Freak Out! Nile Rodgers
When you think of great guitarists, certain names inevitably crop up. The rock genius of Hendrix, Clapton and Beck, the lyrical blues phrasing of BB King and Albert Collins, the pyrotechnics of Van Halen, Vai and Satriani, and the awesome riffs of Hetfield and Townshend. But when it comes to pure groove guitar what names spring to mind? Stax label’s Steve Cropper and James Brown’s iconic Jimmy Nolan? Yes, but as Yoda remarked in The Empire Strikes Back, “There is another...’ And that’s Nile Rodgers.
Rodgers has been a major player and producer since the mid 70s. From his band Chic (alongside Bernard Edwards) to playing or producing for the likes of Sister Sledge (We Are Family, 1979), Diana Ross (Diana, 1980), David Bowie (Let’s Dance, 1983), Madonna (Like A Virgin, 1984), The Vaughan Brothers (Family Stand, 1985), Jeff Beck (Flash, 1985), Duran Duran (Notorious, 1986), and Daft Punk (Random Access Memories, 2013), he’s responsible for much of what we appreciate as mainstream funk guitar. With his clean Strat tones reverberating on countless radio and TV shows as well as finding favour with modern R&B and hip-hop acts, Nile sat down with GT so that some of his 16th-note genius can rub off on you. Read on...
Although you’re known as a funk or R&B guitarist, your influences and musical appreciation are far wider than that…
For me, guitar playing is not about limitations. I love Jimi Hendrix as much as Wes Montgomery, Paco De Lucia as much as BB King. When I first started playing music one of my teachers said to me that to play and listen to jazz presupposes a certain amount of education. I thought that was so right - most people don’t just jump up listening to jazz, it’s a developmental process. The problem is, I’ve embarked on a process to primarily
