Neal Casal, influential guitarist, died at the age of 50

[MagnoliaMountain]

Neal Casal, a prolific guitarist who played with Ryan Adams and Chris Robinson, has died - CNN

Neal Casal, Guitarist Who Worked With Willie Nelson, Shooter Jennings, Dead at 50

Neal Casal, the influential roots guitarist who played with Willie Nelson, Shooter Jennings, Ryan Adams, Phil Lesh and more, has died at the age of 50. “Neal was a gentle, introspective, deeply soulful human being who lived his life through artistry and kindness,” read the announcement of his death on his Facebook page Tuesday morning. [...]

Best known for his work as the lead guitarist in Ryan Adams’ backing band the Cardinals, Casal also played with the Jayhawks, the Chris Robinson Brotherhood and the Hard Working Americans. As an in-demand studio musician, he played on records by Nelson, Jennings, Lucinda Williams, Amanda Shires and Tift Merritt. Casal was also a prolific singer-songwriter in his own right, releasing numerous solo albums and founding the group Circles Around the Sun.

I saw him play live together with Ryan Adams & The Cardinals back in 2007. What a gifted man that was able to touch people so deeply... RIP Mr. Casal.

 

[Lilibet]

I’m sorry and embarrassed to say I’ve never heard of him, but he’s obviously gone way too soon at 50. I’ll have to look him up...belated though it is.

In this Rolling Stone interview, in talking about his early goals he said:

“I was really obsessed with becoming a songwriter in the classic sort of Neil Young, Jackson Browne mode and I was really into folk music. I leaned more in that direction.”

As I huge Jackson Browne fan, I was won over right there! Even if he didn’t go in that direction, he must have had that same sensibility and sensitivity.

I also like his humility about his playing:

The honest truth is I only have three or four decent licks as a guitar player. There’s some amount of smoke and mirrors there. But it’s just how you use what you know, and maybe if anybody can learn anything from me it’s that — how to make very little go a long way. If you play guitar with the right touch and the right sounds and the right feeling, you can make very little go a long way. I’m not comparing myself to B.B. King, but he was one of those people who could just play one note and kind of speak the world to you. If I had any aspiration, it would be that...

Neal Casal must have been a really neat guy. Such a loss.

Guitarist Neal Casal: The Lost Interview

 

[MagnoliaMountain]