Artist Junior Brown

At 59, Junior Brown is definitely no junior, especially when it comes to strumming the guitar and producing country music. His Hendrix-goes-honky-tonk down-home guitar heroics may seem like a gimmick at first, but after listening to his incredibly fluid playing, it’s hard to doubt his sincerity, and he’s a hit with everyone from punks to country purists. Look out for Big Red, Brown’s customized “guit-steel” guitar, which combines a standard axe with a steel guitar.

Updated 02/21/2012