Jimmy Dillon - Everything (2006)

San Francisco Bay area guitarist Jimmy Dillon is an accomplished and award-winning musician, singer, songsmith and teacher with an impressive record. Jimmy has backed up the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Sting and John Lee Hooker (who he recorded a duet with). He has appeared on stage with B.B. King, Carlos Santana and Bonnie Raitt, among many others before embarking on a solo career and recording 4 CDs to date. A quick listen to just a small sampling of his repertoire reveals an eclectic mix of blues, rock, country and Latin styles.

Jimmy is also a passionate guitar teacher with a series of DVD and online lessons for acoustic, electric, blues and slide guitar. He spends his summers teaching kids how to play rock and roll at Blue Star Music Camps in Michigan and San Francisco and gives online lessons as well. Jimmy offers the following advice to aspiring guitarists who are struggling to learn: “Don’t struggle too much. Have fun with it. Get with some better players and listen as much as you play. Remember the 4 T’s – Touch,Tone, Time and Taste. Play with finesse, passion and melodic sense. Don’t worry too much about speed, scales, shreding. Rather, make it count. Be a good rhythm player. ‘Lead guitar’ is so overdone.”