Grinder
Gary Clark Jr., 2019, from The Story of Sonny Boy Slim. Solo by Gary Clark Jr..
Clark leans on a thick, overdriven tone for a solo that ties Texas blues roots to modern rock weight.
Grinder shows Gary Clark Jr. at his most muscular, and his guitar tone is the headline. The sound is thick, fuzzy and heavily overdriven, with real low-end weight, yet his phrasing comes straight from Texas blues with its bent notes and stinging repetition. He does not rush; the solo stalks the groove, letting heavy notes hang before he pushes into a tighter burst of licks. It is a good example of how modern players fuse old blues vocabulary with contemporary rock sound. Listen for the moments where Clark bends a note and lets the fuzz break it apart, turning a traditional blues gesture into something rough, swollen and thoroughly modern.
Grinder by Gary Clark Jr. is featured in our Rock (#18) list. The solo is played by Gary Clark Jr. and the song was released in 2019.
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Who played the guitar solo on Grinder?
Gary Clark Jr. played the solo on Gary Clark Jr.'s Grinder (2019).