by Paul Rappaport Van Halen L-I-V-E!!!! Buy, beg, or steal a ticket to see Van Halen live!!!  OMG!  They don’t make ‘em like this anymore!!  I went to the Jones Beach show with Maria Milito and Gerry Martire from Q104.3 here in NY, and we had a blast!  First off, as Maria’s T-shirt rightly stated, … Continue reading Van Halen L-I-V-E and The Columbia Records Radio Hour →

by Paul Rappaport Authentic.  Is there any better word in music? Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, B.B. King – these are the guys who, along with others like Willy Dixon, Little Walter, Otis Rush and more, invented and shaped the real blues as we know it. I remember listening in to an interview we had set … Continue reading Buddy Guy: AUTHENTIC →

by Paul Rappaport When I was growing up in the 60’s the “big 3” guitar players were Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page, and in that order.  Probably because that is the order they appeared in the Yardbirds band, which is primarily where we were learning about the new hot guitar players from England. … Continue reading Jimmy Page – Amazing Musician, and Nice Guy Too! →

The new Jeff Beck album “Jeff Beck Live +” is extraordinary and a must-have for any guitar player or Jeff Beck fan. Do not make the mistake of thinking that you have enough Jeff Beck albums in your collection and don’t need one more—you NEED one more, this one! Just when you think real musicianship … Continue reading Music Turn On—Get The New Jeff Beck Live Album! →

by Paul Rappaport The Rolling Stones have been my all time favorite band since I was 17 years old.   I learned how to play electric guitar listening to Keith Richards on all the early records. In high school I was going steady with a very cute sixteen-year-old Southern California Valley girl with long beautiful straight … Continue reading The Rolling Stones—We Should All See Them One More Time! →

by Paul Rappaport When I became serious about learning to play electric blues guitar, my first influence was Michael Bloomfield playing along side Elvin Bishop in the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.  Man, that was a lot of notes, but I began to pick them apart, note by note-phrase by phrase.  He played relentlessly to make … Continue reading B.B. King: Special Insights From The Man Himself →

by Paul Rappaport This post will be a little different as I usually wouldn’t write about something this personal, but I know all the guitar players out there will especially like it.  😉 When I’m not playing with Pink Floyd (ha, ha), I love playing blues in jam sessions and sometimes playing out with friends’ … Continue reading My New Les Paul Guitar: A Personal Journey →

There is always a beauty that accompanies a Mark Knopfler album.  It is the beauty of sound with a grace that can only materialize by the artist and the producer caring enough to take the time to use the proper personnel, instruments, and recording studio gear to record each song. To my ears (and heart) … Continue reading New Mark Knopfler & David Gilmour Tells Me What Happened When He Lent Mark His Amps! →

Hi everyone, Wow, 20 Days of Giveaways!  Congratulations to all our winners—now I’ve got to mail all this stuff out!!  Anyway, it will be our pleasure – we love you guys, thanks for being a part of our CDJ family. I want you all to know, that although Judy and I do get hired by … Continue reading New Toto & How My 3 Year Old Son Earned His First Gold Record →

Welcome to the new CDJ! We can’t thank you enough for all of your support but we’re going to try by giving away 20 fabulous music packages and collectors items for you to win over the course of 20 days.  If I were you, I’d enter every day for the best odds and if a particular … Continue reading What I Learned From Bruce Springsteen →

Two Rolling Stones’ sidemen have passed away this week within a day of one another.  And, they were two of the greatest rock and roll sidemen ever. Before there was Clarence Clemons, there was Bobby Keys.  I know that there are other great rock saxophone players, but these two—well, they are a force of nature.  … Continue reading Two of Rock’s Greatest Sidemen Pass Away →

Hi Everyone, This year, for my annual Holiday Gift blog, I am sticking with this theme because in a recent interview long time friend Nick Mason (Pink Floyd), Nick stated that he thought music had become “devalued”, and I agree.  Here’s Nick:  “I think if artists have one thing they really have to work on … Continue reading Give The Gift of Music For the Holidays →