Arlen Roth has been referred to as "the guitarist's guitarist" and "a brilliant musician." But, that's only one aspect of his remarkable 35-year career. He is a highly regarded authority concerning all things guitar, from writing about guitar playing to being the inspiration behind their creation due to his fluent mastery and rare ability to seamlessly cross over musical genres and playing styles.
      His legendary guitar prowess crosses all genres, all styles, and all types of guitar playing, including one of his specialties, slide guitar. He fluidly moves from folk and blues to country tunes, and has also played some of the most resounding rock ever recorded. He is as comfortable playing an acoustic ballad, (his acoustic version of Layla has been critically acclaimed as being better than Eric Clapton's version) as he is launching into the most powerful version of "When a Man Loves a Woman" ever recorded, which Guitar Player magazine called "likely the most intense workout ever recorded on a Telecaster."
      Several best-selling guitars bear his name, with three more in production: a new Arlen Roth Archtop model by Curtis Guitars, the innovative Terraplane, a steel-bodied resonator guitar inspired by the classic Hudson Terraplane car, by Simon Guitars, and Warren Guitars' popular Arlen Roth Signature model.
      Arlen Roth has traversed a vast territory, as a musician and as a man. Drive It Home, a critically acclaimed all-acoustic recording, and the artist's most personal one, was dedicated to his late wife Deborah, and their oldest daughter, Gillian, both tragically lost to a car accident in 1998. He has toured with Simon and Garfunkel, individually, and together, from 1978 to the present. He appeared on-stage in a film with Bob Dylan, created and taught Ralph Macchio his guitar parts for the film Crossroads, played and directed most of the film's guitar scenes, and played an infamous "dueling guitar virtuosos" finale with Steve Vai and others, still generating substantial internet buzz 20 years later.
      He's also considered the single-most important influence on those learning to play the guitar and other instruments around the world. In 1979, Arlen Roth and his late wife, Deborah, founded Hot Licks, a guitar learning resources company, the first to videotape famous musicians demonstrating their techniques and individual styles, creating an important historical legacy. In 1974, 20-year old Arlen Roth authored his first book, Slide Guitar, still considered the "gold standard." How to Play Blues Guitar followed a year later. Nashville Guitar, 1976, became a landmark reference, highly influencing the country music sound, owing to Arlen's introduction of his wholly original string-bending techniques. His Complete Electric Guitar was partially edited by the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Some additional titles include Masters of the Telecaster, Complete Acoustic Guitar, Rock Guitar for Future Stars, and others.
"One of The Top 100 Influential Guitarists of the Century." - Vintage Guitar Magazine
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