Curated playlist

Guitarists from Los Angeles

Mike ShinodaMike Shinoda has toured Japan with Linkin Park about four times, and the first visit began with a smell. Stepping off the plane, he later recalled, "it smelled like my aunt's house, in the airport, it smelled like Japan." He had not yet…
Slash (musician)Slash, the guitarist born Saul Hudson in Hampstead, London, on the 23rd of July 1965, owes his famous name to a restless child. The actor Seymour Cassel gave him the nickname because the boy was "always in a hurry, zipping around from one…
Jackson BrowneJackson Browne stood on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame stage in 2004 while Bruce Springsteen paid him a compliment that cut two ways. Springsteen reminded the room that the Eagles had been inducted first, then told Browne, "You wrote the…
Frank ZappaAs a boy, Frank Zappa spread mercury across his bedroom floor with a hammer. His father brought it home from work.
James TaylorJames Taylor, the American singer-songwriter and guitarist, was the last act on the bill at the Newport Folk Festival on the 20th of July 1969. Thousands of fans had stayed through the rain just to hear him. He got through only 15 minutes.…
Troy BakerTroy Baker is an American voice actor and musician who holds the record for the most acting nominations at the BAFTA Games Awards. He has seven of them, spread between 2013 and 2026. That is a long run for someone whose face most players…
Roger McGuinnRoger McGuinn was born James Joseph McGuinn III on the 13th of July 1942, and he chose his first name from a list of ten. When he started with the Byrds, he went by Jim, a name he thought too plain. In 1965 he became involved with Subud, a…
Post MalonePost Malone, born Austin Richard Post, failed an audition in 2010 for the Texas metalcore band Crown the Empire. He had gone in as a guitarist. The audition ended when his guitar strings broke, and the band turned him down. He was a…
Adam LevineAdam Levine was twelve years old when he played his first professional gig at The Troubadour. He was so nervous that he played with his back to the audience. Today he is the lead singer, rhythm guitarist and only continuous member of the…
Linda RonstadtLinda Ronstadt sings harmony on Under African Skies, a track on Paul Simon's album Graceland, and its second verse contains a line written for her. The line reads, "Take this child, Lord, from Tucson, Arizona...." Simon's tribute suits a…