Otis Rush

Described as the key architect of “West Side Sound,” Rush died of complications from a stroke.

Not their gear, of course, but their licks. Copying the style of famous axe-slingers can be good practice—these guitarists explain how.

This interview was originally published in 2015. It's hard to argue with Otis Rush when he says he's fortunate. He was born to a poor single mother, in a poor county, in a poor state. He spent most of his childhood working in and around the fields of Philadelphia, Mississippi, often being pulled from his grammar-school classes by local white...