Sheer energy of his sound; i like that. mastercollector

[bilgemonkey74]

Damn, this guy is amazing!

[kapacon]

Who's your daddy, who's your daddy............?

[Froike]

Damned...he was great! I lived near Gallaghers and never went to see him live...sorry I didn't!

[fuxgood]

I saw him many times at Gallaghers and other clubs in and around DC and Baltimore. In Dannys early days the general consensus was he'd hit it big one day. We have always felt he never got the recognition he should have....and deserved.

[MasterCollecter]

Did you see him play in the 70's when they said he was in his prime? Do you know anyone in the DC or Washington area who might have live footage from 1977 or any 70's Gatton footage besides the 78 Cellar Dooor black and white show collectors have? mastercollector

[fuxgood]

Sure. Saw him many times in the 70's. He had a following of which I was a part of. I'll ask around but I doubt I'll find anyone with live footage from back in the day. Cameras then were clumsy and i don't remember seeing anyone filming. Might be some stills around though.

[kapacon]

Hey fuxgood, do you know if Danny lived near, or ever played a place called Sam's Crab House in Clinton MD around 1980? The country band I was playing with at the time let a guy sit in on Johnny B. Goode--he was an astonishing player! I was just a kid then, and hadn't met Danny. But looking back, I wonder if it could have been him.

[fuxgood]

Danny lived in Newburg [I think] Md. at the time. It's not far from Clinton at all. I don't remember ever being in Sam's Crab House but being in close proximity to Danny's residence it's quite possible thats who it was. He would've never turned down a chance to play. Without ever being there, I'd give it a solid 90% chance thats who it was. Nobody else in the DC area could play like Danny.

[kapacon]

It had to have been him, because he took this basic song and made it sound so different and complex--it was amazing! He used my guitar for the song and actually cut himself on the strings because he was playing so ferociously. I used a very light guage set of strings at the time, and he probably used pretty heavy strings on his tele. Anyway, very cool and thanks!

[fuxgood]

You still have that guitar? Most likely was him and to have a guitar that Gatton played....well, just too cool. Too bad you didn't get him to autograph it for ya. Thats really great info. What was the name of the country band? Just want to know for my Gatton archives...thanks.

[kapacon]

This was almost 30 years ago, so I am unsure of the name. I want to say "Southbound", but I'm not sure. A guy named Sam Richardson was fronting the band and we had Ernie Steele,(currently with "Blue Steele"}, on harp. "Blue Steele" is currently an active band out of MD. So if you could contact Ernie Steele, he may also remember this night.

[fuxgood]

Ah yes. The memory does get fuzzy after so many years. Southbound does ring a bell with me so that could be the name. And I know exactly who Blue Steele is. Didn't know Ernie's name was instrumental in the name of the band though.But what about the guitar? You still have it? What brand might it be or have been?

[kapacon]

Sadly, I no longer have that guitar. It was an Ibanez Roadstar, strat-type guitar with a bird's eye maple top. I lost it in a pawn shop in Woodbridge, VA. sometime in the early 90s.

[fuxgood]

Crap. Nice guitar too. At the time you bought that guitar it was not viewed as a top notch player but nowadays are different. Hindsight is always 20/20. I had an Ibanez 924 bass...a great fretless instrument with I think a rosewood body and a through maple neck. It was made in the same time frame as your Roadstar. Ibanez made great instruments back then although 70's guitars are not the most sought after these days.

[MasterCollecter]

Try to find some 77 live video footage of Gatton. Maybe there is a way you can find some DC area bigtime Gatton collectors. To see Danny in 77 or 88 or 92 would have been awesome. ALl years but especially those. mastercollector

[fuxgood]

Gatton footage isn't that common to find. Not many ventured into a bar with big clumsy recording equipment. I've asked the friends that would go with me to the clubs to see Gatton but they all laughed. Wish we would've recorded those shows but at the time few carried around such equipment. Few even had any movie cameras back then.

[MasterCollecter]

unfortunately thats true, I've been looking for years and came across 7 collectors and only 3 Gatton collectors. Especially the 70's footage besides 78 Cellar Door seems to be scarce. mastercollector

[fuxgood]

It's really too bad. Gatton was a superb guitarist that wasn't recognized by the recording companies. They didn't know they were missing out on.

[MasterCollecter]

Right, he was so versitale they didn't know which category to put him in which probably cost him more money unfortunately. mastercollector

[MasterCollecter]

What shows and what years did you see Gatton live fuxgood?, I'm all ears. mastercollector

[fuxgood]

A guess would be in the mid to late 70's and early 80's. Saw him many times in the Baltimore/DC areas playing mainly small clubs. The biggest venue I saw him play was the Werner Theater in DC. He opened for Johnny Winter I think.

[MasterCollecter]

fuxgood great stuff; you and jkaaco are so lucky to have seen him especially early on. Do you know any collector with 70's audio or video? The most amazing thing is Gatton was mind boggling in the 70's, 80's and into the early 90's-unbelievable!!! mastercollector

[fuxgood]

Speaking for myself, I saw him because of where i lived at the time. Anyone who lived around DC and was into music knew about Gatton. He had a rather large following, but unfortunately it never developed outside the local scene.

[Gregorypeckory]

It was starting to. He was on several national tv shows, featured a few times (once with a cover photo), in Guitar Player mag, and toured. Several hundred willing minds were blown when he kicked Seattle's ass a few years before his death. I don't know how it was in other cities; it seemed like the buzz was growing when he did himself in. Such a shame.

[Nileswest1969]

gatton was untouchable and a very modest great guy unfortunately i never met him, discovered him about 3 years ago and was instantly converted into a huge gatton fan, you should see his live dvd's it will take your breath away! the most incredible guitarist that ever walked the face of this planet in my opinion! gatton forever!

[Nileswest1969]

oh how lucky you are! i wish i could go back in time to see danny just once! danny left us far too soon, but his legacy will go on forever i hope! if i ever get wealthy and have lot's of time i will do a documentary on this one-of-a-kind super guitarist! from no2 gatton fan here in the midwest

[sfradia]

Danny is amazing in his free jazz improv,saw him w/Gordon and Carl Perkins,shot some 35mm stills,both Danny and Carl were the most gracious beings full of love,like buddhas,it was Carl's last gig before being hospitalized and I sent him pics in the hospital of that gig with his son in San Jose. DC blew me away met Nils eating a cheap diner meal and then we went to see Roy play in Georgetown. Next day got a call asked to lend my 4-10 bassman to Bert Jansch w/Pentangle! What an era for a guitarist

[MasterCollecter]

sfradia great story. I've seen about 60 video/dvd segments on Gatton but that is no match for people like you that actually saw him, man. What year did you see him? I saw Buchanan in Chicago in the mid to late 80's. Jimmy Page and Neil Young used to rave about the acoustic talent of Bert Jansch. Check out Bola Sete and Michael Hedges.I met Johny Smith,Joe Pass, Jeff Beck,Steve Morse,Al Dimeola,John McGlaughlin, Scotty Anderson, and Buddy Guy.

[sfradia]

early 80's for Danny,the DC stories were in late '71 when one night at the hotel room 3am came a pounding,my bass player shouts WTF,yanks the door open and it's sloppy drunk Rod Stewart lookin for his pals,"tell him to GTF outta here!! slam! Later 72' got to be guests for a band with the stupidest name of the day-first gig-central park NYC:the Eagles!

[kapacon]

Awesome playing. But isn't this a track from Deep Throat?

[LumberjackHands]

Sit back relax and listen to ''The Humbler''

[supersellig]

Quel touché ! Un tout tout grand guitariste que je découvre en 2007. Malheureusement Danny n'est plus de ce monde... Tant de talent non reconnu ! R.I.P

[podijeff]

I used to see him faily often. He was referred to, in Rolling Stone, after his death, as "The Worls'd Greatest Unknown Guitarist".

Unfortunatly, like so many artists (I.E. Van Gogh), his deamons overcame his talent. He hated touring, and being away from his rural Southern Maryland home, therefore never toured with the celebrity guitarists, such as Robert Cray, Clapton, and others.

He could play blues, jazz, rock, classical, and probably anything else....so sad.

[ScottFree37]

Great Hybrid Picking...everything about Danny was great though