@@juffurey MJ?? In his dreams maybe! Prince was a unique musician who combined all his influences like James, Sly, Jimi, Santana and then some and turned it all into his own unique style. But there’s nothing similar with MJ, MJ was a an amateur musician compared to him.
@@jkj10 Agreed. Although, Prince had always said his GREATEST influence was Joni Mitchell. Of course there were other influences like Eddie Hazel, Hendrix, George Clinton, George Duke, etc. but Joni Mitchell was his main influence.
Mick Jagger was a fan of Prince. Jagger asked him to open a couple shows back in 81". 94,000 Stones fans in the L.A. Coliseum were not fans of Prince. He was pelted with food, bottles, etc...and left stage in tears. Prince would go on to be one of the greatest and most successful artist of all time. When you impress Billy Gibbons you're not just good. You're damn good!
He did not leave in tears. He left very angry... and that makes a big difference on who he was. And then he became this crossover showman everyone wanted to see live.
@@3ver4fter53 seems to be a trend of people telling him he can't cut it and him going on to do it better than they could ever imagine. 1st several record companies didn't think he could do it all himself not even Warner Brothers had much faith in him, 2nd Rick James got jealous when he would open for that band, then the Rolling Stones fans didn't like his music though Mick Jagger knew he was going to be a future star, and finally, the prop falling when he was called up without warning by James Brown to dance after Michael Jackson was a bit of an embarassment. He surmounted everything and became the best overall musician/performer of all time.
Any cat who ranks as Jimi Hendrix's favorite guitarist, has got *MAD* game. The fact that he and Prince got the opportunity to rap about music... incredible. His Purple Badness is perhaps the greatest *all around* musical talent this country has ever produced. Lyricist, composer, singer, guitarist, pianist, percussionist, horn player, stage performer, dancer.... There was nothing Prince couldn't do at a world class level... very sad loss.
Prince's guitar solo in "While my guitar gently weeps" is a door open on a completely new musical universe. The song is per se very good, of course. Then Prince comes in and takes it to a completely different, unexplored level. The artist sees what we ordinary people cannot see. And that's just a solo. Such an "endless" artist, no final frontier ever existed for that little guy. Game changer.
@@dmlevitt No i'm a musician who has traveled the world. I play guitar and drums..nice try though. Saying he is in a class by himself means what? Prince is a legend but let's not forget about the many other legends who are in the SAME class. Don't be a stan.
After a gig Jimi was asked by an interviewer “how it felt to be the greatest guitar player in the world”, Jimi replied” I don’t know, you need to ask Billy Gibbons”.
Alice Cooper made this up on Behind The Music in the 90s. I don't know if people missed the joke or if VH1 edited in a confusing way. This is not true.
I think it's funny seeing comments that Prince is FINALLY getting recognized for his guitar playing. People recognized him for that immediately upon the release of Purple Rain.
Im desperately trying not to say Black folks & white folks. But the fact that this world renowned musician, until 2004, thought that Prince just stood on stage with a fukin guitar, but couldn't play it doesn't really give me the same warm & fuzzy feelings about this interview that others are having. So he had to play THIS song or THIS music in order to get respected as a guitar player or even recognized as one? There's a lot of years between the early 80s & 2004.
Indeed he may have been recognized then but it seemed as if kudos were grudgingly given. Kinda like he was a fad and wouldn't be relevant damn near 40 years later. How soon some forget...
Great interview! Really enjoyed it. Glad to hear that Prince wasn't a jerk and was eager to share his gifts with others. We lost such a talent and an incredible entertainer.
His extreme shyness was the reason he gave people the impression of aloofness. All the people who worked with him said the man was full of humor and warmth. Again, he was just too shy in public and it was also the reason of his prolificness and spending so much in the studio.
I feel very much the same. I really, and TRULY regret that I always thought of Prince as a great entertainer and "pop" star. But I didn't know just HOW good he was as a musician. RIP, you tiny, ubertalented, top class god of a musician.
I’ve always known Prince was a musical prodigy. The first time I heard him do a Hendricks riff blew me away because he did it his way and it was off the chain…
That Super Bowl halftime show introduced more people to how great of a showman Prince was That rock n roll induction performance showed more people how great a guitarist Prince was
@Little Albert The story is deeper than that. He had bad hip joints from jumping around onstage in high heels. He couldn’t get the hip replacement surgeries bc of the blood transfusion ban by his religion.
For Billy to ask for a lesson to play intro to when doves cry and prince to say I haven’t played it correctly since it was recorded shows just how genius he was! I’ve always! Always looked to prince as a top guitarist along side Eddie
Guys enough with this solo. I know that's the one performance that made a lot of people (re)discover what he could do... But please... Go see his other guitar work. The guy could do everything.
I never get tired of Prince stories. I was listening to some NPG stuff the other day. Not my favorite era of Prince, but I'm liking it more and more as time goes by.
Billy is one of the people uniquely strange enough in a good way to appreciate the unique presence that was Prince. That's awesome that the two chatted guitar.
It was that very hall of fame performance that turned me onto Prince as a guitar player , my whole perception of him changed ...Prince was a great talent .
He’s saying just exactly what I said. I never knew prince was that great myself until a few years ago. I was stunned when I realized just how great a guitarist he truly was.
Billy Gibbons - I guess the first time I saw ZZ Top was in the early to mid 70s in Charlotte. Those were the days of great rock concerts that seemed to never end. Man, what a musical journey it was. It can't be anywhere near that good today. You young dudes tell me how it's going these days.
Prince's guitar solo in "While my guitar gently weeps" is one of the most incredibly talented solos ever. The fact he was playing with Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne was just an interesting mix. Prince's "showmanship" along with his guitar skills was incredible. Man, I think Prince should have been an exclusively hard rock guitar player. He's had too many live performances that put his guitar skills on display which make him one of the best all time. (And I was never a Prince fan until I had seen him play guitar.) RIP
Doesn’t Prince play ALL the instruments on his records?? I seem to recall hearing somewhere (maybe in Duff McKagan’s memoir) that Prince played it all…?
@@clairefreeman6273 : I think/ believe he does, lotsa' musicians have witnessed it first hand. They go home after recording, return next day and he's been there all night. But he's cut a track, played everything on said track. He's incomarparable. The Duke Ellington of our time.
Heard a story somewhere, if it's not true then it should be, Prince was asked what he had been smoking after some amazing performance and Prince sort of winking and with that sly, half serious, half smile he'd give answered, "I smoke other guitarists." It's all apples and oranges because you like what you like and I love Prince. But up there there's Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn and a bunch of other amazing artists, including Bill Gibbons. Waitin' for the Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago is at the top of the list of what I love about ZZ Top.
Prince could play, and be a showman at the same time. My favorite example is his live cover of "Motherless Child". Look it up on youtube. You'll be glad you did. Dan Rather in this interview probably also asked Billy about his association with Jimi Hendrix. Billy was definitely respected by the all-time guitar legends.
Remember, Gibbons was tearing places apart when the Marshall stack/a lot of electric guitar tech was fairly new. Prince learned a lot from the music made from those times. Both of their guitar playing was off the charts great.
They play Let's Go Crazy as example of Billy's comment on Prince's playing at end of R&R HOF ceremony, but Billy is referring to While My Guitar Gently Weeps. I moved Prince way up the ladder after that, too.
Correct prince was a great musician and Mike old field played all the instruments on his first album as well so did todd rungren played all the instruments on something anything album
Thing is, Prince was *always* that good! That was him playing that screaming solo on Let's Go Crazy! Of course I was the same way, it hadn't really hit me that it was him playing that incredible guitar, probably because he shined so much as an overall performer, along with his charisma, it actually overshadowed his incredible guitar playing!
Great interview, I have to say I felt the same about Prince and assumed he was just a good all round entertainer, a bit like Michael Jackson, until I heard him play that solo at the George Harrison Tribute gig, it still blows me away now. So it must have been great for Billy to get and talk guitars with him.
That awesome when you think you know someone and they nock you off your feet with something you never thought they could do. I think they call those people, humble.
As a huge Prince fan, something that is extremely common whenever I speak to people about Prince, is they often have no idea about his musicianship or repertoire. They mainly know Prince from some of his popular songs or a hand full of news stories they've heard over the years. That's it. It's frustrating because some come with criticism and then you realize they don't know much about the man.
If you dig out Prince's debut album from 1978 which he wrote, composed, performed and produced completely alone aged 18, you will hear some ripping guitar work. The guy could do it all right from the start.
Correct! The way I understand it, on those first two albums from Prince, 1978's "FOR YOU" & 1979's self-titled, "PRINCE", (both released by The Warner Group) he played EVERY SINGLE INSTRUMENT HIMSELF! He may have had a wee bit of arranging & programming help on a number or two, but he always laid his own musical foundations & paved his on roads to recording; there's no two ways about that! BCRadio
The last thing mentioned, well kinda of relieving though you can see there it was written for him in the sky. Here's the magic about genius artist. That thing that is so mysterious, impossible to grasp, even from the main guy himself.
I’m not sure why Prince’s guitar genius had to be a “ later discovery”. That solo at the end “never take the place of your man”? The intro of “when doves cry”? No one can even cover those.
oh man, I just watched a few seminars with Susan Rogers, Princes sound engineer/producer for the better part of the 80's, and in one of them she describes exactly how Prince made that opening guitar sound from "When doves cry". I think he just plugged his guitar into one of the recording machines or something weird. I'm disappointed I cant remember exactly as she is a brilliant professor at Berkley, and one of the most incredible lecturer's Ive ever listened to. But Billy if your out there, so sorry about Dusty, and Susan Rogers has your answer.
I watched I think the Red Bull interview with Susan Rogers it went for about an hour and I just love her stories of her time working with prince. But she is so knowledgeable and even just hearing her talk about her own life outside of Prince was so interesting and engaging. But she had some really amazing insights into so many of his songs And his creative process especially.
Prince was the real deal 🙏🏿. Billy Gibbons is the truth. Those old 70s ZZ Top albums are absolutely stunning in tone and stepped in guitar IQ. Strange brew
That admission is the #TRUTH of musicianship. U can practice which gives direction, knowledge & strength in the craft. But when the moment HITS, the moment can NEVER be replicated. U run w\ it and let it be what it is in the sands of time. Dude said even HE hasn't been able to replicate his OWN GUITAR SOLO from his OWN SONG!!! Let that sink in. The spirits are powerful when U let them guide U. 🙏🏿
I was kinda like Billy, I didn't know Prince could tear up the guitar like nobody's business until I saw his all star tribute to George Harrison playing While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
Unlike Billy, I always knew Prince was an amazing guitarist, but I didn't realize Steve Winwood had great guitar chops until I saw him play live. Always thought of him as a singer/keyboardist. As to Billy and Prince, great music unites people because it comes from the soul.
The fact Billy didn't know Prince was such an accomplished guitar player, just means he hadn't seen any concert of Prince, otherwise he already should have known...
@@3ver4fter53 Interesting POV...I would say Prince didn't allow people to typecast/stereotype/pigeonhole/label his music. His debut album featured mostly R&B/disco music. His sophomore effort (released on my birthday, October 19th 42 years ago...wow! Has it been that long?! just found out that cool, cool factoid!) was (in my opinion) a more diverse sampling of his musical tastes. Have you heard Bambi? It definitely rocks out/on...Nary a hint of R&B or disco in that 4 minute track. He was tremendously underrated (my opinion) as an all-around exemplary singer/songwriter/ musician/guitarist/performer/artist whilst he was here with us. It's a shame how most people only recognized how freaking talented he is/was/and always will be AFTER he left us...good thing he was uber-confident about his talents and didn't rely on people to second his virtuosity. He made music in many different genres which left a lasting imprint on people (myself in particular). I'm sure most people, even those who don't care for R&B as a rule, have a favorite Prince song... Stepping down from my soapbox now 😄
@@naima2971 It's all good to get on your soapbox about someone n something worthy- Prince and good music. Prince was something truly special...I appreciate your input.
It boggles my mind that people ever thought of Prince as just an entertainer. Especially those in the industry. Honestly, I think its just sour grapes...it doesn't take much to find out how great of a musician he was...even pre internet.
Prince was an amazing guitar player. I grew up and lived in Minneapolis. I watched bands in bars like The Replacements, Soul Asylum, Husker Du, Run Westy Run, The Jayhawks, and Prince. A few years before he died, we watched him at a dive bar. The place was called Bunker's in the Warehouse District. Every Monday night, a band called Mambo's Combo, kind of like a super band with all kinds of musicians. One was a rebel guitar player, another was a pop pianist, another was a funk bass player, another a country western, and a trio of gospel singers, it somehow made sense, it was full every Monday night. We sat at the bar at about 9:30pm and heard this song happening. Someone was playing a weeping, wailing, and aggressive guitar with what sounded like a Telecaster. We walked over and looked to the stage to see who was playing. It was Prince. Wearing jeans, a t-shirt and flip flops. He jammed his ass off the rest of the night. He was typically way better than when he played in the Hall of Fame thing. He was amazing.
I have spoken with a number of great guitarist from rock to country and jazz. The real pros admire great talent across the genres. BB King admired Jimi Hendrix, Jimi admired BB and Kenny Burrell. I saw a show once where country legend Roy Clark and several Jazz and Rock guitarist played each others music. Billy Gibbons knows a true player when he hears one. I too thought Prince was merely a showman.
Finally at last!!!!
Prince getting the RESPECT he deserves 4 his genius guitar work accoladed by another genius..
Billy Gibbons comes across as being a fantastically great story teller. I could just listen to this dude tell stories all day and night.
It's so great to hear people like Steve Vai and Billy Gibbons praise Prince as a guitarist and musician.
In a sense Prince is the combination of two of the greatest musicians in history, Jimi and MJ.
In other senses he is the combination of tenth of the greatest musicians in History.
@@juffurey MJ?? In his dreams maybe! Prince was a unique musician who combined all his influences like James, Sly, Jimi, Santana and then some and turned it all into his own unique style. But there’s nothing similar with MJ, MJ was a an amateur musician compared to him.
Jackos a song n dance man, doesnt stand comparision with any genius multi instrumentalist.
@@jkj10 Agreed. Although, Prince had always said his GREATEST influence was Joni Mitchell. Of course there were other influences like Eddie Hazel, Hendrix, George Clinton, George Duke, etc. but Joni Mitchell was his main influence.
Mick Jagger was a fan of Prince. Jagger asked him to open a couple shows back in 81". 94,000 Stones fans in the L.A. Coliseum were not fans of Prince. He was pelted with food, bottles, etc...and left stage in tears. Prince would go on to be one of the greatest and most successful artist of all time.
When you impress Billy Gibbons you're not just good. You're damn good!
Truth……..my sister was there.
He did not leave in tears. He left very angry... and that makes a big difference on who he was.
And then he became this crossover showman everyone wanted to see live.
@@3ver4fter53 seems to be a trend of people telling him he can't cut it and him going on to do it better than they could ever imagine. 1st several record companies didn't think he could do it all himself not even Warner Brothers had much faith in him, 2nd Rick James got jealous when he would open for that band, then the Rolling Stones fans didn't like his music though Mick Jagger knew he was going to be a future star, and finally, the prop falling when he was called up without warning by James Brown to dance after Michael Jackson was a bit of an embarassment. He surmounted everything and became the best overall musician/performer of all time.
Great story. True Prince fans know that he thought highly of Billy. It’s documented in several journal outlets and books.
Any cat who ranks as Jimi Hendrix's favorite guitarist, has got *MAD* game.
The fact that he and Prince got the opportunity to rap about music... incredible. His Purple Badness is perhaps the greatest *all around* musical talent this country has ever produced. Lyricist, composer, singer, guitarist, pianist, percussionist, horn player, stage performer, dancer.... There was nothing Prince couldn't do at a world class level... very sad loss.
Ok
In fact I saw a interview with Nile Rodgers of Chic some years ago who called Prince the greatest living musician today bar none .
@@leebowens2631 loll
“Let’s go learn it.”
What fun that would have been to watch.
What a fantastic story. Two entirely different backgrounds coming together perfectly. Class act on both sides.
Aw, I love this. Thank you for your thoughts Mr. Gibbons.
Prince's guitar solo in "While my guitar gently weeps" is a door open on a completely new musical universe. The song is per se very good, of course. Then Prince comes in and takes it to a completely different, unexplored level. The artist sees what we ordinary people cannot see. And that's just a solo. Such an "endless" artist, no final frontier ever existed for that little guy. Game changer.
Now go watch Phish's live version of it, I promise you won't regret it.
I wouldn't say a completely new musical universe. It was a great solo but come on
Well said, prince had vision others could never understand, creep, another love, crimson n clover proves that
prince is in a class by himself. his version of while my guitar gently weeps at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony was otherworldly.
lol
@@thestrangemanreturns lol? you must be a 13 year old girl.
@@dmlevitt No i'm a musician who has traveled the world. I play guitar and drums..nice try though. Saying he is in a class by himself means what? Prince is a legend but let's not forget about the many other legends who are in the SAME class. Don't be a stan.
@@thestrangemanreturns forget about the.....? lose your thought world travelling musician? don't be a prick.
Nobody will come close to Prince's version of while My guitar gently weeps
This is a man that Jimi Hendrix once said was his favourite guitar player.
I thought Hendrix said that Robert Fripp was his favorite guitar player. Maybe it was a complement that he paid to several people.
Actually, Hendrix said Terry Kath of Chicago was his favorite guitar player.
@@Furax02 his solo on 25 or 6 to 4 is legendary
After a gig Jimi was asked by an interviewer “how it felt to be the greatest guitar player in the world”, Jimi replied” I don’t know, you need to ask Billy Gibbons”.
Alice Cooper made this up on Behind The Music in the 90s. I don't know if people missed the joke or if VH1 edited in a confusing way. This is not true.
I think it's funny seeing comments that Prince is FINALLY getting recognized for his guitar playing. People recognized him for that immediately upon the release of Purple Rain.
Im desperately trying not to say Black folks & white folks.
But the fact that this world renowned musician, until 2004, thought that Prince just stood on stage with a fukin guitar, but couldn't play it doesn't really give me the same warm & fuzzy feelings about this interview that others are having. So he had to play THIS song or THIS music in order to get respected as a guitar player or even recognized as one? There's a lot of years between the early 80s & 2004.
Indeed he may have been recognized then but it seemed as if kudos were grudgingly given. Kinda like he was a fad and wouldn't be relevant damn near 40 years later. How soon some forget...
@@gregc9491 Get outta my mind! I thought the same bloody thing...almost verbatim!
@@naima2971 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣
@@gregc9491 Real talk!!
Great interview! Really enjoyed it. Glad to hear that Prince wasn't a jerk and was eager to share his gifts with others. We lost such a talent and an incredible entertainer.
His extreme shyness was the reason he gave people the impression of aloofness. All the people who worked with him said the man was full of humor and warmth. Again, he was just too shy in public and it was also the reason of his prolificness and spending so much in the studio.
It’s pretty cool to learn that Billy Gibbons had the same reaction I did to Prince’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” solo: slack-jawed astonishment
I feel very much the same. I really, and TRULY regret that I always thought of Prince as a great entertainer and "pop" star. But I didn't know just HOW good he was as a musician. RIP, you tiny, ubertalented, top class god of a musician.
I’ve always known Prince was a musical prodigy. The first time I heard him do a Hendricks riff blew me away because he did it his way and it was off the chain…
It’s spelled Hendrix.
Listen to the track I'm Yours on the first album For You. The entire album is just him at 17.
That Super Bowl halftime show introduced more people to how great of a showman Prince was
That rock n roll induction performance showed more people how great a guitarist Prince was
The Rev. and Prince.. now that's a table I would love to be sitting at... I bet their chat was amazing for any guitarist to hear.
I love Prince stories from other musicians
Did Prince ever tell stories about other musicians?
@Little Albert The story is deeper than that. He had bad hip joints from jumping around onstage in high heels. He couldn’t get the hip replacement surgeries bc of the blood transfusion ban by his religion.
no, he disliked other musicians, especially the ones that covered his songs. prince is overrated n overhyped n many of his songs are garbage.
@@driver4011 No, you're total garbage...save your pathetic ignorance and envy...YEECH!
Grew up listening to both these wonderful musicians and both are well established in there own right.
This is just too awesome!
Billy Gibbons 🤘 Class act. God bless Prince ❤
For Billy to ask for a lesson to play intro to when doves cry and prince to say I haven’t played it correctly since it was recorded shows just how genius he was! I’ve always! Always looked to prince as a top guitarist along side Eddie
“While my guitar gently weeps” truly amazing.
Arguably the best guitar solo ever recorded on television.
Guys enough with this solo. I know that's the one performance that made a lot of people (re)discover what he could do... But please... Go see his other guitar work. The guy could do everything.
@@3ver4fter53 Right. That solo isn't even his top 100 for me. He was the Real Deal.
He took many by surprise that night but we his true fans already knew
I never get tired of Prince stories.
I was listening to some NPG stuff the other day.
Not my favorite era of Prince, but I'm liking it more and more as time goes by.
I could listen to Bill tell stories all night long. This is a good one...
I could watch Billy Gibbons talk for hours on end. Hell of a storyteller obviously.
2 hours of talking guitar with PRINCE !!
2 hours of talking ANYTHING
2021 & still new music keeps coming
You ain't lying!!!
That was a great story, mr Gibbons is a cool cat. And, as Elton John said: "Quality recognizes quality". 💜 O(+> 4ever
Billy is one of the people uniquely strange enough in a good way to appreciate the unique presence that was Prince. That's awesome that the two chatted guitar.
@@dankourny so why did Elton say it.
@@dankourny - Right on!
:-)
Can you imagine sitting at that table listening to that conversation! Heaven on Earth!
It was that very hall of fame performance that turned me onto Prince as a guitar player , my whole perception of him changed ...Prince was a great talent .
That’s a great interview as it shows music is the best bridge for everything. Inspiring piece. Thank you.
He’s saying just exactly what I said. I never knew prince was that great myself until a few years ago. I was stunned when I realized just how great a guitarist he truly was.
Me too.
Billy Gibbons - I guess the first time I saw ZZ Top was in the early to mid 70s in Charlotte. Those were the days of great rock concerts that seemed to never end. Man, what a musical journey it was. It can't be anywhere near that good today. You young dudes tell me how it's going these days.
Two of my favorite guitarists.. Prince and Billy G!
Prince's guitar solo in "While my guitar gently weeps" is one of the most incredibly talented solos ever. The fact he was playing with Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne was just an interesting mix. Prince's "showmanship" along with his guitar skills was incredible. Man, I think Prince should have been an exclusively hard rock guitar player. He's had too many live performances that put his guitar skills on display which make him one of the best all time. (And I was never a Prince fan until I had seen him play guitar.) RIP
Same here my friend. I never realized how accomplished he was until I saw that stage appearance. My jaw hit the floor.
"Until ya' saw him play guitar..." ?! Who'd ya' think played the solo in "Let's go Crazy", 1984 or so......
Doesn’t Prince play ALL the instruments on his records?? I seem to recall hearing somewhere (maybe in Duff McKagan’s memoir) that Prince played it all…?
@@clairefreeman6273 : I think/ believe he does, lotsa' musicians have witnessed it first hand. They go home after recording, return next day and he's been there all night. But he's cut a track, played everything on said track. He's incomarparable. The Duke Ellington of our time.
Sorry, but no. Prince's solo there is a lot of basic level riffing. It's not even his best playing, let alone the best of all time.
Heard a story somewhere, if it's not true then it should be, Prince was asked what he had been smoking after some amazing performance and Prince sort of winking and with that sly, half serious, half smile he'd give answered, "I smoke other guitarists."
It's all apples and oranges because you like what you like and I love Prince. But up there there's Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn and a bunch of other amazing artists, including Bill Gibbons. Waitin' for the Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago is at the top of the list of what I love about ZZ Top.
Prince could play, and be a showman at the same time. My favorite example is his live cover of "Motherless Child". Look it up on youtube. You'll be glad you did.
Dan Rather in this interview probably also asked Billy about his association with Jimi Hendrix. Billy was definitely respected by the all-time guitar legends.
Billy is awesome!!!
Remember, Gibbons was tearing places apart when the Marshall stack/a lot of electric guitar tech was fairly new. Prince learned a lot from the music made from those times. Both of their guitar playing was off the charts great.
Remember, they're nine years apart, not ninety
I never realized Billy was so intellectual and well spoken.
They play Let's Go Crazy as example of Billy's comment on Prince's playing at end of R&R HOF ceremony, but Billy is referring to While My Guitar Gently Weeps. I moved Prince way up the ladder after that, too.
Prince was first artist WB allowed to play all instruments on his debut album. And he charted. Hint, he was pretty talented.
Correct prince was a great musician and Mike old field played all the instruments on his first album as well so did todd rungren played all the instruments on something anything album
Great video thank you!!!!!!!!!
Great story! Thanks Billy and Dan!
Prince was and will always be amazing
Thing is, Prince was *always* that good! That was him playing that screaming solo on Let's Go Crazy! Of course I was the same way, it hadn't really hit me that it was him playing that incredible guitar, probably because he shined so much as an overall performer, along with his charisma, it actually overshadowed his incredible guitar playing!
"Well, you've come to the right place. ".. Great line..
The only thing wrong with this interview is it was too short!
Billy tells great stories!
Love this. Thnx for the upload
Great interview, I have to say I felt the same about Prince and assumed he was just a good all round entertainer, a bit like Michael Jackson, until I heard him play that solo at the George Harrison Tribute gig, it still blows me away now. So it must have been great for Billy to get and talk guitars with him.
Fan of Both , Prince always played awesome licks ...... Purple Rain he cut loose
I love that Prince had to talk to Billy, but that is how he was, he needed to know everything
Once the vail is lifted these great players realize prince is one of the greatest.
That awesome when you think you know someone and they nock you off your feet with something you never thought they could do. I think they call those people, humble.
This is amazing content. Thanks for posting it.
If you love lead guitar, REALLY love it, you must enjoy this interaction.
Music really rocks the world we play it in This is an Epic story. Prince is a deciple of Music, Amen and rest in peace.
As a huge Prince fan, something that is extremely common whenever I speak to people about Prince, is they often have no idea about his musicianship or repertoire. They mainly know Prince from some of his popular songs or a hand full of news stories they've heard over the years. That's it. It's frustrating because some come with criticism and then you realize they don't know much about the man.
100%.
RIP Billy and Prince
Billy Gibbons is still with us, and touring and shredding.
If you dig out Prince's debut album from 1978 which he wrote, composed, performed and produced completely alone aged 18, you will hear some ripping guitar work. The guy could do it all right from the start.
Correct! The way I understand it, on those first two albums from Prince, 1978's "FOR YOU" & 1979's self-titled, "PRINCE", (both released by The Warner Group) he played EVERY SINGLE INSTRUMENT HIMSELF! He may have had a wee bit of arranging & programming help on a number or two, but he always laid his own musical foundations & paved his on roads to recording; there's no two ways about that!
BCRadio
The last thing mentioned, well kinda of relieving though you can see there it was written for him in the sky. Here's the magic about genius artist. That thing that is so mysterious, impossible to grasp, even from the main guy himself.
And now you're a prince, Billy. What a great story.😇😉😄
Hold the camera steady damnit
Show some respect or leave my page
He was shaky because his idol was on the screen. Talking to Billy....
Billy is the epitome of cool...
I’m not sure why Prince’s guitar genius had to be a “ later discovery”. That solo at the end “never take the place of your man”? The intro of “when doves cry”? No one can even cover those.
oh man, I just watched a few seminars with Susan Rogers, Princes sound engineer/producer for the better part of the 80's, and in one of them she describes exactly how Prince made that opening guitar sound from "When doves cry". I think he just plugged his guitar into one of the recording machines or something weird. I'm disappointed I cant remember exactly as she is a brilliant professor at Berkley, and one of the most incredible lecturer's Ive ever listened to. But Billy if your out there, so sorry about Dusty, and Susan Rogers has your answer.
She used a Tascam 4 track that Brad Laner did later, wondered how that sound was made, it was the good ole Tascam the whole time
I watched I think the Red Bull interview with Susan Rogers it went for about an hour and I just love her stories of her time working with prince. But she is so knowledgeable and even just hearing her talk about her own life outside of Prince was so interesting and engaging. But she had some really amazing insights into so many of his songs And his creative process especially.
Prince was the real deal 🙏🏿. Billy Gibbons is the truth. Those old 70s ZZ Top albums are absolutely stunning in tone and stepped in guitar IQ. Strange brew
there's a music video of PRINCE playing heavy metal on guitar and the boy did miss his calling
great story..
My fav Prince #story
That admission is the #TRUTH of musicianship. U can practice which gives direction, knowledge & strength in the craft. But when the moment HITS, the moment can NEVER be replicated. U run w\ it and let it be what it is in the sands of time. Dude said even HE hasn't been able to replicate his OWN GUITAR SOLO from his OWN SONG!!! Let that sink in. The spirits are powerful when U let them guide U. 🙏🏿
Beautiful story besutiful man!! Not in THAT way just a great human being and one of the best guitarrist to ever live!!
Fantastic story
Prince played guitar on his tours for 40 years. If Billy was playing attention back in the 80s he would've known how great of a guitarist Prince was.
This is a great series. Who knew that Dan Rather was so into rock.
I was kinda like Billy, I didn't know Prince could tear up the guitar like nobody's business until I saw his all star tribute to George Harrison playing While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
That was a good one too.
Goooooöd!
Unlike Billy, I always knew Prince was an amazing guitarist, but I didn't realize Steve Winwood had great guitar chops until I saw him play live. Always thought of him as a singer/keyboardist. As to Billy and Prince, great music unites people because it comes from the soul.
Prince was signed to his first label and record as a guitarist virtuoso.
The best ever.
1:10 Solo from Let's Go Crazy?
What song of Prince's does Billy mention around 4:00?
The fact Billy didn't know Prince was such an accomplished guitar player, just means he hadn't seen any concert of Prince, otherwise he already should have known...
Prince was a different cat. Not in the rock n' roll culture at all. So a lot of people just ignored him.
@@3ver4fter53 Interesting POV...I would say Prince didn't allow people to typecast/stereotype/pigeonhole/label his music. His debut album featured mostly R&B/disco music. His sophomore effort (released on my birthday, October 19th 42 years ago...wow! Has it been that long?! just found out that cool, cool factoid!) was (in my opinion) a more diverse sampling of his musical tastes. Have you heard Bambi? It definitely rocks out/on...Nary a hint of R&B or disco in that 4 minute track.
He was tremendously underrated (my opinion) as an all-around exemplary singer/songwriter/ musician/guitarist/performer/artist whilst he was here with us.
It's a shame how most people only recognized how freaking talented he is/was/and always will be AFTER he left us...good thing he was uber-confident about his talents and didn't rely on people to second his virtuosity. He made music in many different genres which left a lasting imprint on people (myself in particular). I'm sure most people, even those who don't care for R&B as a rule, have a favorite Prince song...
Stepping down from my soapbox now 😄
@@naima2971 It's all good to get on your soapbox about someone n something worthy- Prince and good music. Prince was something truly special...I appreciate your input.
Gosh where you been Billy ??
Making millions off gold albums…where you been, choking on something purple?
@@redevil7081 I sure hope you're not over !8 years old LOL !
It boggles my mind that people ever thought of Prince as just an entertainer. Especially those in the industry. Honestly, I think its just sour grapes...it doesn't take much to find out how great of a musician he was...even pre internet.
Why does literally every Prince story involve him just materializing out of thin air. Those Chappell skits were no joke, it seems. LOL
He was a somewhat secretive, introverted guy who was kinda in his own world. Lots of geniuses are
He was magic I think.
Simone once asked Clapton what it is like to be one of the the greatest guitarists. He said ‘I don’t know. Ask Prince’.
I am sure Prince admired Billys guitar wizardry.
Prince was an amazing guitar player. I grew up and lived in Minneapolis. I watched bands in bars like The Replacements, Soul Asylum, Husker Du, Run Westy Run, The Jayhawks, and Prince.
A few years before he died, we watched him at a dive bar. The place was called Bunker's in the Warehouse District. Every Monday night, a band called Mambo's Combo, kind of like a super band with all kinds of musicians. One was a rebel guitar player, another was a pop pianist, another was a funk bass player, another a country western, and a trio of gospel singers, it somehow made sense, it was full every Monday night.
We sat at the bar at about 9:30pm and heard this song happening. Someone was playing a weeping, wailing, and aggressive guitar with what sounded like a Telecaster.
We walked over and looked to the stage to see who was playing. It was Prince. Wearing jeans, a t-shirt and flip flops. He jammed his ass off the rest of the night. He was typically way better than when he played in the Hall of Fame thing. He was amazing.
Prince cut the "shy" act for Gibbons, it sounds like; they talked about guitar, something they both love.
Wow!
Wait, I love Billy G., but how could he only heard Prince playing guitar at the induction?
too busy writing and touring I suppose
Maybe because different music styles ? It's great to see the respect between the 2...its about the music....beautiful man
Great story
To have a recording of THAT conversation...
I have spoken with a number of great guitarist from rock to country and jazz. The real pros admire great talent across the genres. BB King admired Jimi Hendrix, Jimi admired BB and Kenny Burrell. I saw a show once where country legend Roy Clark and several Jazz and Rock guitarist played each others music. Billy Gibbons knows a true player when he hears one. I too thought Prince was merely a showman.
"Let's peel the onion." What a great story...