Carlos Cavazzo stepping into Quiet Riot to replace Randy Rhoads
Tommy Bolin and more recently Steve Morse taking Ritchie Blackmore’s place in Deep Purple.
Mick Taylor replacing Brian Jones in the Stones. (More in terms of reputation than ability though, I’d say.)
David Gilmour replacing Syd Barrett in Pink Floyd.
Jimmy Page replacing Jeff Beck replacing Eric Clapton in the Yardbirds.
Daryl Stuermer who plays live with Genesis. He had to replace Steve Hackett.
Mick Taylor replacing Peter Green who replaced Eric Clapton in John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers
Jake E. Lee replacing Randy Rhodes in Ozzy’s band
Lindsey Buckingham replacing Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer, Danny Kirwan, Al Stewart (is that the right guy?) and somebody French (??) in Fleetwood Mac.
Jimmy Crespo subbing for / temporarily replacing Joe Perry in Aerosmith…
Wha? Even if we forget that Syd was batshit crazy at the time of his departure, Dave is definitely better than Syd technically. Maybe not the same kind of crazy songwriter, but he always played the perfect solo for the song-what more do you want from a guitarist? Oh and he had tone for days.
The team of nobodies Joe Strummer replaced Mick Jones with for Cut the Crap.
Didn’t work, IMHO.
Along with what Mojo Pin is saying, Steve Morse is in a different league than Ritchie Blackmore. There are very few if any guitar players that can match Steve Morse. Ritchie Blackmore is not one of them. And I like Ritchie Blackmore.
The OP said replacements who had huge shoes to fill. Syd, at the time, was the Floyd. Most people, including Peter Jenner and Rick Wright, didn’t think the Floyd would survive without him. Listen to Interstellar Overdrive - particularly live versions of it. No-one played like that then.
David Gilmour is one of the greatest guitarists of all time. He wasn’t back then, though. Listen to his playing in his previous group, Jokers Wild. When he started in the Floyd, he said he felt he had to emulate Syd - though he soon found his musical feet.
Warren Haynes wins the thread (deservedly so).
1987, the Allman Brothers Band decide to reunite. Haynes fills in Duane Allman’s shoes.
He’s currently in The Dead, filling in for Jerry Garcia.
Two of the largest guitar shoes to fill in history — not just stellar players, but players with a particular sound that helped define their bands.
And in 2001, Haynes returned to the Allman Brothers to take Dickey Betts’ spot. Betts had been replaced in 2000 by the excellent Jimmy Herring.
Good catch!
Don’t you mean four of the largest shoes?
Bob Welch, Bob Weston.
Outside of Peter Green, I doubt most would consider those HUGE shoes to fill. All of those I’d say were decent guitarists ( sez the non-guitarist to the guitarist* ), but only Green really has that sort of legendary status.
ETA: If anything Buckingham might get second billing in that line up, he seems well-respected, though his electric stuff doesn’t really do it for me most of the time.
- Speaking as a non-guitarist, I always enjoy your guitarist threads :).
How about the Rolling Stones? Ron Wood for Mick Taylor for Brian Jones.
There was a studio guitarist that played in FM after Buckingham, I’m drawing a blank on the name. He had an article about him in Vintage Guitar magazine and I recall he had a thing for Art Deco guitars. FM had it’s biggest success with Buckingham so his shoes may have been biggest to fill in that band. And Buckingham’s a great player.
Jason Newstead stepping in for the late Cliff Burford, then later Rob Trujillo stepping in for Jason.
Vivian Campbell stepping in after Steve Clark’s death. And in that same vein, Phil Collen stepping in to replace Pete Willis when he was booted.
And as someone who saw both the Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers Band many, many times live (in the late 80s and 90s) I can not bear listening to any band in which Warren Haynes is a part of…
I cant really explain it, but he has a “darkness” about him that literally makes me not even want to be in the same room with him.
I have actually gone to shows where Warren was in the opening band (Govt Mule) and have waited until thier set was over until I went into the venue. I know it sounds stupid, but something about Warren Haynes sets me on edge…
Haynes’ playing can be overbearing sometimes, it’s true. (If I can nitpick a little more, he joined the Allmans in 1989, not '87.) When it works, he’s a powerful blues and hard rock player and a very good singer.
Those’re them! Thanks! Didn’t Bob Welch have a hit - not Year of the Cat by Al Stewart - what it Those Eyes or Angry Eyes or something?
I loved the work that Kirwan and Spencer did with Green but agree with your basic take. And yeah, Buckingham is amazing.
Clem Clempson replaced Peter Frampton (admittedly, his shoes got bigger after leaving Humble Pie!)