Lenny Breau (August 5, 1941–August 12, 1984) was a Canadian guitarist. He was known for blending many styles of music including: country, classical, flamenco and jazz guitar. Breau, inspired by country guitarists like Chet Atkins, used fingerstyle techniques not often used in jazz guitar.

Breau was born August 5, 1941, in Auburn, Maine. His francophone parents, Hal “Lone Pine” Breau and Betty Cody, were professional country and western musicians who performed and recorded from the mid 1930’s until the mid 1970’s. Their son began playing guitar at the age of eight, and by the age of fourteen he was the lead guitarist for his parents’ band, billed as “Lone Pine Junior”, playing Merle Travis and Chet Atkins instrumentals and occasionally singing. Breau made his first professional recording in Westbrook, Maine at the age of 15, appropriately titled Boy Wonder.Guitar Effects Pedals.

In 1963 and 1964 Lenny Breau appeared at David Ingram’s Fourth Dimension at 2,000 Pembina Highway in Fort Garry, a suburb of Winnipeg. Every Sunday night was a hootenany open to all. Another regular at the club on Sunday Nights at the same time was Neil Young and his band with Vancouver CKNW’s Rick Honey as his drummer.

Lenny’s fully matured technique was a combination of Atkins and Travis fingerpicking and Sabicas-influenced flamenco, highlighted by extraordinary right hand independence and flurries of artificial harmonics. His harmonic sensibilities were a combination of his country roots, classical, modal, Indian, and especially jazz, particularly the work of pianist Bill Evans.Guitar Effects Pedals.

Julian Bream O.B.E. (born July 15, 1933) is an internationally celebrated British guitarist and lutenist, widely recognized as one of the most important classical guitarists of the 20th century. He has also been successful in renewing popular interest in the Renaissance lute.Guitar effects pedals.

Bream was born in London and brought up in a very musical environment. His father played jazz guitar and the young Bream was impressed by hearing the playing of Django Reinhardt. He was encouraged to play the piano but also the guitar (though using a plectrum). On his 11th birthday, Bream was given a classical guitar by his father. He became something of a child prodigy, at 12 winning a junior exhibition award for his piano playing, enabling him to study piano and cello at the Royal College of Music. He made his debut guitar recital at Cheltenham in 1947, aged 13.

After national service he resumed a busy career playing around the world, including annual tours in the U.S. and Europe for several years. He played part of a recital at the Wigmore Hall on the lute in 1952 and since has done much to bring music written for the instrument to light.Guitar effects pedals. 1960 saw the formation of the Julian Bream Consort, a period-instrument ensemble with Bream as lutenist. The consort led a great revival of interest in the music of the Elizabethan era. His first European tours took place in 1954 and 1955, and were followed by extensive touring in North America , the Far East, India, Australia, the Pacific Islands and other parts of the world.

In 1984 Bream’s arm was seriously injured in a car accident. It cost him great effort to regain his previous technical ability.

Jacques Brautbar (March 14, 1979 in Los Angeles, California) is an American photographer and guitarist, formerly of rock band Phantom Planet. He left the band in 2004, after their self-titled third album, to pursue a career in photography. Brautbar’s photo credits include Rolling Stone, Spin, Nylon, Jane and High Times magazines.Guitar effects pedals.

In the spring of 2006, Brautbar returned to music and began to play shows with Beck, Okgo, Jack’s Mannequin and the electronica band Something for Rockets. Brautbar toured with Something for Rockets for over a year and is a co-writer on their second record. Brautbar has since moved on from the band to explore music composition and production.

In 2008. Brautbar began writing music for film and television, co-writing with other artists and is currently on tour with LA band UH HUH HER.Guitar effects pedals.

Creed Bratton (born William Charles Schneider on February 8, 1943) is an actor and former member of The Grass Roots.

Born in Los Angeles, he grew up in Coarsegold, California, a small town near Yosemite National Park. His grandparents, mother, and father were musicians, and he took a liking to music at a very early age. At 13, he received his first guitar from a Sears mail order catalogue. He became a professional musician during his high school and college years. Upon his mother’s remarriage, his name was changed to Chuck Ertmoed.Guitar effects pedals.

He decided to try life as a traveling musician and made his way on a global excursion, during which he changed his name again to Creed Bratton. He traveled through Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Appearing with his group the Young Californians, he played guitar at a large folk festival in Israel. Fellow American and guitarist Warren Entner witnessed Bratton’s performance, and asked him to give him a call when he got back to the United States. In 1966, they formed a partnership and recruited the remaining members needed for their group, the 13th Floor. Bratton played lead guitar, Rick Coonce played drums, Entner played rhythm guitar, and Kenny Fukomoto played bass. They recorded a demo and sent it to Dunhill, a new record company headed by Lou Adler.

The Grass Roots had top songwriters offering their best songs to them and they wrote many songs themselves. Bratton co-wrote “Beatin’ Round The Bush”, “No Exit”, and “Hot Bright Lights”, and self-composed “Dinner For Eight” and “House Of Stone”. Iconic hit songs such as “Midnight Confessions” cemented their standing as major contributors to the rock music scene. Bratton played with the group on the albums Let’s Live For Today, Feelings and Lovin’ Things.Guitar effects pedals.

Bratton left the group in 1969 to pursue an acting career. He has appeared in films such as Mask and Heart Like a Wheel. Still an active musician, Bratton released three solo albums in 2001 and 2002. He is a current cast member (playing a fictional version of himself) on NBC’s Emmy and SAG award winning The Office. In 2007, he presented an induction award to The Wrecking Crew at the Musician’s Hall of Fame. That year he also took part in a short film with Kyle Gass titled “Just One Of The Gynos” and produced an album of new music with producer Jon Tiven. Both projects premiered in 2008. Bratton’s film project won an award for best short film at the 2008 Malibu International Film Festival.

Vito Bratta (b. July 1, 1961, Staten Island, New York) was the guitarist and lead songwriter for the 1980s rock band White Lion from 1983 to 1992.

Following the breakup of White Lion, Bratta produced an album for the band CPR on Atlantic records. Bratta has not been involved in the music industry in any capacity since 1994. He is said to be currently living in his childhood house in Staten Island with his parents.

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In 2003, Mike Tramp (former White Lion vocalist), attempted to reunite with Bratta but was unsuccessful. Tramp talked about Bratta in a 2007 interview with Anarchy Music, claiming Bratta was always quiet and distant and the rest of the band “hardly knew his birthday”.

Vito Bratta had not been heard from since 1994 until his interview by Eddie Trunk live on February 16, 2007.

Laurent Brancowitz (born Laurent Mazzalai) is a musician best known for being one of the guitarists from the French pop band, Phoenix.  Brancowitz was in part of a short lived Beach Boys-inspired guitar group called Darlin’. The band consisted of Thomas Bangalter, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and himself. After releasing their songs on Duophonic, a review in the British music magazine Melody Maker called the music "a bunch of daft punk." The band split and Bangalter and Guy-Manuel continued making music under the name Daft Punk. Brancowitz later joined Phoenix, which his younger brother was already in. During live shows, Brancowitz often plays a Fender Bullet.

Michelle Jacquet Branch-Landau (born July 2, 1983) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. She made her debut in 2000, and released the platinum-selling albums The Spirit Room and Hotel Paper in August 2001 and June 2003 respectively. During this period, she collaborated with Santana on the single “The Game of Love“, which won a Grammy Award. In 2004, she formed the musical duo The Wreckers with fellow musician Jessica Harp. Michelle Branch will release her first solo album with record company Warner Bros. Nashville, Everything Comes and Goes, in February 2009.

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Branch writes or co-writes most of her solo material and her music influences are the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Aerosmith, Patsy Cline, Cat Stevens, Stevie Nicks and Joni Mitchell. While her musical tastes lean more toward older musicians, she also enjoys contemporary bands such as Incubus, Soundgarden, Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, Metallica, and Silverchair and current songwriters including Lisa Loeb, Sheryl Crow, and Patty Griffin. She has also expressed her admiration for classical music, as well as older country music.
Instruments
Branch owns over fourteen guitars but mainly uses a Gibson Hummingbird after retiring her blue Taylor 614ce in 2002. In addition to the guitar, Branch plays other instruments such as the piano, drums and mandolin.

Branch enjoys playing the Hummingbird more for live performances and recordings. As of 2006, she has also been using an electric guitar during live performances of songs such as “Tennessee” and “Cigarettes,” both written by Jessica Harp.

James Dean Bradfield is the lead guitarist and vocalist for the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers.

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In late April 2006, a track from Bradfield’s debut solo single entitled “That’s No Way To Tell A Lie” premiered on Janice Long’s show on Radio 2. It became the first single from the album and was released on July 10 while the album, entitled “The Great Western“, was released on July 24. The single debuted at #18 in the UK single charts while the album debuted at #22 on the album charts. The positions were considered relatively successful considering the lack of promotion.

In support of the album, Bradfield played a series of three solo gigs in May 2006 in Manchester, Glasgow and London. The setlists consisted of tracks from the “The Great Western” as well as several Manics tracks including “This Is Yesterday” and “Ocean Spray”. He has also played one further date in London ULU in June 2006, featuring a similar setlist to the other gigs, but with the addition of further Manics favourite No Surface All Feeling. Bradfield also performed at the 2006 V Festival in late August. He embarked on his first full UK tour - consisting of 15 dates - in October. A second single, ‘An English Gentleman’ was lifted from “The Great Western” prior to the tour and entered the UK chart at #31 on 1st October 2006.

Michael ‘Mick’ Box (born June 8, 1947 in Walthamstow, East London, England) is the lead guitarist of British rock group Uriah Heep. He is the only member from the band’s founding in 1969 who is still active with the group.

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William James Boyd (born April 27, 1979), better known as Will Boyd, is the former bass guitarist of rock band Evanescence.

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Boyd became a full-time member of Evanescence in June 2003, but had co-written two of their unreleased songs, “October” and “So Close,” prior to that. He spent stints with local Little Rock punk bands such as The Visitors and Lucky Father Brown and is currently in the bands Two Spines and American Princes. He left Evanescence in June 2006 due to not wanting to do another big tour, and was replaced by Tim McCord.