In 2021, he’d been inspired to develop his chops after witnessing an unnamed supremo use the expansive technique during a gig in Texas. That anonymous virtuoso was again referenced by May in , and though he was never explicitly identified by the Queen guitarist, sources suggested that mystery virtuoso was Rocky Athas. A Texan native, Athas cut his teeth jamming with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Johnson, and was reportedly admired by the likes of Billy Gibbons and the late Dimebag Darrell.
Well, it turns out it Athas who inspired May to two-hand tap – and Athas recalled the exact moment it happened in an upcoming interview with . “When published the Brian May interview that mentioned it last year, my phone blew up!” Athas says of May's initial revelation. “My friends.
.. They all knew it was me.
” By the time Queen went to Dallas during their tour with Thin Lizzy in 1977, Athas and his band, Lightning, had already developed a reputation as one of the city’s hottest acts “for putting on an amazing live show”. Lightning – who opened for The Kinks, Ritchie Blackmore, Alice Cooper and countless others – pulled out all the stops for their shows. Apparently, the drummer would do backflips at the end of the gig.
It was under these energetic circumstances that May witnessed the playing of Athas, who was evidently intent on bringing some six-string showmanship of his own to the table. That came in the form of two-hand tapping. “The word was out, and we were happy t.