Terry Kath: The most underrated guitarist of all time?
At the foundation of rock music is the guitar. When you think of rock n roll, you immediately consider the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Slash, Eddie Van Halen and Eric Clapton. Even though a band is critically important when making rock music, the guitarist is the champion of a sound built on face-melting solos and heavy, catchy riffs.
In 1936, a jazz guitarist named Charlie Christian attached a pickup to his acoustic guitar with the intention of increasing the guitar’s volume. This allowed him to play standout solos that could be heard above the rest of the band. This set the stage for what would become a pinnacle of rock music, as half of a gig was made up of electrifying guitarists doing what they did best.
Jimi Hendrix is a perfect example of a musician who captured the hearts of everyone through his guitar playing. While his studio recording music is excellent, and there is no denying the genius in albums such as Electric Ladyland and Axis: Bold As Love, when people went to see Jimi Hendrix perform, they were swept up in his brilliance, and word travelled fast.
Jeff Beck admired Hendrix for his ability to play live, saying that Hendrix took everything guitarists were doing and elevated it. “I was embarrassed because I thought, ‘God, that should be me up there’,” he said, “I just hadn’t had the guys to come out and do it so flamboyantly, really. He just looked like an animal, played like an animal, and everybody went crazy.”
Hendrix had mastered the art of playing live, which meant he had both a keen eye and ear for exceptional guitarists. One of his favourites can also be considered one of the most criminally underrated guitar players of all time: Terry Kath.
Famous for being the guitarist in Chicago, Kath’s name doesn’t get brought up much when fans of guitar music talk about who was the best at wielding a six-string. Jimmy Page will be mentioned a great deal because of his ability to blend acoustic and rock music, delivering tracks such as ‘Stairway To Heaven’. Jeff Beck is brought up because he intertwined spontaneity into his playing and shone a better light on the guitarist. Pete Townshend is often mentioned for his writing of some of the greatest guitar melodies of all time, but Kath doesn’t get much of a look at it.
It could be because of the fact Chicago wasn’t a guitar eccentric band, but anybody who has properly listened to Kath knows that he is one of the most technically gifted instrumentalists on the planet. When you listen to ‘Free From Guitar’ on the band’s 1969 debut album, his ability stands out as one of the highlights on the whole record.
Jimi Hendrix could see it perfectly. The two played a few shows together, and Hendrix, who was praised for his live performances, watched Terry Kath in awe. That ability, which shone through on their record, was even more evident during the band’s live show, which led to Hendrix calling Kath “The best guitarist in the universe.”
He passed away before his time after accidentally shooting himself when mistaking a gun as being empty when it was loaded. However, he leaves behind a legacy that, while it may be a bit too frequently overlooked, cements him as one of the greatest guitarists to ever take to the stage.
