50 Country Fried Blues Licks You MUST Know

We dare you to stroll down the main drag of any country fair and resist the temptation of a corn dog, or a fried Twinkie, or fried green tomatoes, deep-fried Snickers, deep-fried chocolate-covered cheesecake and the list goes on -- everything tastes better country fried! And that goes for your blues bag too as Gil Parris' 50 Country Fried Blues Licks You MUST Know will testify to.

It's not easy for a guitar player to stand out on the contemporary blues scene. With so many great players to choose from, bandleaders look for that extra-something-special to bring to their bandstand or studio session. Dr John, Joe Cocker, Diane Schuur, Bobby Caldwell, Blood, Sweat and Tears all recognized that extra-something-special in Gil Parris.

Gil's signature Country Fried style is an innovative blend of blues, country, funk and jazz. “This is much more than a collection of my favorite go-to licks and moves. I'm thrilled to also be able to pass along many of the valuable phrasing concepts and pro tips that I've been fortunate enough to learn from my own mentors along the way. As you learn the underlying principles of these 50 licks, you'll then be able to extract those concepts and craft your own signature sound to move your playing to the next level.”

You'll learn lines that move inner voices ala Jack Wilkins and the late Ted Greene, ascending chromatic ideas inspired by the Adderley Brothers, how to emulate Herbie Hancock's pulsating funky sound, hip tritone double-stops, effective ways to fingerstyle and blues-up the minor cliché utilizing the root, major 7, Flat 7 and 6th, pick up on a great shape to bend into the 4 chord, pianistic 10ths for freshening up any blues lick, sax emulation, funky Benson double stops, unusual but highly usable chord voicings, how to create harmonica and slide guitar sounds simultaneously, Miles Davis-ish diminished pattern based on the major 7th interval, Cornell Dupree's funkified chromatic move, and all kinds of bends, pull-offs, slides, pedal-steel moves and other assorted tricks of the Country Fried Blues trade.

All of the licks are presented over a rhythm track for context and then followed by a detailed breakdown of the line along with the techniques being employed to perform it. Everything is tabbed and notated, plus you get all of the rhythm tracks to practice the lines over by yourself.

Put those corn dogs down and fry up some of these goodies for your blues bag. Your doctor will love ya for it!