Kyle Solomon is a singer-songwriter and guitarist-for-hire living in Wichita.
“Guitar was always a very glamorous instrument, in the sense that you could be just as cool as the lead singer. You could hold your own against any lead singer. Didn’t matter if you were Axl Rose, Steven Tyler, Michael Jackson. I could literally go on all day long. But I think what really attracted me was the guys who could do both—both play and command a band. For me, that was Prince, that was James Hetfield of Metallica.
The first song I ever learned how to play was Metallica’s ‘Fade To Black.’
I always joke that, even though I’m a black, left-handed guitar player, it was a different James that made me want to play guitar: It wasn’t Jimi. It was James Hetfield.
It was November 30, 2000. It was the My VH1 Awards. It was them playing ‘Fade To Black.’ It was the first time I ever heard the song. He played that, just, magnificent riff.
It was right in the middle of the song. I said, ‘That’s what I want to do with the rest of my life.’ I was absolutely captivated.”
