Kirk Hammett turns 60: Top 3 guitarists the Metallica legend calls his favourites
Metallica, one of the most established heavy metal bands, turns 60 today. Hammett is widely considered to be one of the most established guitarists of all time.
Born in California, US in 1962, Hammett’s love for music started by listening to his brother’s collection of rock music. Reportedly, he listened to music legends such as Black Sabbath, UFO and Led Zeppelin but he was especially inspired by Jimi Hendrix, one of the greatest guitar players. Hammett also covered multiple songs of Hendrix when he would play and practice guitar solos.
Hammett picked up the guitar for the first time at the tender age of 15 and his first guitar was a Montgomery Ward catalogue special. His love for playing the instrument could be understood when he reportedly took a job at fast food diner Burger King in order to make money to buy an electric guitar amplifier.
As per reports, Hammett has extensively spoken about some guitarists who have inspired him in his musical journey. Here are 3 of them.
Joe Satriani
Satriani is one of the most accomplished guitarists of his generation and he has been known to experiment with complicated tunes, and techniques such as legato. With his clever use of the guitar pedals, he has been able to make songs which are unique and previously never heard before in the rock music genre. Satriani is also the mentor of some of the best guitarists such as Hammett himself and Steve Vai.
David Gilmour
Gilmour, a member of one of the greatest psychedelic rock bands from the UK, Pink Floyd, has played a crucial role in Hammett’s journey. Gilmour has been known to not only play the guitar but has also lent his vocals on some of the most revered tracks from the band like “Comfortably Numb.” Hammett reportedly said
