Hello!
I know that even daring to pose this question is a form of heresy for many guitar players. But: is SRV really the great player, the best blues/rock player of the post-Hendrix era and the legend many people consider him to be? I have to admit that it is fascinating to hear him improvising, especially on his live recordings, but I also have to tell that I have many doubts regarding his paying.
I mean: almost everything he played has been played before: Texas Flood sounds remarkably similar to Albert King's playing, Scuttle Buttin sounds like Lonnie Mack, much of his slow blues stuff sounds similar to Buddy Guy, his shuffles sound often like Freddie King on steroids, etc.
I mean It's certainly ok to have influences and to gain inspiration from other players, but getting inspired by others doesn't mean that you copy other people's playing almost note by note. Let me give you an example: Peter Green was heavily influenced by Elmore and BB, but he forged a style that was unique and instantly recognisable. The same goes for EC or Jeff Beck. To me, SRV's solos often sound like Albert King/Hendrix/Freddie King, etc. solos played by a fantastic guitar player, not like music played by the man who invented it himself. He didn't really forge his own style, but rather assembled an ecclectic mix of traditional blues stuff. One time I had the chance of discussion this phenomenon with an african-american blues player here in Europe. He just said: I'm not a SRV fan. SRV played Albert King, not SRV.
And there's the problem of the large footsteps Stevie left behind him: sometimes I have the impression that young blues players' only goal is to sound similar to SRV. His influence is almost shocking, and his legacy often overshadows other players like Gary Moore or Walter Trout, who were just as good as him, often even better from a technical point of view.
I know that even daring to pose this question is a form of heresy for many guitar players. But: is SRV really the great player, the best blues/rock player of the post-Hendrix era and the legend many people consider him to be? I have to admit that it is fascinating to hear him improvising, especially on his live recordings, but I also have to tell that I have many doubts regarding his paying.
I mean: almost everything he played has been played before: Texas Flood sounds remarkably similar to Albert King's playing, Scuttle Buttin sounds like Lonnie Mack, much of his slow blues stuff sounds similar to Buddy Guy, his shuffles sound often like Freddie King on steroids, etc.
I mean It's certainly ok to have influences and to gain inspiration from other players, but getting inspired by others doesn't mean that you copy other people's playing almost note by note. Let me give you an example: Peter Green was heavily influenced by Elmore and BB, but he forged a style that was unique and instantly recognisable. The same goes for EC or Jeff Beck. To me, SRV's solos often sound like Albert King/Hendrix/Freddie King, etc. solos played by a fantastic guitar player, not like music played by the man who invented it himself. He didn't really forge his own style, but rather assembled an ecclectic mix of traditional blues stuff. One time I had the chance of discussion this phenomenon with an african-american blues player here in Europe. He just said: I'm not a SRV fan. SRV played Albert King, not SRV.
And there's the problem of the large footsteps Stevie left behind him: sometimes I have the impression that young blues players' only goal is to sound similar to SRV. His influence is almost shocking, and his legacy often overshadows other players like Gary Moore or Walter Trout, who were just as good as him, often even better from a technical point of view.
