Arlen Roth (born 1952) is an American guitarist. His first solo album won the Montreaux Critics' Award for Best Instrumental Album of the Year in 1978. He was Guitar Player magazine's top columnist from 1982 to 1992. He has performed with artists such as Bob Dylan, Danny Gatton, John Entwistle, John Prine, Rick Wakeman, Paul Simon (as well as Simon and Garfunkel), Ry Cooder, Sonny Landreth, Levon Helm, Bill Kirchen, Duane Eddy, Steve Morse, Albert Lee and Phoebe Snow.[1] Roth is a Telecaster enthusiast, and has written the book Masters of the Telecaster, which details the techniques and licks of many famous Telecaster guitar players.[2] As a solo artist Roth performs frequently with his younger daughter, Lexie Roth, a recording artist, performer and songwriter in her own right. Roth is often referred to as "The Master of the Telecaster", and as the "King of All Guitar Teachers". He was great influenced by Clarence White of The Byrds' string bending style, but at the age of 14, he did not know White had invented a "B-string bender" for his Telecaster, so Roth developed a new style of doing this with fingers alone. He thus innovated many string-bending styles on the guitar, simulating a "pedal steel" guitar.
Contents |
Roth lost both his wife, Deborah, and oldest daughter, Gillian MacKenzie Roth (b.1983) in an auto accident in 1998. Gillian was a actress and guitarist who had just signed to have her own Nickleodeon Show, "The Gunks", an all-girl band loosely based on "The Monkees". She recorded the theme for the show just 2 days before the accident. He is the son of The New Yorker Cartoonist, Al Ross, who turned 100 years young on Oct.19, 2011. Ross is one of four Roth brothers all of whom became cartoonists. Arlen Roth's brother is noted artist and painter David Roth. Arlen Roth attended the High School of Music and Art in NYC from 1966-69 as an art student. He then studied at the Philadelphia College of Art from 1969 to 1971. His band, Steel lived with him, and would play in Woodstock, NY on weekends, where Roth was quickley discovered. In 1970, Steel put on the first "Woodstock Reunion" concert at Yasgur's Farm to commemorate the 1 year anniversary of the Woodstock festival in Bethel, NY, a small town Arlen lived in every summer since he was born. Soon after, he moved to Woodstock, NY, and began his career as a professional guitarist. He began to back-up in recording and touring with artists such as Happy and Artie Traum, Eric Andersen, John Herald, John Prine, Tony Bird, Art Garfunkel, Helen Schneider, Don McLean and many more. He toured with the Bee Gees in 1974, Simon and Garfunkel in 1983, and Duane Eddy with Huey Lewis and the News. He has released several solo albums
In 1983 Roth decided that there were enough VCRs in the world to warrant doing instructional videos now! He started the Hot Licks Video label. While teaching Ralph Macchio the parts for Crossroads, he began recording his first videos. Six of these featured Roth as instructor, one was by trusted friend, bassplayer John Entwistle! The detailed close-ups of the fretting and strumming and other guitar playing techniques he had helped develop for and had been so prominent in the Crossroads film became the trademark for these instruction videos. Before long the number of instructional videos and artist started to grow enormously. Aside from Guitar- and Bass guitar videos the Hot Licks catalogue came to include Drum, Banjo, Mandolin and Harmonica instructional videos.
In 2006 it was announced that The Music Sales Group has acquired the entire Hot Licks video catalog and is implementing an ambitious program of transferring and expanding all existing material onto DVD. The result will be a new lease of life for the instructional series they will also recruit new artists for future releases, ensuring that the brand will continue to develop and attract top star names.[3]
Aside from his Hot Lick instructional videos, Roth currently hosts a series of daily video lessons at Gibson.com.[4] It is estimated he has close to 1 million students on Gibson, he also writes two blogs for Gibson. Known as the "Master of the Telecaster".
Eric Johnson, Joe Pass, Emily Remler, Tuck Andress, Mick Taylor, Buddy Guy, Danny Gatton, James Burton, Joe Morello, Stuart Hamm, Vinnie Moore, Brian Setzer, Tal Farlow, Charlie Byrd, Mundell Lowe, Larry Coryell, Cornell Dupree, Junior Wells, Jay Geils, Ronnie Earl, Duke Robillard, Warren Haynes, Allen Woody, David Grissom, Scotty Anderson, Lonnie Mack, Otis Rush, Joe Morello, Sal Salvador, Jeff Tamelier, Steve Douglas, Mick Taylor, John Entwistle, Jerry Jemmott Lee Roy Parnell & Brent Mason
Roth has stated that "many of these artists were heroes of his, and it was such an honor to work with them".[5]
Aside from instructional videos Roth has many successful guitar books to his credit, including: Slide Guitar, How to Play Blues Guitar, Nashville Guitar, Arlen Roth's Complete Electric guitar, Hot Guitar, Arlen Roth's Complete Acoustic Guitar, Heavy Metal Guitar, Rock Guitar for Future Stars and Masters of the Telecaster.