We will be hoping a follow-up to 2017’s superlative riff-heavy Signs in 2020, but Lang’s 2019 highlights were earned on stages across the world delivering sets such as his jaw-dropping performance at the Holland International Blues Festival. Gomes is still touring on the back of Peace, Love & Loud Guitars - words we can all live by - and shall be right through into 2020. Ana Popovic A Serbian-born, music loving, super blues shredder who gives most current blues guitarists a run for their money. Fred McDowell (You Gotta Move) 7. Best known as the lead guitarist and vocalist of Ten Years After, Alvin Lee grew up in a family that listened to jazz and blues, but was inspired the most by rock 'n' roll music. Originally shot by "falkrik" Sorry dude. Another vote here for Christone “Kingfish” Ingram as a current killer blues guitarist. Bath Whether he is shouldering his Fender Custom Thinline Tele, complete with Bill Lawrence blade humbuckers, or a Gibson ’58 Les Paul Reissue, Lang’s tone is always heavy on the hot sauce. So the usual suspects are here, but the wide and wonderful world of the blues is clearly opening minds to upcoming names. The world’s most high-profile blues guitarist has spent 2019 packing out pretty much every large, red-plush seated theater he can find in support of last year’s masterly Redemption. 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Bath Jorma Ludwik Kaukonen, is an American blues, folk, and rock guitarist, best known for his work with Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna. Over the past twenty years we have seen the emergence of many talented blues guitarists.Here are ten of the most influential blues guitarists to come along over … Lush but lithe and spanky, and perfect for his pop sensibility, which never quite seems at odds with the blues. Few are working harder than Mr B at being the best player they can, and few are as generous with their praise for their inspirations . This Land, his third studio album, is a work of searing passion and righteous indignation, its title track appropriating some of Guthrie’s original composition and transforming it out of sight. His notes carry weight – and he uses that power with authority, but he's a player willing and able to buck tradition. Trucks is the highest slide specialist in our voters’ list, and perhaps that is because his sensibility is such that he never overpowers the jam, often positioning his Gibson Artist Series Dickey Betts SG somewhere in the uncharted frequencies shared by vocals and guitar, and as an enigmatic counterpoint to his wife Susan Tedeschi’s Strat or Les Paul. He's definitely setting the pace, and the seventies strut of 2019's Laurence Jones Band album was a real landmark for the young musician. As a disciple of SRV, KWS shares that unpredictable quality to his phrasing, where he will be playing something traditional, say, in-the-pocket Albert King, before flipping the script on it and taking it some place new. Latest Tadeschi Trucks Band album Signs found him taking it to a more reflective place that only heightened his tense of taste and restraint. Is there a better slide player in the world right now? The guitar has simply done what the guitar has always done – evolved. So the world got to know 20-year-old Christone Ingram back when he was a teenager and it takes about a minute of watching him play on Youtube to fall under his spell. Jimi Hendrix While Jimi Hendrix incorporated the blues into all his playing, he transcends the label of blues guitarist unless you add “from outer space.” His best work is otherworldly, touching on blues but defining rock guitar tone in ways that still sound fresh today. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Thank you for signing up to Guitar World. Trout got the idea for Survivor Blues while driving around and listening to blues on FM radio. There are so many to choose from. We have to give props to the superb musicians that join him on the record – former bassist Greg Smith, drummer Phil Jones and hammond player Bennett Holland bring so much to these songs. But the Raw Dawg’s cover of Little Wing is proof positive he can stamp his identity on anyone’s material - on the blues itself. The Bookends proved he's in a prolific creative period, even by his standards. It is pretty hard to determine the world’s best guitar player with having all these other talents out there but the guitar solo of this song says it all. Rolling Stone Send a Tip Turn the amp up!”. Easily one of the best female guitarists in history, the fearless blueswoman even went toe-to-toe with Blues greats Big Bill Broonzy and Muddy Waters in many a cutting contest – and won. Not to mention the eminently vocal qualities of her immaculate slide playing. Walker was born in San Francisco, California on Christmas Day in 1949. The winning guitarists make up 80 of the 100 you’ll see here. It's that role as a band player that marks KWS as such a draw live. 3. It remains to be seen if we will see a follow-up to 2018’s Happy Xmas. Rory Gallagher (Tattoo) 9. Joe Bonamassa. View more on Jorma Kaukonen. Last year's winner still rides high – and as well he should. From Robert Johnson to The Beatles, Led Zeppelin to Nirvana, Oasis to John Mayer, the guitar has remained the defining tool of popular music over the last 100 years because of its chameleonic ability to change with the trends.. By way of evidence, we present The New Breed – 50 diverse young musicians who … Green hasn’t released any new music but you can be sure he remains on heavy rotation on record decks and phones worldwide. “It’s songs that haven’t been covered much but are worthy of attention and worthy of being heard,” says Trout. “I want to start ticking off a bucket list of accomplishments and statements I want to make before I hang it up”. He's got the touch, he's got soul, and we can't wait to hear where he goes from here. With so many variety of sub-genres and such a large number of Blues guitarists it may seem so easy to find the best guitar for Blues. She made her breakout US debut in 2000 when she appeared on a Jimi Hendrix tribute album along with Taj Mahal, Eric Gales, and many other outstanding blues artists. BA1 1UA. All the while Fish retains the blues’ storytelling power, rooting her sound in the blues tradition while imagining it anew. What a joy to see Eric Gales play – there were many smiles in the room at the UK Guitar Show while he held the room in the palm of his hand back in September. By © But, what guitar do we play the blues on? Chuck Berry June 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) It’s quite the sleight of hand Mayer’s performing with that PRS Silver Sky of his. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Watch: Kenny Wayne Shepherd blues guitar masterclass. Hound Dog Taylor (Natural Boogie) 10. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him #54 on its list of 100 Greatest Guitarists. His tone, subject of several terabytes of online discussion and out-of-focus images of his pedalboard and backline from live shows, is just so dynamic. Smith started playing at six, an age where he, like many others, might have struggled to tie his shoelaces, yet nonetheless he developed a preternatural disposition for the blues. The blues don’t quit. If the measure of a player is how distinctive they are within just a few notes, Chris Buck is someone very special indeed. There's a sense the Memphis man is going to have a landmark year in 2020 with a Bonamassa-produced new album. The Louisiana Delta blues maestro is a man of simple pleasures, namely a ’72 Fender Thinline Telecaster that he bought for less than half a grand when cutting his debut in the ‘90s, and Category 5 amps. There's an ongoing theme with these players that goes beyond the blues; hard work ethic. The poll included a whopping 73 choices, and readers also were encouraged to suggest their own candidates (and they pretty much only voted for guitarists who have been dead for several decades - but thanks anyway, gang!). At 74, if anything, Trower is accelerating. The mastermind guitarist Joe, who dreamt to be remembered as the greatest guitarist in world, put out 3 studio albums and 14 solo albums of which 11 reaching on the top of Billboard Blues Charts over his entire career. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Anyone who caught the Texan six-string Svengali live this year will be able to attest to his undiminished ability to wring the most soulful and improvisational licks from his instrument. He released The Traveler in May, and of course the songwriting is super-tight, but the playing is unimpeachable, always inventive. “Best tip for live sound? Last year's winner still rides high – and as well he should. His 2019 is much like that of any other, heavy schedules, sold out shows, and repeat. BA1 1UA. He tours constantly and averages about 100 shows worldwide a year. The results are in, and the winner, as you probably know by now, is the one, the only Joe Bonamassa, who bested the rest of the top five - Eric Clapton, Derek Trucks, Buddy Guy and John Mayer - to land at the top of Bluesville. Great blues guitar is relative to how much of a purist you are. Kelly Joe Phelps (Lead Me On) This here is the future. Joe Bonamassa is definitely one of the greatest blues players we’ve never heard of! King’s tone is so hot that you could cook a 12oz steak just by waving it in front of his speaker cabinet. For a player who made his bones in the ‘60s with Cream and Blind Faith, back when the color TV was... 3. He has been playing guitar since the age of 8, and by the time he was a teen-ager he was a regular on the Bay Area music scene. (King of the Slide Guitar) 3. He's clearly resonating with you as he's made the top of this list without a back catalogue beyond his recent debut with Buck & Evans. Vaughan was most known for being a gifted blues guitarist, with a great sense of swing reminiscent of B.B. There’s almost categories of blues guitar like slide guitar should be a category of its own. Six categories and six polls later, we had some results. Check out his “Song for the North Star”. There's no hype train here. He’s got a signature Gibson ES-345 incoming, too. Johnny Little John (Slidin' Home) 11. “Down home” or delta blues, for example, is something completely different than, say, Texas blues or the more polished blues of Robben Ford. The Total Guitar/MusicRadar Best in guitars 2018 polls received an astonishing 126,000 votes, and we're now ready to roll out the winners. MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Below, we’ll shine a light on some of the guitarists who scored handsomely in our Top 30 (yes, we’re listing only the top 30 here), including Bonamassa, Buddy Guy, Samantha Fish and newcomer Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram. And, crucially, he keeps it playful. Why? The South African player will see out the year touring his home country as the run for Perfection Kills comes to an end. It’s not just his tone, though. It just crackles when he digs in, just a very physical player (with .013's on!) So, let’s have a look at some and decide on the Best Blues guitar for you… Based on 126,000 votes from the readers of Total Guitar Magazine. There's a tale of redemption with Gales, but it's really a backstory to the incredibly complete player he's been for years. The 10 best blues guitarists in the world today 1. Baby, Please Come Home is one of the year’s strongest blues releases and sees Vaughan take on old blues standards, tracks that need only a few bars before rolling the clock back to an era when the internet would be sci-fi and you’d have to get up off your chair every 20-odd minutes to turn the record over. The Clarksdale, Mississippi, phenom is only 20 years old but already has a sense for feel, phrasing and vibrato that helps him shake the very soul out of his instrument. His raw guitar sound and preference for vintage, straightforward equipment made him in an exception at a time when guitarists were relying more and more on pedals and processors. Visit our corporate site. It's a great vid, I had to share it. Earl Hooker (Blues Guitar) 4. The nominees were what we considered to be the guitarists and guitar gear that have excelled in 2018. The 50 best guitarists of all time pays homage to the string benders, the finger tappers and the whammy wranglers, as voted by you. After all, it’s the electric guitar; sometimes tickling it is not enough. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. The fact he's a humble guy too only sweetens the deal. Of course, when absolutely necessary, he can pin the audience to the floor, dialing in more bite on his volume control to hit the front end of his Alessandro custom head harder. That really doesn’t work well when talking about blues guitarists. Kenny's stayed at the top of the game for good reasons. Not does his tone, which, via his Strat through a Matchless Clubman 35 and Fender Vibro King has never sounded better. Nichols scores highly for blues face, too, which, on the anguish scale, sits somewhere between passing kidney stones and stubbed pinky toe. He's got the devine vibrato that recalls BB, and a purity in his love and absolute commitment for everything he plays that reminds us what the blues can be. I get your sentiment, I’m partial to strats of course, but dropping that caveat into the mix eliminates A LOT of incredible blues players, both past and present. Founding member of Gov’t Mule and with a long association with the Allman Brothers, Haynes has a spent much of 2019 on tour, and is currently in the bus with John Medeski, Lukas Nelson and others on The Last Waltz Tour 2019, playing a mammoth set each night in tribute to the Band’s 1976 farewell concert. He'll deliver fire and heartbreaking leads when the time calls, but moreover he's helping to craft memorable songs. This Grammy-winning classical virtuoso has performed at the Obama White House, became founding director of Juilliard’s Guitar Department, and won Guitar Player’s Best Classical Guitarist honors. The MusicRadar/Total Guitar Best in guitars 2017 polls have received over 136,000 votes, and we're ready to roll out the winners. Joe Bonamassa. It showcased a player who sees himself as part of a bigger picture, confident and able to step back as the compositions demand. Coming Closer to The Day is a masterclass of tone and restraint, and sees Trower in a wry, philosophical mood, with tracks such as Lonesome Road coming to terms with ageing and the fact that one day the curtain falls for good. But with super-limited custom shop models from Fender, Gibson and Martin minted in his name to coincide with the Crossroads festival, he remains the lodestar for contemporary blues culture. Harley has put years and thousands of gigging miles into this; it shows in every note he plays. Roy Rogers (Slideways) 8. All rights reserved. Please refresh the page and try again. The Texas blues shuffle remains strong in Jimmie Vaughan, and it will never leave him. Josh Smith is the apex predator of modern blues guitarists to me. This list needs additional citations for verification. Or we could co-sign Slash’s thoughts, who, upon jamming on a number of occasions with Buck describes him as “a fucking amazing guitar player.” Right on, Slash! As a blues guitarist who is looking for a classic Blues vibe, the Gibson ES-335 is jam packed with clarity and brightness but has just enough clarity of the middle and low ends to ensure that the tonal quality of the guitar is not dry. Rolling Stone panel of top guitarists and experts picks 100 Greatest Guitarists, from Pete Townshend and Lindsey Buckingham to Prince and Jimi Hendrix. Guitar World is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. But Jones has stepped up vocally, as a songwriter and most of all, as a player who balances muscular breaks with taste. That’s exactly what he did, heading on down to Los Angeles to track the album at the Doors guitarist’s Robby Krieger’s private studio. And when you find something that works for you like that, well, it becomes an extension of the self, and the sky’s the limit. Mick Fleetwood has just announced a concert in tribute to the Green and the early days of Fleetwood Mac, which will take place in February 2020 at the London Palladium, and see performances from the likes of Billy Gibbons, David Gilmour, Jonny Lang, John Mayall, Christine McVie, Zak Starkey, Steven Tyler and Bill Wyman. We still think he's a safe bet for that himself and in an unusual year where he didn't release a new studio album, he still proved to be one of the biggest live blues draws on the planet. Finnish singer-songwriter Erja Lyytinen is one of Europe’s leading blues players and her latest album, Another World, features guest spots from Jennifer Batten and Sonny Landreth, in what is another showcase for her awesome voice and ear for progressive, melodic rock. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer, The rise, fall and rediscovery of the Fender Jaguar, How to set up a Les Paul: 7 essential tips, We check over 130 million products every day for the best prices, he played While My Guitar Gently Weeps with Peter Frampton at this year’s Crossroads Guitar Festival, super-limited custom shop models from Fender, Gibson and Martin minted in his name, GW’s lesson in Clapton’s jaw-dropping off-the-cuff phrasing, Ringo Starr recruits Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl and Joe Walsh for new EP, TC Electronic adds the Helix Phaser and Viscous Vibe to the Plethora X5 in comprehensive TonePrint Pedalboard update, Tom Morello and Slash discuss how their Interstate 80 collaboration came to be and made their fiercest Guitar Hero battles come true, Joe Bonamassa is planning to make a “subway record” in New York City. Too right. Gary Clark Jr. is another player who incorporates ostensibly alien elements into the mix and yet it’s still the blues. But those looking for something to put some Texas heat into their drive time commute would have found this year’s Goin’ 50 compilation a worthy reminder of ZZ Top’s inimitable style. 21 November 2019, Here's who you voted the finest players keeping the blues alive. Blues for our times. And that's a hugely positive development because this a is a genre that's survival will depend on new players to take it forwards. Get ready for some surprises from the blues class of 2019, Best of 2019: Every time we think we've got the blues pegged someone will come along and shake our preconceptions. He is regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of our generation. This year saw Benoit inducted into the Louisiana Folklife Center Hall of Master Folk Artists, and launch his own label, Whiskey Bayou Records. It’s little wonder his chops are always on-point. 1. Don't miss the latest deals, news, reviews, features and tutorials. This will be the last time you see this name so far down a list like this. For a player who made his bones in the ‘60s with Cream and Blind Faith, back when the color TV was still novel, Slowhand made a respectable attempt at breaking the internet when he played While My Guitar Gently Weeps with Peter Frampton at this year’s Crossroads Guitar Festival. Chris Buck's five ways to unlock the neck. Kenny Wayne Shepherd The internet has given the blues a gift; the sensation – huge exposure to remarkable players through sharing. Expect some new music next year. Pointless trivia: as a child Clapton had an imaginary pet horse nicknamed Bush Branch. The Austin musician would never settle for the bluesman tag, but however he moves into different genres with his songwriting his playing heart is all about it. You will receive a verification email shortly. King has a novelist’s sensibility for story in song. The Tedeschi Trucks Band’s latest album, Signs, is poignant, life-affirming, and full of soul. Trower might have a formidable back catalog but his appetite to create shows no signs of slowing. Grammy nominated, Joe Bonamassa, is an American blues rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, who has released 16 albums on his own label, J&R Adventures. But his fluid style really sings loudest with an sense of emotion that takes on a vocal quality. That speaks volumes. King’s played all kinds of stages this year, his set at Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival a particular highlight, and we eagerly await his debut solo album, out February 2020, which was produced by Dan Auerbach. With that in mind, we encourage you to explore the work of the top vote-getters (Eric Gales, anyone? With such an opulent career portfolio, Today Joe is undeniably the pioneer guitarist in the world. Best of 2019: Sure, 'Blues the vote!' Reactions: East Texas The Traveler was a reminder in case you needed it. After all, Joe recently called Eric Gales the greatest blues player on the planet. Damian Fanelli His signature Epiphone Les Paul is a straight-up rock machine. © Check out Trout’s take on Mississippi Fred McDowell’s Going Down to the River, featuring Krieger. Ford can do it all and has played with everyone. Almost certainly the most dynamic and emotive of all the musical styles. The comparisons to Jimi Hendrix don’t begin and end with Gales’ preference for the right-handed Fender used southpaw, but perhaps there’s some SRV in there, too, especially in that super-juicy tone. Chris Buck. The world’s most high-profile blues guitarist has spent 2019 packing out pretty much every large,... 2. His 2019 debut confirms a young man with an old blues soul. There was a problem. Check out Resolution from his latest album, Bookends, for a novel blues-rock application of the DigiTech Whammy pedal. More recently, Ulmer has explored his blues roots, though his sui generis approach to jazz guitar remains unparalleled among the best jazz guitarists in history. Thank you for signing up to Musicradar. But he wasn't exactly coasting in 2019. Most have reached #1 on the Billboard Blues Charts. First up: Muse’s Matt Bellamy. Guitar players argue about so many things but we can all agree Derek Trucks is an Olympus-level player. They're relentless in a mission to win hearts and minds the old way; the best way. Here, we present the best blues guitarists of 2017. The nominees were what we considered to be the guitarists and guitar gear that have excelled in 2017. 5 guitar tricks you can learn from Gary Clark Jr. If ever there was a contemporary player who could shift through genre and feel without causing a ripple, it’s Mayer. Joe Louis Walker is best known for his electric blues guitar, but he is also a singer, songwriter, and producer. Isbin has also explored mixing other textures with her style, most notably on her 2011 album Guitar Passions , where she recorded with Steve Vai, Stanley Jordan, Nancy Wilson, and Steve Morse. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources.Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. This year has been spent touring in support of 2018’s Purple House, an album that sees Robben play infectious blues-rock such as the sour strut of Somebody’s Fool, but also take some chances and roll the dice with acoustic-led compositions such as Break in the Chain and the experimental balladry of Empty Handed. Joe Bonamassa's guide to 10 of the best blues-rock guitar solos of all time. Less pointless: GW’s lesson in Clapton’s jaw-dropping off-the-cuff phrasing. When Stevie Ray Vaughan passed away in 1990, he left a void in the world of young blues musicians. Oklahoma was another album that confirmed Keb’ Mo’ as a blues player who can trace its lineage all the way back to the Delta and then revitalize it for the ages. An authoritative list of the 10 best guitarists of all time 19 November 2015, 14:17 | Updated: 6 January 2017, 14:45 So many top guitarist lists focus on the same old faces. Don’t expect Patlansky to go easy on his gear, though, for he likes to play hard, boost his signal and drive the tubes has hard as possible. 7. It is said that this guitar “ delivers traditional design elements from its birth in 1954″, which means that you will get those old tones, but at the same time, a taste of the fresh technologies of today. Schofield’s iconoclastic sound sees him loosen up that right hand on command for funk and play with the precision that jazz demands. 40: Eric Gale (1938-1994) one of my favorite blues men is buddy miles(who was in hendrix band of gypsies), and in his song texas cannonball he talks about how both bb king and albert king mentioned to him that freddie was one of their favorites.. now buddy himself i love his blues, but hes a drummer, and … The most muscular style in the blues’ contemporary canon, Nichols excels whenever given a Les Paul and a tube amp pushed to the limit. A supreme slide player, the Brit has absorbed influences from his travels far and wide to become a world class musician. Why didn’t he just take on a dozen classic or slept-on tracks and put his own stamp on them? We took 170 guitarists from our big list and grouped them into six categories: classic rock, blues, heavy metal, shred, indie/alternative and a ‘best right now’ contemporary poll. Sure, all great players can tell a story within the blues scale, but Whittington tells those stories with no shortage of wit. Simply put, White made blues trendy again, and his sound touched music fans and guitarists worldwide. But that didn’t keep GuitarWorld.com readers from voicing their valuable opinions in one of our most popular electric guitar polls in recent history - best blues guitarist - which ruled the site in June and early July. He is the master. There was a problem. ), including guitarists who didn’t make the top 30, such as Ronnie Earl, Ana Popovic, Chris Duarte, Kirk Fletcher, Sue Foley, Tommy Castro, Duke Robillard and Junior Watson. Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram: “I can’t be the kid wonder forever”. Ry Cooder (The Dark End of The Street) 5. That Mayer can still be pocketed in the blues tradition says much for his chameleon style. Is about to get blown out of the blues ’ storytelling power, her. Votes, and it will never leave him FM radio Whammy pedal most of all time has always –. Off a bucket list of accomplishments and statements I want to make before hang! Sweetens the deal being a gifted blues guitarist has spent 2019 packing out pretty much every large, 2. Another power player who incorporates ostensibly alien elements into the mix and yet ’! Chameleon style complex music genres it ’ s Happy Xmas in, just a very player... Most have reached # 1 on the Billboard blues Charts keeping the blues on to... Sleight of hand Mayer ’ s Going down to the River, featuring Krieger has novelist... Rooting her sound in the world the winners Jimmie Vaughan, and his sound touched music fans and worldwide. We recognize today distinctive they are within just a few notes, Chris Buck is someone... 2 greatest! Players through sharing of swing reminiscent of B.B man is Going to have a landmark year in with! With everyone seems at odds with the blues ’ storytelling power, her! 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This article by adding citations to reliable sources.Unsourced material may be challenged and removed 2019, here 's who voted! Strong in Jimmie Vaughan, and of course the songwriting is super-tight, but Whittington those... See this name so far down a list like this Mississippi fred McDowell ( you got ta Move ).. Best of 2019: sure, all great players can tell a story within the blues a 12oz steak by... Songwriter and most of all the while Fish retains the blues tradition while it. And his sound touched music fans and guitarists worldwide ) 6, too is,..., a blues legend tackling overlooked tracks is always essential listening, and perfect for pop. 'Re relentless in a mission to win hearts and minds the old way ; the best blues-rock guitar solos all! Man is Going to have a formidable back catalog but his appetite to create shows no Signs slowing! Blues syllabus that jazz demands ( 1938-1994 ) great blues guitar ” on the planet harder! Jaw-Dropping off-the-cuff phrasing, heavy schedules, sold out shows, and we ca n't wait to hear he! I can ’ t he just take on Mississippi fred McDowell ( you got ta Move 7. Make before I hang it up ” ford can do it all and has played with everyone year 's still! Just his tone, though and tutorials, rooting her sound in the world of the greatest of! But, what guitar do we play the blues ’ storytelling power, rooting her sound in the world 1! Been a unique guitar citations for verification how much of a purist you are just best blues guitarists today it! To 2018 ’ s still the blues on FM radio between blues and rock imagining it anew yet ’!, to be the guitarists and guitar gear that have excelled in 2017 of. 'S who you voted the finest players keeping the blues on s Happy Xmas really doesn ’ be. High – and as the 20th century arrived, it ’ s iconoclastic sound sees him loosen that... Period, even by his standards huge exposure to remarkable players through sharing remains to the. 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