Gibson Hummingbird 2009 ex-Craig Ross

Craig Ross
(1964)

Band: Lenny Kravitz
Main guitar: Les Paul
Must-listen track: Are You Gonna Go My Way?

Behind every great singer, there's a great sideman. No larger-than-life frontman exists without a guitarist they can rely on—someone laying down the riffs and only stepping into the spotlight for a few brief moments during the show. There’s no Mick without Keith, no Plant without Page, and no Lenny Kravitz without Craig Ross.

In 1991, Lenny Kravitz was on the brink of mainstream stardom: he had just written a hit for Madonna, produced an album for Vanessa Paradis, and his own record *Mama Said* was getting heavy radio play with singles like “Always On The Run” and “It Ain’t Over ’Til It’s Over.” A self-proclaimed control freak, Kravitz typically played all the instruments on his albums, with a few handpicked guests—like Slash, who appears on two tracks. But for his tour, he needed someone he could trust. Someone who could deliver that same warm, vintage guitar tone, play like the boss, and bring fresh ideas to complement him.

Very few musicians could live up to that challenge—but it wasn’t an issue for Craig Ross. Already known as a stellar guitarist from his band The Broken Homes, Ross passed Kravitz’s ultimate test when he joined the *Mama Said* tour. The results exceeded expectations, and from that moment on, Kravitz never played without him again.

On the next album, *Are You Gonna Go My Way* (1993), Ross played numerous guitar parts and even co-wrote three songs: the title track, “Is There Any Love in Your Heart,” and “My Love.” To this day, Ross has played on nine Kravitz albums, all while finding time and energy to perform with superstars like The Black Crowes and B.B. King. Ross is the very definition of a world-class sideman.