Billy Gibbons explains the feeling of being “mesmerised” by Prince’s greatness
Nothing that ZZ Top ever played could be considered anything less than pure rock and roll. The whole point behind all of their tunes was to carry on that same bluesy tradition that came from people like Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, only this time with a bit more dirt under their boots. Although Billy Gibbons will proudly play the blues until he’s six feet underground, he knew that he was witnessing greatness when watching this musical icon destroying a guitar solo.
Looking at where Gibbons had come from, though, it’s not hard to see where he was getting most of his influences from. The blues purists are definitely there in every one of his signature bends, but the fluidity of his solos also comes from someone who’s internalised the playing of Jimi Hendrix and heard the lyricism that came from listening to someone like Duane Allman play his signature slide licks.
But there’s always more to playing the blues than learning one simple scale shape. The core part of every great blues player is to hear the person behind every note, and every time a tune like ‘La Grange’ or ‘Tush’ starts, you can hear Gibbons putting in all of the pain that he’s gone through in his life and turning into pure beauty, especially when he starts hitting those pinch harmonics on the former.
Whereas blues always came from a place of pain in its early days, Prince always approached his songs from a place of pure creative fun. There is still some genuine hurt surrounding many of his tunes, but listening to songs like ‘When You Were Mine’ or ‘Kiss’, what draws everyone in is how much Prince seems to enjoy what he’s doing, usually making music as if he’s a man possessed by some higher power.
When he does decide to cut loose, it’s usually with a guitar in his hands. Despite his proficiency on any instrument, Prince was always a dynamo with the six-string, and outside of his brilliant performance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame playing ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps,’ it wasn’t until meeting the musical royal after that performance that Gibbons got a true appreciation for what he stood for.
Outside of being hooked in by tunes like ‘When Doves Cry,’ Gibbons remembered having a better understanding of what Prince was all about after meeting him to talk about guitars, saying, “We really dove into the depth of his intent, interest and focus toward technique and tone. I left that evening even more mesmerized than I’d previously been, just knowing the sincerity that Prince kept toward his playing, his performing and his all-around showmanship.”
That’s because a lot of what Prince did wasn’t tied to him being a dive onstage by any stretch. From day one, he always treated his music like it was a job, and that meant working his body down to the bone if it meant getting the right sound that the song needed or making sure that every member of the band was playing at their absolute peak whenever they played with him.
But aside from his immaculate tone and songwriting chops, a lot of Prince’s best moments come from the heart he put into every solo. Most people can try to match him, but the only way that guitar masterpieces like ‘Purple Rain’ or ‘Let’s Go Crazy’ get recorded is because someone has a demon hidden in between their fingers.
