Arlen Roth

Born in the Bronx, Arlen Roth got turned on to the guitar at the age of 9, and was deeply encouraged by his father, New Yorker magazine cartoonist, Al Ross. Al saw that his son was learning quickly by ear, and sent him for classical guitar lessons in Greenwich Village. The lessons didn’t last long as young Roth was told to leave after falling for the charms of an electric guitar. From that point on, he became self-taught, learning in front of audiences, in studios and by practicing and teaching. In 1970, his band Steel performed for 8 hours at the 1st Anniversary Woodstock Reunion Concert at Yasgur’s Farm in Bethel, NY – and soon after, Roth relocated to the town of Woodstock, NY, where he quickly jump-started his career.

Arlen Roth is considered one of the most influential guitarists of all time. He has toured the world with countless acts and recorded with them as well, including Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, John Prine, Phoebe Snow, Levon Helm, Ry Cooder, John Sebastian, Janis Ian, Eric Andersen, The Bee Gees and many more. Generations of guitarists have learned to play slide from Arlen Roth’s books and Hot Licks videos, pioneering music and guitar education all over the world. He was voted Top 50 Acoustic Guitarists of All Time by Gibson.com, and in the Top 100 Most Influential Guitarists of All Time by Vintage Guitar magazine. Roth has 8 best-selling books to his credit, and his title Hot Guitar, is a compilation of 10 years of his wildly popular column for Guitar Player magazine of the same name. Roth was also the man behind the legendary Blues film, Crossroads, creating the guitar parts, directing the guitar scenes, and working alongside Ry Cooder and Ralph Macchio for seven months in Mississippi and in L.A.

Roth is currently enjoying success topping the Roots Music Report’s Soul Blues Song Chart, winning a silver medal for blues at the Global Music Awards, and securing a top spot on the North American College & Community Radio Blues Chart.

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