Terry Kath featured in Guitar One Magazine

Terry Kath featured in Guitar One Magazine

By Tim Wood

Terry Kath was featured in the August 2001 edition of GuitarOne magazine. He was in an article titled "Gone Too Soon: A Tribute to 65 Fallen Heroes."

The article was about great guitarists who died young. Kath died on Jan. 23, 1978, at the age of 31.

Interestingly, the article says a lot about Kath's vocals, as well as his playing. Here are some quotes from the article:

" ... the legendary axe man, whose soul-fired vocals powered early hits like "Free," "Dialogue (Part I & II)" and the ever-popular smooch ballad "Colour My World." Early on, Kath's warm-and-fuzzy tube tones added a touch of fire to Chicago's sleek horn section, giving the jazz-pop combo instant credibility in the rock world. Watching the group perform live for the first time, a stunned Jimi Hendrix told Chicago sax man Walter Parazaider, "Your guitar player is better than me."

Essential listening, according to the article, are Chicago's first album (Chicago Transit Authority) and the 1997 "Innovative Guitar of Terry Kath" compilation.

The article quotes session ace Reggie Boyd and Soundgarden's Chris Cornell, who lists Kath as a vocal inspiration.