“I'd try to bust out my best hot and fastest licks, and Joe would always be so helpful. He'd say, ‘All those licks are cool. But just slow it down, man. Tell a story’”: Lionel Richie guitarist Greg Suran shares the solo advice he received from Joe Walsh

Versatility is Greg Suran's trump card. From working with Iris hitmakers The Goo Goo Dolls and Seattle-born emo band Sunny Day Real Estate, to performing Lionel Richie's timeless repertoire and playing a wide array of tunes as part of American Idol's house band, Suran is a true guitar chameleon.

Another formidable act to add to this bulging list? The Eagles' Joe Walsh, whom he played with from 2011 to 2013 on the Analog Man tour, also served as a mentor in some capacity. So, how did this gig come about?

“I was [singer-songwriter] Jewel's music director for a while after The Goo Goo Dolls, and I hired a friend of mine, Drew Hester, to play drums,” Suran tells Guitar World.

“Drew was playing with Joe, and Joe needed a guitar player, and he was about to do this big tour. Drew recommended me to Joe, and I actually went to Joe's house in LA and into his studio.

“Joe was like, ‘Alright, come on in, let's jam.’ We basically played some blues riffs, and we did a couple of his songs, but we just kind of played guitar. And he's like, ‘Yeah, okay, sounds great.’ That was it.”

Joe Walsh "Analog Man" Guitar Center Sessions on DIRECTV - YouTube

Watch On

Playing with Walsh came with plenty of guitar – and life – lessons. Suran admits that he “came in hot, wanting to impress him”– understandable, considering Walsh's stature in the guitar community.

“We'd trade solos sometimes, like on [Walsh's] Turn to Stone, and he'd give me a solo on [Walsh's] Life of Illusion. It was always interactive. I'd try to bust out my best hot and fastest licks, and he'd always be so helpful,” he describes.

“He'd say, ‘Man, all those licks are cool. They're great. But just slow it down, man. Tell a story.’ That classic, old-school building of the arc of a solo thing, I really took that to heart. When someone like Joe tells you that, and you're playing alongside him, you want to do it.”

Guitar World's full interview with Greg Suran will be published in the coming weeks.