FEATURE
with the times as the music dictated. His
use of fuzz on the single, “Come on Up,”
was gnarly and effective, his chord work on
“Groovin’” was tasty, and his funky licks on
“In the Midnight Hour” would have made
Steve Cropper proud. Cornish still works with
drummer Danelli in the New Rascals, and all
four original members performed a reunion
show in early 2010.
In the ’60s, Cornish favored Gibson Barney
Kessel archtops. Today, he plays Stratocaster-style guitars. In 1997, the Rascals were
inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
following a stint with Joey Dee & the Starliters,
where he met future Rascals Felix Cavaliere and
Eddie Brigati. With the addition of powerhouse
drummer Dino Danelli, the Rascals scored
numerous hits before disbanding in 1972.
Gene Cornish of the Rascals poses with his Rickenbacker
semi-hollowbody in this 1989 publicity photo.
Never known as a flashy lead player, Cornish
excelled at rhythm guitar and tried to move
John Cipollina
John Cipollina of San Francisco’s Quicksilver
Messenger Service was one of the most
original and talented guitarists of the psychedelic era. Cipollina made extensive use
of the Bigsby tremolo on his two highly customized “bat wing” Gibson SGs—a result,
legend has it, of his inability to master
finger vibrato.
Rockabilly Rad
The new “Surf 90” pickup.
Priced under $35.
GFS Fat Mini
available exclusively from...
www.Guitarfetish.com
GFS Retrotron NYIII
www.premierguitar.com
PREMIER GUITAR AUGUST 2010 89
