# What famous musicians played more than one instrument? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 15, 2009, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-played-more-than-one-instrument/503155 "2009-07-15T21:30:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-played-more-than-one-instrument/503155/41 "2009-07-16T16:20:23Z")
Several famous musicians have made albums on which they played all (or most) of the instruments. Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney have both done this at one time or another. Don Henley was the drummer of the Eagles, but he mostly plays guitar or keyboards in his live solo concerts. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-played-more-than-one-instrument/503155/42 "2009-07-16T16:22:51Z")
John Cale, of Velvet Undergound fame, plays guitar, bass, keyboards and viola. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-played-more-than-one-instrument/503155/43 "2009-07-16T17:00:42Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > The members of **Gentle Giant** were notable multi-instrumentalists. That’s who I came in here to mention. John Lennon played guitar and piano. When Van Halen did Jump, everyone scoffed at Eddie attempting to play keyboards – until they heard him play. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-played-more-than-one-instrument/503155/44 "2009-07-16T18:39:57Z")
Wikipedia says John Fogerty plays guitar, bass, drums, percussion, dobro, harmonica, keyboards, saxophone. IIRC, he took forever between albums largely because, as a total control freak, he wanted to play all the instruments himself. Which meant that first he had to learn all the instruments. But that could just be music press BS. > [@tdn](#): > > John Lennon played guitar and piano. Also played harmonica, but stopped doing it fairly early on. Too bad. ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-played-more-than-one-instrument/503155/45 "2009-07-16T19:20:00Z")
Zach Condon, who formerly was the entirety of the band **Beirut** , played all the instruments on his albums before adding more people to the band. Wikipedia says he plays banjo and trumpet, though I think he may also play drums. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-played-more-than-one-instrument/503155/46 "2009-07-16T19:24:39Z")
> [@kelly5078](#): > > Wikipedia says John Fogerty plays guitar, bass, drums, percussion, dobro, harmonica, keyboards, saxophone. IIRC, he took forever between albums largely because, as a total control freak, he wanted to play all the instruments himself. Which meant that first he had to learn all the instruments. But that could just be music press BS. Except for the drums and perhaps bass, I think he already played all those instruments on Creedence albums. (And it’s really splitting hairs to consider dobro a separate instrument from guitar.) ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-played-more-than-one-instrument/503155/47 "2009-07-16T22:46:25Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > Except for the drums and perhaps bass, I think he already played all those instruments on Creedence albums. (And it’s really splitting hairs to consider dobro a separate instrument from guitar.) I suppose so, besides which it’s a brand name; I was just being lazy. ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-played-more-than-one-instrument/503155/48 "2009-07-16T23:01:13Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > IIRC Prince is pretty versatile. I’ve seen him in concert several times and a couple of times when they introduced the band he went around and took their instrument and played it while they bowed and mugged for the crowd. He played each one like it was nothing. Drums, bass, guitar, horns, keyboards, … ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-played-more-than-one-instrument/503155/49 "2009-07-16T23:07:48Z")
Zakk Wylde play guitar, bass, keyboard, mandolin, and piano, aside from singing. Fredrik Ehmke of Blind Guardian plays drums, flute and bagpipes. Yngwie Malmsteen plays bass, keyboard, sitar and cello, as well as absurdly fast guitar. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-played-more-than-one-instrument/503155/50 "2009-07-16T23:18:08Z")
According to Wikipedia, Johann Sebastian Bach played violin, harpsichord, pianoforte, and organ (duh). ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-played-more-than-one-instrument/503155/51 "2009-07-16T23:25:56Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > Benny Carter played alto sax, clarinet and trumpet. It’s fairly common to play both sax and clarinet, but not so common to play both brass and reed instruments. Good call! I almost forgot Benny. Also in jazz, Eric Dolphy was a virtuoso on alto sax, bass clarinet, and flute; Ira Sullivan plays trumpet and sax; many tenor sax players double on soprano sax and many trumpters on fluegelhorn. Trombonist Steve Turre also plays conch shells. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-musicians-played-more-than-one-instrument/503155.md?page=2)