SIMON MCBRIDE

This month Phil Short explores the rip-roaring style of blues-rock virtuoso and Deep Purple's sensational new guitarist, Simon McBride.

-  Phil Short

Simon McBride is one of the world's greatest guitar players, with a career spanning over 25 years in the music industry. Simon has proven himself as both a session musician and as an artist in his own right. His skill and musicality has been admired by some of the most legendary musicians on the planet, and he is currently the full-time guitarist in the Deep Purple.

But how did McBride get there and what makes his playing particularly special? Hailing from Ireland, Simon started out aged nine, having grown up on a healthy diet of Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Free and other classic rock icons. By the time he was 15 years old he had become a very accomplished player, entering Guitarist magazine's Young Guitarist Of The Year competition and taking home first place. This in part led to him becoming PRS Guitars' demonstrator for many years.