I met most of them by pure luck. A good friend of mine is a Wing Chun Sifu and taught Victor Wooten, Duane Allman, Oteil Burbridge, Dave Mathews, Steve Tyler, Steve Bailey and others over the years. They all keep in touch and are still friends. They come by for one-on-one training periodically or just to visit and no one ever recognizes them in Fayetteville or else no one says anything if they do. I get to meet them when they visit him. Most of the time I don't know who they are though until he tells me because I usually meet them meeting for dinner in a restaurant or coffee at the coffee shop, etc and everyone looks different up close than on stage. Victor will be here in November to play for Brian's anniversary of his shop. No one will know in advance so it will be a great surprise for anyone that shows up. He typically jams and anyone can join in. He has a concert in Charlotte in October, a booksigning in Charlotte, a bass contest in Myrtle Beach all coming up so he will be around NC the month of October. A lot of guitar players study Wing Chun kunfu for the tendon training. There are great tendon training exercises. It really strengthens your hands and allows you to play guitar for hours and hours without any aching or soreness (necessary for performances). Brian has a Wing Chun school in Raleigh and a small school in Fayetteville where he mostly teaches SF guys and police, etc. There is a picture of him on Victor's basscamp website under instructors.

http://www.victorwooten.com/basscamp/
http://www.rduwingchun.com/

>As long as you didn't say Slash, then we're good on the list. He is so over-rated. I forgot about Allman. I think he would have to be on my top 5 as well. I have never heard Wooten. I just looked him up and I'm surprised I've never (knowingly) listened to him. How did you hook up with him? Don't see Hope Mills as the next Seattle, if you know what I mean. I remember 45s. And 78s. My dad was an avid music collector and had about 4 or 5 thousand records when he died, many of them 78s. I actually played "The Chipmunks" on 78 and it was strange to hear the almost-regular voices singing the songs. Aaaaalviiiiiiin!
>
>>I have no idea which album, but remembering it now has it running through my head over and over again. I knew almost every word to every song on that album after hearing it so many times. Over and over and over again. :0) Of course that is what teenage girls do! My favorite album during the same year though was probably The Who, Who's Next. (Gettin in Tune, Behind blue Eyes, etc)
>>I agree with your choices of great guitar players, but I really think that Duane Allman and Joe Satriani are the alltime best so far. There are others that are outstanding. Of course I think the greatest bass player is Victor Wooten (he is a friend of mine) and a close 2nd would be Les Claypool.
>>I remember having a record player when i was very young that had three speeds: 33,45,78. You switched the knob and we used to fool around playing 45s on 33, etc. It used to be that when you bought a single you 'bought the 45.' Now no one would know what that means!
>>
>>>I get blocked on almost everything here at work, but which albums were those on? There one song on, I think on I or II, that goes from this bluesy sound to a variation of country that I really like too. I'll have to check it out tonight and let you know. Page was probably the best guitarist I have ever heard. I know, theres Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen and Joe Satriani, but I still like Page the most.
>>>
>>>>Best IMHO were Fool in the Rain and Hot Dog.
>>>>
>>>>>I was around when these guys were first getting started. I started getting into them again recently and I'm amazed at how good they really were. I still listen in wonderment whenever I drive through a college campus and hear students blaring out Whole Lotta Love or Stairway to Heaven. I can still play most of their best known stuff on guitar, but one of my favorites is Over the Hills and Far Away.