Jerry Cantrell recently reflected on his early friendship with Dimebag Darrell and how the Pantera guitarist’s exceptional talent was evident from their first meeting. He shared his memories in an interview with Gibson TV.
The Alice in Chains guitarist recalled meeting Dimebag and Vinnie Paul at a Houston club in 1985. He described how he was immediately struck by Dimebag’s “otherworldly” guitar abilities.
“We would work all day and we just spend all night in the club, you know, like we would just watch bands and you know, we worked about half the year in Dallas and half the year in Houston,” Cantrell said. “And there was a there was a few few rock clubs in Dallas that we used to hang out at, but the one that we went to the most was I believe a club called Matley’s Phase 2 and we’d see go watch rock bands.”
He continued describing the Houston club scene where he first encountered Pantera.
“And then Houston there was a smaller club called Cardies and I loved that place cuz they had great acts coming through there. I saw I saw so many great bands. I saw Yngwie Malmsteen. God, it was awesome in a little club, you know, and I would just go there every night and just like soak it up, you know? I saw Pantera roll through there when they still had Terry before Phil was in the band. That’s how I met Dime and Vinnie, you know, in ‘ 85 at that club,” he said.
Cantrell emphasized what made Dimebag special as a musician and person.
“And I’m a fan of of anybody who is a master of their master of their instrument, but I’m more a fan of people who are who are just in touch with who just have an innate thing that is just unlike anybody else. And Dime is one of those guys, you know, and man, I hit it off with him and Vinnie like right away. And I remember after that show like going up to him and introducing myself and asking him about his amps and his tone cuz he was just like otherworldly, you know, and he’s a huge Van Halen fan and you could tell that by his playing, you know, but he was also into heavier sh*t too. And that’s why you got the kind of kind of blend of what Dime was. But there’s really nobody like him,” Cantrell explained.
The guitarist recalled how young both he and Dimebag were at the time. Dimebag’s reputation was already well-established.
“And I remember, you know, what was I was like, you know, 18, you know, so he we were the same age. We were born the same year. So he’s like 18, you know, 19 years old or whatever when I saw him when we met in that club in Houston. And you know, I was a fan from that performance. But I started hearing about you know, these guitar contests that he used to that he would enter every year in Texas. And he was like the best guitarist for the six years running or whatever when it came to like kind of rock or whatever,” he said.
Cantrell concluded by reflecting on Dimebag’s character and their lasting friendship.
“And this, you know, it’s obvious, you know, he was he was a badass. And I think from I think early on, you know, he just had talent, man. He had another worldly thing and he was just a great dude, you know, he was just a really good guy. He’s one of my best friends in this life of, you know, pirate ship rock and roll,” Cantrell said.
Cantrell’s recollections highlight the remarkable trajectory of a guitarist who was already making waves in the Texas music scene as a teenager. This was long before Pantera achieved global recognition.
Wikipedia revealed that Dimebag Darrell was born into a musical family as the son of country music producer Jerry Abbott. This provided him with early exposure to the music industry. This background helped shape his understanding of music production and performance from a young age.
Last.fm documented that he took up guitar when he was in his early teens. He quickly demonstrated exceptional talent by winning a series of local guitar competitions. These victories established his reputation in the Texas music scene and earned him his first Dean guitar. This guitar would become synonymous with his signature sound.
The timeline of Dimebag’s early career aligns perfectly with Cantrell’s memories. Wikipedia noted that Pantera had already released their glam metal debut album “Metal Magic” in 1983 when Dimebag was just 16 years old. This demonstrated his professional-level abilities at a remarkably young age.
By the time Cantrell encountered him in 1985, Dimebag had already established himself as a formidable guitarist through consistent victories in Texas guitar competitions. Last.fm confirmed that these competitions were where he first gained recognition for his technical prowess and unique style. This set the foundation for what would become one of metal’s most influential guitar careers.
