Rick Pena

If there ever was a pantheon of the greatest and most influential musicians to have ever walked this earth, the Man in Black, Johnny Cash, would certainly be at the high table. Unlike the many one-hit wonders of today, Cash’s discography flaunts numerous celebrated classics, from Ring of Fire and

One day, I was lying on the couch, swiping through my playlist for something that would caress my ears. It was filled with monotonic tracks—until the guitars started speaking Spanish! Immediately, my ears attributed that mix of blues and salsa to the iconic Carlos Santana. Though Santana might not be

Spearheaded by one of the most influential hard-rock guitarists of the past century, Van Halen is the quintessential rock band of the 80s (skedaddle, Mötley Crüe megafans). The band is behind some of the most memorable and decade-defining tunes, from Hot for Teacher and Dance the Night Away to Panama

Eric Clapton got his first guitar at the age of 13—a Hoyer acoustic guitar made in Germany. Back then, Clapton had an innate passion for music. He even wrote Lord Eric on the guitar’s top wood as if he knew he would hit the billboards one day. This very guitar

A lot of musicians can’t get around the fact that Taylor Swift is primarily a songwriter and a performer. Actually, Swift has never proclaimed she’s a professional guitarist. I’d say she’s proven brilliance in amassing popularity via her narrative songwriting, which focuses on the setbacks and affection stories she’s stumbled

It was 1949 in a flaring Arkansas dance hall when young legendary bluesman B.B. King learned that the fight that started the fire was over a woman named Lucille. Ever since that day, the king of blues started using the name “Lucille” for all his guitars, from Gibsons to Fender

We’ve seen fire and we’ve seen rain, but we’re yet to see anyone come close to James Taylor’s unique interpretation of folk-rock music. Albums like Sweet Baby James, New Moon Shine, and Gorilla, just to name a few, will forever have a special place in the hearts and souls of

Sharing the stage with guitarists like Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana, John Mayer is remarkable for his “seasoned” pop approach. I even like that Mayer is aware (and happy) that his musical style is presented in a way that doesn’t trigger competition or debates in the guitar scene. Having embarked

Could you imagine that a Mickey Mouse guitar has sparked Lindsey Buckingham’s first venture into the guitar world? I mean, how could such a guitar make Buckingham so picky with his guitars, and so versatile too? What kind of guitar does Lindsey Buckingham play exactly? His unique fingerprint embodied in

Back in 1996, Garth Brooks was readying up for his most sought-after world tour in Atlanta. The country legend was overhyped to throw his virtuosic albums “Fresh Horses” and “Sevens” to the masses.  He used to rock a Takamine EN15C for his records, including my all-time favorite “The Change” that