E is for... Early days

It’s ironic that the first wave of US garage bands were turned on by the blues of English bands like The Animals and The Yardbirds. Many American kids just didn’t know that the blues had originated from their own country and as a result, the English bands were essentially selling American culture back to American teenagers.

Happily, the upshot of all this was that black American blues artists began getting more recognition back home. The Rolling Stones made sure that their fans knew where their sound had come from. Of course, they also fired up the kids with the fuzz-tone explosion of (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction. Yep, Mick, Keith and the boys did their bit.

E is also for... Epiphone

For kids on a budget the '60s solid-body Epiphone guitars and their stablemate, the Gibson Melody Maker, were easy-to-play, with slim necks and great pickups. The new Epiphone Worn 1966 Wilshire reissue captures the magic, and affordability, of the originals.