Telecaster guitar virtuoso Danny Gatton WUSA-TV 1990

The late great guitar virtuoso Danny Gatton is profiled in this 1990 story from the WUSA-TV Sunday morning newsmagazine show Capital Edition. Segment written, produced, and narrated by Jamie McIntyre

[@babidaboopy]

using a full and opened bottle of Budweiser to play slide on a telecaster. I've never seen something so American in my life

[@Slicklickz]

+babidaboopy I saw Richie Blackmore do it at a club called "The Main Act" in Lynn,Ma in 1979,but with a Heineken.I was sitting at a table right in front of the stage,and he picked up my beer and played the slide solo to "The Gates of Babylon".

[@robertwhitcomb6105]

Saw Jimmy Thackeray do that also...

[@bobmitchell4893]

Check-out the Lynryd Skynrd 3 hr documentary and you will see Steve Gaines playing bottleneck with a empty bottle while Ronnie Van Zandt smiles unbelievingly suprised.

[@willmartin1837]

Damm/ it’s really sad / the / reality of Danny/ one of the best ever// I might follow his end//::::

[@largecoke4087]

@@willmartin1837 don't. There's nothing glorious about that. It's a waste. So don't.

[@cheapthrillonthetube4027]

This should make me happy...but it just makes me sad. RIP, Danny.

[@MrTele57]

Same...

[@scottmatheson2390]

Maybe if everyone had just left Danny alone he'd still be alive today. He really didn't want the attention and the obligations of being signed to a label and having to tour to promote recordings and all the rest of it. He was just an average guy with an extraordinary gift.

[@cybrunel1016]

All the pros in Nashville and elsewhere called this man " The Humbler " for good reason. Amazing musician, and one of the greatest guitar players to ever walk this earth.

[@guitarldh19]

Danny was a musical genius, almost too good for his own liking. He played a variety of musical styles, mastered them, and morphed them all into one. He may be gone but never will be forgotten.

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

The tragedy of Danny was that his genius couldn't be pigeon-holed into a genre which would have allowed him to be marketed to a larger audience. Was he country? Was he western swing? How about rockabilly and roots rock? Want some blues or jazz? DG has that covered. Among his contemporaries and friends still living, Scotty Anderson has somewhat the same problem. The other tragic thing is that popular music in this country isn't very hospitable to instrumental music; if you don't sing and write original music, it is very tough to get ahead in the more popular genres. It's almost like the world wasn't ready for his talent - or wasn't big-enough for it.

[@davidwalker5054]

​@@GeorgiaBoy1961you hit the nail on the head Danny just did not fit the guitar God profile he didn,t do the look at me I'm a guitar God poses. He walked on stage looking and dressing like he,d come to fix the roof. And you could search the whole wide world and never find anybody who looks less like a guitar virtuoso than Danny

[@EricBlackmonGuitar]

In my humble opinion, Danny was one of the greatest guitarists who ever lived. He got to play and pass away without the BALL AND CHAIN of STARDOM, but he will always be a star in the minds of fellow guitarists.

[@shable1436]

Myself included

[@andymayneguitartuition922]

Totally agree! Hands down the best guitarist who ever lived.

[@dd61125]

@@andymayneguitartuition922 get out of here pal

[@atomicfro2001]

"...but the call of music... Once its in your blood, you can't stop." Amen, Mr. Gatton.

[@lazur1]

The saddest, most incorrect assumption about the music business is that the most talented will be successful.

[@koho]

Trolls are boring ...

[@jamesbordner1333]

Who ever assumed that?

[@TheRiboka]

Its also about how you define success

[@jamesmcgheeii7838]

DIRTYBOB59 your bigotry is sad... but also dangerous... I pray God turns your heart before hate destroys it!

[@alexguitarwatson3215]

Really? That's shocking news ;-)

[@santigardipee9303]

Danny's three loves are: cars, guitar and Indian archaeology. A true American.

[@davec3487]

That 53 tele is worth more than the car today.

[@LRS905]

davec3487 Ha haaa, I was just thinking that, lol..."He got the better end of the deal"...the hell he did!

[@joncooperphotograph]

davec3487 dannys tele is priceless ....if it came up for sale today id say $250,000 opening bid ....

[@jamesbordner1333]

Danny's guitar would not bring a quarter million dollars, except maybe from Joe Bonamassa.

[@Dream-Academy]

+James Bordner are you an idiot? Joe isn't he pays low prices for vintage guitars with is contacts and he doesn't need celebrity providence because he gives that to any guitar he collects and plays.

[@jamesbordner1333]

Pretty far from an idiot. As opposed to guitar collectors of all types.

[@popoaggie]

Still one of the greatest to ever pick a guitar. To bad some of the young kids have no clue about what he did. RIP Danny

[@DogCatchersBand]

There is an odd parallel between this mini documentary and Roy Buchanan's 1971 PBS documentary.Both players repelled success while inspiring others to fame and fortune in the music business. I'm thankful for getting to meet Roy and Danny and talking guitars with them.

[@robinjohansson8812]

DogCatchersBand i think of Rory Gallagher too

[@butchcassidy3373]

Dudes had soul and pain and it came out in their music.

[@gregmccurry5619]

@@robinjohansson8812 oh Yeah.

[@MrInfinite43]

Love Roy

[@VisionaryCompanion]

I have watched this more than once, and I cannot watch that scene with Gatton and his daughter in that vintage car without starting to choke up. I cannot grasp, and do not want to grasp, the darkness he must have been consumed by to be able to take his own life, when he was so loved by so many.

[@gusdupree9076]

VisionaryCompanion god damn it

[@silvermediastudio]

He must have seen that original '53 Les Paul was worth $250K+, and he traded it for a wrecked Ford.

[@wayfaerer320]

It's tough for me too - I have a young daughter myself and it tears me up knowing his daughter lost her father in the way that she did - no daughter deserves that kind of shitty abandonment. And I love Gatton's playing, but God damn - c'mon man...

[@101Volts]

@@silvermediastudio Danny died in 1994, and he market was different then - there wasn't eBay to work with yet.

[@fredandpattychandler4130]

Every clip of him playing guitar, was a jaw dropper. Just an old fashioned guy, in a world that expected more, than the simple life. I think old Danny had it right.

[@drumcircler]

Saw Danny live at the Blue Note in NYC, sat in the front row with my jaw hitting the floor! Danny could play anything that came to mind, with ease. Best I ever saw.

[@zachherbert7673]

I love to find guitarist like this, I am absolutely inspired to the core by people like this.

[@adaptiveagile]

RIP, Danny. What an immense talent.

[@mandolingrass]

I just noticed the other tele player is Bill Kirchen from Commander Cody fame, anther awsme tele picker and underrated player

[@thecentralscrutinizerr]

Two guitar greats that'll be hard to beat - ever. Danny Gatton and Jerry Reed.

[@nathaninostroza7655]

You're fucking right, period.

[@daytonwaters5205]

I got to see Danny open for The Kentucky Headhunters somewhere around the time of this story. What a gift it was to see him. Was heartbroken to know that he was so far down he couldn't see forward anymore. RIP, Danny -- you are still loved.

[@diegooland1261]

I'm a rocker and just assumed everyone knows of Danny because, well he's Danny Gatton for heaven's sake.

[@mrz80]

Growing up in the DC 'burbs, anyone but ANYone who had ANY contact with the music scene knew who Gatton was.

[@coopervegas7916]

Diego O' Land not everyone knows the roots and history my friend but there are some of us that know I thank my pops for showing me real music!! Rip Danny and thank u pops

[@Johnnyhumbkr]

Hey, that was Biil Kircher playing that other Telecaster. Danny was a true American treasure!!!

[@Anonymous-vb8nw]

Wow! It is Bill. Used to pack myself in the Sunset Grill to see Bill. Squished up against the back bar, looking the wrong way. When I'm gone, I'll pay the cover and look for DC All Stars Danny, Bill, Root, Steady Rollin', Bogart and Scott Ambrose to kick it off! Not wishing death on those still with us, just workin' on my lineup card!

[@darrylgoodwin7947]

Thanks. I was wondering if that was him.

[@tairakyomori8965]

RIP Danny. Wish I could've been there for you man... you were a great player, and not forgotten.

[@Mark8395217]

Danny, if you're listening... I do like your music and you do make me happy.

[@alainadeilia477]

Awesome video! Thanks bunches so much for uploading it . . . .

[@jimhenry493]

I saw him at the Floodzone in Richmond, VA a couple of years after this interview. I was blown away, incredible show, really cool humble guy and incredible guitarist!

[@thrutheveil74]

I was working at Washburn, now US Music Corp. when a few fellow set up guys were taking about Danny dying. Understandably they were pretty devastated. I had no idea who Danny was then but I sure do now. RIP master.

[@MrUltraworld]

I consider myself fortunate to have seen Danny Gatton live (once with Albert Lee) several times. What a tremendous talent, and a really nice guy.

[@muhrvis]

With Albert Lee? Lucky y'all didn't spontaneously combust.

[@dd61125]

@@muhrvis if u reverse their name its danny lee and albert gatton

[@clareburochain6554]

He is a musician's musician. Never meant for mainstream radio or the average music fan who thinks a song is missing something if it doesn't have lyrics. Melodic riffs reference his guitar idols in manic moments of deliberate frenzy or more laid back moments of pure guitar ecstasy.

[@ihatememes3131]

Link Wray made great rock instrumentals.

[@sixstrings666]

What a beautiful soul and a terrible end. RIP Danny.

[@edwardjonez6615]

88 Elmira Street. It doesn't get any better. More than 20 years gone and I think about him often. The gigs he missed and the power-shifts he never threw. I was honored to have known the man and even lent him my El Camino a time or three. To make comparisons between artists and attempt to grade musicanship and craft is kind of moot. He had a way of getting into a piece, well you just had to be there, sitting in the room to fully comprehend or appreciate. RIP Danny.

[@TheGattonmaster]

Edward Jonez Tell me more Gatton stories Ed; love to hear them thanks !!!

[@timhoovermusicman]

Edward Jonez i recorded austin city limits that night for albert collins,but the second i heard mr. gatton start pickin' i was an instant fan. it was terrible that we lost him so young.

[@davidquidas961]

+Edward Jonez My ears are still bleeding from being at his gigs, and yeah, he had a way of finding the music inside a song that few can comprehend.

[@brentbrown2996]

Tim Ho

[@timhoovermusicman]

Brent Brown I'm not a HO.

[@JohnDoe-xu2vx]

what a guy....I am a lifelong Jeff Beck fan and stumbled on this video....I bet Jeff knows who he is and respects him. This is whats amazing about youtube. Jeff Beck is a hot rod guy also.

[@bartonbishoff]

Great use of nat sound and strong visuals. Photographer and editor really made this story happen.

[@pabdiary]

I’m not complaining but JEEZ that treble vibrates my skull haha

[@GaryJibilian]

One of the best. Such a huge loss when he left us. Glad he released such amazing music for us to enjoy.

[@tairakyomori8965]

RIP Danny... wish I could've been there for you man. You were a great player, and are not forgotten.

[@robcale8165]

Many years ago Guitar Player magazine had a floppy vinyl pullout that month of Danny and it sounded just as good as any digital recording today. It was in his fingers.

[@daviddimbleby6725]

What a legend, amazing human , I find it sad that someone that unique chooses to leave us , please be nice to each other , ❤

[@shakeyt8540]

Danny Gatton was a force of nature.

[@ronnie5129]

R.I.P., Danny, you were such a great influence on Many People, I wish that you were still here, Cousin Figel

[@DannyMcCaffrey]

Wife with a good job. And he was looking to work 6 months out of the year, 3 months recording, take 3 months off, work on cars and "grow stuff". Man, he had it figured out. I can't help but think what the hell happened...

[@sebring1960]

And a beautiful young Daughter too..........

[@rva1945]

Human mind is infinitely complex. You can enter given parameters into a machine and expect given results. It doesn't work with humans. You put a wife, a good job, a daughter, and expect a happy man, but there are hidden parameters that will output unexpected results. Whatever caused his demise, he took it to the grave with him. Joe Bonamassa said he knew what happened but added that "it is not for public consumption".

[@jamesbordner1333]

Joe Bonamassa talks a lot of trash: in this case, I'm guessing he doesn't know shit. As for "hidden parameters:" Danny killed himself for the same reason most suicides do: his brain chemistry didn't allow him to be truly happy, and one day he had the worst five minutes of his life and did the deed before he felt better.

[@eddiegalon3714]

+James Bordner very true. when people call suiciders cowards, they have no clue. They have an illness, and just can't see a better future. Very sad. Family members should never feel guilty, but they suffer a lot.

[@paulfe976]

Danny McCaffrey He had his daughter to live for too. There's those that say it wasn't suicide. Hell, everyone is satisfied Roy Buchanan hanged himself in the drunk tank or that journalist Webb shot himself in the head. Twice. As long as good ol' boy network medical examiners echo the official lies, then Roy hanged himself - despite the fact he hated cops, was upset over a woman, drunk and almost certainly mouthing off to bullying cops at the precinct. When Roy's brother collected the body, there wasn't an inch of it not covered in bruises, lumps and welts. The official cause of death SHOULD'VE been: Beaten to death for speaking his mind, then hanged and lies spread to cover it up. Hendrix was murdered too. The coroner said no human being could've consumed that much wine as was in his body. He also had fresh needle marks. His new manager, who often bragged about being an MI-6 agent, is said to have just taken out a large life insurance policy on him, less than a month earlier.

[@juanmontalto5208]

One of the best ever

[@danielboyd8468]

Oh God, How I miss this man and his music!!!!

[@moonstoneriders7664]

Danny was a gift to humanity. One of the most unique and inventive guitar players. So incredibly inspiring.

[@patrickdalton3174]

This man is a truly brilliant musician

[@tonys2705]

Go, Danny, go! Don't worry, we know who you are. A monster of a guitarist...

[@MrJackal43]

Tony S ahhhh, he’s dead....

[@pablodebiddlybo3771]

God rest his soul . A truly gifted man and an inspiration to millions

[@bluesdoggmusicrediker4614]

i saw and interviewed him at the flood zone in richmond..unbelievably humble and a great guy..RIP

[@robertrohde4579]

I was lucky enough to have heard of him. I got to see him in Milwaukee at Summer Fest. Awesome.

[@firdausHITMAN]

We have lost many of the greatest guitar players with so much music left in them. I wish all the greats would of lived a long life. Can you imagine how much more incredible music and performances there would have been? Plus for those of us who never got the chance to see them live would have the opportunity to do so.

[@jimmyrecce8787]

When I heard that he had died I cried....I never got to see him live but as a lifetime guitar player and someone who knew alot about obscure players Danny was at the top of my list...he was without a doubt one of the greatest players to ever pick up the instrument... period.....🎸🎸

[@ArthlecMann]

I never forget the night I saw Danny at the Ritz in NYC. OMG.,. I went home and nearly gave up playing my guitar.. Period. :-) Luickily I never did.. RIP DANNY.

[@harrys.3165]

A musical genius. God bless his soul.

[@Dominique1250]

Danny Gatton Jim Kimo West is the best guitar player I ever work with. He can do all kind of music. You are outstanding as well. The world need more outstanding musically athletic genius. Keep on moving. You got it!!!!

[@StephaneVorstellung]

Thirty-five thumbs down? Whaaaat? There are a few in every crowd, but 35? His high skill, high aesthetic sensibilities, and low profile are really inspiring to me.

[@RickCosmo]

one of my faves..Danny is and will be amazing!

[@larrygeetar9309]

"Vicissitudes?" Pretty big word for us guitar players to understand. But it sure isn't hard to see how amazing and ridiculous his playing was. RIP, Danny. We miss you.

[@silvermediastudio]

This whole piece was pure white bread. One of the reasons he was never successful was here couldn't stop being so corny. Good for kids birthday parties maybe.

[@eugenenivera2603]

I went to a few of his shows at the Birchmere with a close bud. Gone but not forgotten.

[@jacobsamano9761]

My dream life. Write music 6 months out of the year, build cars 3 months and 3 months off to enjoy a beautiful country house.

[@nelsonx5326]

I got to meet and talk to Danny Gatton. He was a real nice guy.

[@glennsmith5921]

RIP Danny, my Telemaster Sensei!

[@adamcraneguilford6236]

Danny was awesome for sure ..... but the master of this style... ~ ? .... It will ALWAYS be Roy Buchanan ..... Danny NEVER gave Roy the credit he deserved for influencing him, it's like Hendrix compared to Trower.... both great for sure .... but who blazed the trail? Who followed ? ~ *^*~ May both rest in peace

[@dekerivers3095]

Adam Guilford Does it matter? Both were masters. Both gone too soon.

[@TheGattonmaster]

Adam Crane Guilford You could be right he may not have given Roy enough credit but I've heard him say he changed picks because of Roy. Dannys wife jan said they respected each other. But come on Gatton was like a one man fireworks finalle. The most awesome soloist in history. I need to educate the people at guitar world, guitar player, vintage guitar,and rolling stone. The people they rank ahead of gatton in the top 100 is a joke.

[@465marko]

TheGattonmaster "Top 100 list" is a joke...

[@adamcraneguilford6236]

465marko true dat

[@stephenowen3383]

I have only just heard about this guy. Wow what a player he was!

[@jeffholl64]

What a fantastic technician. Truly a legend

[@bcummings2187]

Some humans are born with a special talent. This man was one of them. I love all good guitar playing but this man had something really special. Never had the chance to see him live, just know him from his recordings. Compare him to who ever you want but you can make the argument that he stands alone. Some of his stuff is so out there it's hard to understand. Could stand onstage with anyone....anyone. Only guitar player I can think of to compare him to would probably be Roy Buchanon. Another monster. Would have loved to seen him play with SRV...he's quoted as saying it was on his to do list. He respected SRV. I also think if he was still around him and Warren Haynes would sound good together for some reason. Humble man, regular guy, grease head, tinkerer, gotta love him. Glad he left behind what he did :)

[@TheGattonmaster]

Bob Cummings Roy wasn't even close to me; but i respect all opnions !!!

[@joandenham2903]

Bob Cummings .....Rory Gallagher .

[@gusdupree9076]

he was master of the guitar and a great mechanic and may he hopefully be at peace,miss you much

[@BarrelDawg]

I loved this story, what a bloody legend! I totally relate to his comment about how he can copy other guitar styles but it always comes out sounding like Danny💕

[@Crinkle65]

This video is a treasure. Danny Gatton was the real deal.

[@alexandrew7580]

Love watching great Tele players.

[@stringbender57]

Brian, perfectly said! Absolutely my thoughts 100% and I have owned all the major models of several guitar manufacturers in my past 37 years of playing.

[@tidepoolbay]

Love Danny! Love The Family! God Bless!

[@davidwalker5054]

Danny was the best mechanic thats ever lived. He played the guitar as a hobby

[@withcranes]

Heartbreaking. We miss you Danny, you were the best.

[@DougCanney1]

The most interesting thing about Danny is he really didn't care about his talent, he loved to play music when he was young and he knew it was easier than a 9 to 5 job. But he just didn't care enough to throw himself completely into it until he got older. Once he did that, and saw how the business truly operated, he decided to check out. It wasn't his family That drove him to take his own life, it was an amalgam of everything that was bad about the music business and life in general. Very sad situation, he was a one of a kind type of musician/ human/ soul.

[@jeffreyholmes7216]

It always makes me sad...so good.

[@bluesborn]

Amos Garret called Danny The Humbler because he humbled every guitarist that ever had the balls to climb on to a stage with him. Yet he was the most humble of them all a simple quiet soul with an otherworldly gift.

[@paulsacco5143]

You inspired me to buy a tele. RIP Danny..

[@berryj.greene7090]

This is a sad reflection because he's gone in such a bad way. What do you say to people with unusual talent? I've watched this before and it often goes badly wrong. It's even had me feeling grateful that I diidn't have any outstanding talent like Danny had. He did leave a mark, even here in the UK but small consolation for the loss of what seemed like such a nice guy. I'm sad Danny RIP

[@voodoochile9819]

I'M SOLD !!! , DANNY WAS THEE "MAN" ON THE TELE ALONG SIDE ROY B. ..... BOTH R TREMENDOUSLY MISSED ! 🎸☝🎸👏

[@lufiealice6251]

Amazing player and a nice dude, such a shame he is gone.

[@TheGattonmaster]

A Toast to the GREAT GATTON ON DANNY'S 70TH BIRTHDAY. NOBODY SOLO'S AND MANHANDLES AN ELECTRIC GUITAR LIKE DANNY.

[@RickCosmo]

loved Danny since his Elmira Street album..sadly he is gone as is Jimi and SRV..I get by these days with Joe..Joe Bonamassa is my guitar god these days

[@FordyHunt]

Van Gogh is an apt comparison. Genius.

[@1Ascanius]

KingOfHammer 100%

[@ThehumblermovieDannyGatton]

Great piece on Danny...

[@ericashmusic8889]

Danny G' the guitar slayer !!

[@dirtysoles]

One of my favorites for sure…

[@briansteffmagnussen9078]

If guitarists never tried anything other than Strat and Les Paul they would be very surprised how much you can get out of a telly that fills the gap between Strat and Les Paul. I would recommend that you try to own a Telly no matter what genre of music you now have to play and I think many will be surprised at what a great guitar it really is. I was completely in love with Telly's when I got my first and I could never find a better guitar that can replace the ordinary US standard Telly. I would describe my experience of Telly as a simple and straightforward guitar sounds half of Strat and half of Les Paul just better. When Telly's is such an iconic in its form, it is also the guitar that makes you think the United States when you see it just as you would if you saw a Ford A or a Harley Davison.

[@jjrb4745]

I’m mostly an archtop guy, but here in my sixth decade, just scored the new 2017 American Pro Tele ~ love, love, love it, think Cornell DuPree, running through Mesa Mark V 35, YEAH !!

[@newyorkukuleleschool1425]

Ed Bickert

[@od_muziki]

Man what a great musician. Wow, my my, he could play that Tele.

[@paulbuxton1326]

Danny was simply the greatest Telecaster player ever.

[@thedemonfromhell5780]

That would be Roy Buchanan, but Danny is a close second.

[@326vince]

Amazing player!

[@bebopdelux10]

For what it is worth, I'm a beginner guitar wise and in researching and saving up up for my first quality guitar, I was drawn to the Telecaster, mainly the 52 American Vintage model. I knew I could not afford a genuine vintage Telecaster or for that matter a custom shop reissue, so I settled on a post 2012 American 52 vintage Telecaster. I thought for the money I have a versatile, built like a tank, workhorse of a guitar. It was while I was getting into Telecaster players that I came across Danny Gatton, I soon realised he passed away in 1994, but was completely unaware as to the cause of his untimely death. There was something about Danny I was drawn to other than his playing. Then, after finding out he took his own life reportedly as of a consequence of suffering from depression, something clicked inside me. I have suffered from depression since I was 14 (I'm now 52) and tried to take my own life in January 2015. It is a truly awful illness that has impacted me for most of my adult life. Clearly my suicide attempt failed (I could not even do that right) and in trying to heal myself I took up the guitar for therapeutic reasons. I practice most days, and hope to one day to be able to play proficiently. I'm a nobody in the grand scheme of things, but if Danny Gatton can be an inspiration to me and other new Telecaster players, for personal and/or musical reasons, then he can live on in spirit especially in those of us who fight depression on a daily basis.

[@TheHumbuckerboy]

My favourite Danny performance is 'One For Lenny' ; it's beautiful.

[@NagoyaHouseHead]

His versatility and intensity and searing tele tone remind me of Roy Buchanan.

[@michaeladrian2210]

They were roommates and Danny followed Roy a lot

[@NagoyaHouseHead]

@@michaeladrian2210 Of for real for real ???

[@fredandpattychandler4130]

I've always personally enjoyed the music of virtuosic artists than pop stars. Their real people. Danny Gatton proves that point brilliantly.

[@evilswissy]

danny didn't want to sell his soul for fortune and fame, literally

[@silvermediastudio]

And nobody offered

[@EMWoodworking]

No he didn’t.

[@imasonofadeadbeat2928]

Danny missed his chance with John Fogerty. He missed audition while working on one of his "junkers" (antique cars).

[@paulbuxton1326]

One of the greatest ever ! 🎶

[@matthewshmigelsky5458]

He was just incredible. Nobody plays like him.. Every time I hear him play I just shake my head..There are a lot of great guitar players out there but he had such a unique and personal approach...super fluid stream of idea's really intricate and intense. The other guitar players that I alway think of is Jeff Beck and Frank Zappa.

[@playAgainMe]

been blown away by danny gatton since i saw him on austin city limits

[@timhoovermusicman]

playAgainMe same here!

[@jimphillips2380]

Danny and Roy Buchannan within a few miles awesome

[@FrankJamesMusic]

So very sad. What a great loss.

[@Mr1drumlover]

"The VASISATUDES of the music business"... I freakin love that yo!!!!!!!