The Slide Area Trivia Quiz

Answer: Dave Hole

Blues guitarist Dave Hole was born in England in 1948, and moved to Australia at the age of four. Although he has not achieved the worldwide fame as the other guitarists on this list, he has released several albums since his initial 1990 release of "Short Fuse Blues." Almost all of Hole's songs feature his slide guitar, and he has become one of my favorite guitarists. "Demolition Man" is featured on his 1999 album "Under the Spell."

Answer: Rory Gallagher

Rory Gallagher was an Irish guitarist (1948-1995) who hit stardom in the mid 1960s with the blues rock band, Taste. More known in Europe, many people in the United States may not know much about Gallagher, as he never had any major hits in there, and he doesn't receive a lot of air time on radio stations compared to many other notables in this quiz. "Last of the Independents" is featured on Rory's 1978 album, "Photo-Finish," but I think the live version from his 1979 live album "Stage Struck" is much better.

Answer: Derek Trucks

Derek Trucks, the nephew of Allman Brothers Band drummer Butch Trucks, was a child prodigy, often performing at Allman Brothers Band shows in the early to mid 1990s before formally joining the band in 1999. He formed his own band, the Derek Trucks Band in 1994, who released their first album "The Derek Trucks Band" in 1997 while Trucks was just 18 years old. "Joyful Noise" was released on the album of the same name in 2002, and showcases Derek's mastery of the slide guitar.

Answer: Joe Walsh

Joe Walsh was known for his time with James Gang and also for his solo work before joining Eagles in 1975. Walsh co-wrote "In the City" and it was released on Eagles' 1979 album, "The Long Run." Walsh played a double necked Gibson guitar on the song, using the top neck with a 12-string guitar for the rhythm parts of the song, and the bottom neck featuring a 6-string guitar for the slide parts.

Answer: George Harrison

Harrison, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist for the Beatles, only began playing the slide guitar on records after the 1970 break-up of the band. "This is Love" is featured on his 1987 solo album, "Cloud Nine." The song immediately starts out with Harrison's distinctive slide guitar sound.

There are many Harrison slide guitar songs I could have used, including "Marwa Blues," (2002) but the melody in "This Is Love" is especially captivating to my ears.

Answer: Duane Allman

Duane Allman died at the tender age of 24 in 1971 following a motorcycle accident. Despite being so young, he made a huge impact on rock music, and was known as a revolutionary slide guitarist. Just a few months before his death, he performed "Statesboro Blues" at New York City's concert venue the Fillmore East along with the Allman Brothers Band.

The song is featured on their live 1971 album "At Fillmore East." The song is a cover song from a 1929 release from bluesman Blind Willie McTell.

Answer: Warren Haynes

Haynes, who is best known for his work with the Allman Brothers Band, and the jam band, Gov't Mule, is renowned for his southern rock and bluesy guitar work. The blues rock band Blues Traveler, who released a critically acclaimed album in 1994 named "Four," which featured many popular hits such as "Run-Around" and "Hook," reached out to Haynes to get him to do the slide guitar work on "The Mountains Win Again." It is the only song on the album that features Haynes.

Answer: Elmore James

Elmore James, known as the "King of Slide Guitar," was a revolutionary blues slide guitar player who was prominent from the 1940s until his death in 1963 at the age of 45. James covered bluesman Robert Johnson's 1936 song "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom" and shortened the title to "Dust My Broom," and released the song in 1951 as a single.

The song was also covered by ZZ Top for their 1979 album "Degüello." Elmore's version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.

Answer: Ry Cooder

Cooder is known for his exceptional work as a slide guitar player, and has released numerous albums, the first of which was the 1970 release of his eponymous album. The song "Feelin' Bad Blues" comes from the soundtrack of the 1986 movie "Crossroads," which featured Ralph Macchio and was inspired by the life of bluesman Robert Johnson. Cooder recorded several songs for the album, including "Feelin Bad Blues", which is an instrumental. Also, I borrowed the name of this quiz from the Ry Cooder's 1982 album of the same name.

Answer: Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton had enjoyed a prosperous career in the 1960s before going solo; he was the lead guitarist with the Yardbirds, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, and Derek and the Dominos. His 1974 album "461 Ocean Boulevard," which topped the US Billboard Top 200 charts, features the song "Give Me Strength," written by Clapton, and is a blues/spiritual acoustic song played on a dobro. One of the lesser known songs from the album, it is worth a listen, but it is a gloomy song about a downtrodden man looking for something to brighten his life.