[lokie]

I have always greatly admired Earl Scruggs and with the news of his passing I spent some time on YouTube checking out his videos.
Watching Earl is mesmerizing. Just a wall of sound comes out of those amazing fingers while he  just stands there  expressionless. It’s like all  his energy is flowing through that banjo and everything else is just wasted movement.   He could get a barn full of people stompin and grinnin and whoopin it up while he barely looks as if he has a pulse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3oF8uslfEQ

Porter Wagner said it best when he said that Earl was  ”the best there ever was and the best that ever will be.”

Anyway, this thread is not about Earl but about other musicians that are deadpan but can scorch.

Here’s three more that come to mind:

Michael Houser- Widespread Panic:  He didn’t even stand. He just sat there with his head down and rips.

Robby Kreiger- The Doors : When  Jim Morrison is your front man, nothing to add to the show except stadium filling guitar anthems.

Mick Taylor- Rolling Stones- By far my favorite Rolling Stones guitarists. All those great guitar licks on those eminent early 70’s  Stones albums  - that was Mick Taylor. He was so shy he would stand behind Charlie Watts. One rumor was that Keith kicked him out of the band because he was so boring on stage (and  that  Keith felt threatened at his prowess).

[FullRangeMan]

Mick Taylor was the best guitarrist to play on the Stones. A brazilian girl friend of Mick Taylor said he did not know changing the strings of the guitar, and she had to change for him.

[JCarney]

John Entwistle of The Who was rather lifeless on stage, except his hands. They moved with speed and accuracy to match with the screaming licks comin from Pete's guitar. But it looked like he was bored out of his mind, or ready to fall asleep right there on stage. I saw them 4 times and it cracked me up each time seeing Entwistle barely move the whole concert.

JCarney

[R_burke]

Robert Fripp sitting down with King Crimson
Harvey Mandel with John Mayall kept his back to the audience because he was facing his amp using feedback the entire time

[FullRangeMan]

Ringo Star.