Recommended Reading "Legends of Rock Guitar"; by Pete Brown and H.P. Newquist (Hal Leonard Books) An encyclopedia of great rock guitar players, with 35 chapters examining over 300 major figures in every style. This not only a great resource for guitarists and guitar fans, but also a fascinating and thoroughly researched chronology of the rock idiom.   "Electric Guitars-The Illustrated Encyclopedia"; edited by Tony Bacon (Thunder Bay Press) High quality photographs covering seven decades of electric guitars produced by every significant manufacturer, from Alembic to Zemaitis. Lots of detailed information. If there is such a thing as guitar porn, this is it.   Recommended Viewing "Tom Dowd & The Language of Music"; (Palm DVD) This is a must-see and my favorite music DVD of 2005. Written and directed by Mark Moorman, this incredible documentary profiles the extraordinary life and legendary work of producer/ engineer Tom Dowd. Among Dowd’s music credits are sessions with Eric Clapton, The Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Booker T. & the MG’s, Cream, Otis Redding, Ray Charles, John Coltrane, and Aretha Franklin. There is historical footage and interviews galore including Les Paul, Dickey Betts, Eric Clapton, and Joe Bonamassa. When it comes to being in the “ thick of things”, Dowd was front and center. Tom Dowd led the life (he died in 2002) that we dream of living. What a story! You need to watch this DVD. Better still, buy a copy of this DVD. You will not regret it. Recommended Listening "Big Foot" by Jim Weider and The Honky Tonk Gurus ;(Paras Recording) I had the pleasure to work with Jim at The First World Guitar Congress in 2004. Based out of Woodstock, New York - Jim and his band came to Baltimore to back-up the one and only, Albert Lee. Due to a series of unbelievable events, their 30 minute soundcheck was scheduled at 8:00 AM Sunday morning for a 9:30 PM performance that night. Ridiculous! I was the lucky guy who had to give them the gruesome news about 30 hours in advance of the proposed early morning soundcheck and to greet them upon their early Sunday arrival. And they were driving straight to Baltimore after a Saturday night gig. Albert was flying overnight from Amsterdam. I wasn’t looking forward to the number of unpleasant possibilities that could unfold on that very early Sunday morning(including them not showing up). So what does this have to do with reviewing Jim’s CD ? Pretty much everything. Everyone showed up on time, did the soundcheck and rehearsed at the same time, crashed at their hotel, and returned to give a phenomenal performance that night. Jim and Albert both graciously gave me copies of their latest CD’s for all that I had done for them! I put them through mini-hell and they thank me. Talk about great guys and true professionals. I am. Well, to make a long story longer-I didn’t listen to “Big Foot” until a few months later. Big mistake! This is a great guitar CD. The Telecaster tones could be the best that I’ve heard yet. If you have a serious and long listening habit, you’ll recognize many of Jim’s friends who supported him on the CD. There is a great selection of material, both original and covers. If single-coil Fender twang is your sonic version of nirvana, Jim Weider has recorded something very close to the Holy Grail.