“I started on guitar because I wanted to be in a band and meet girls. Richie wanted to be a guitar player, because he wanted to play guitar”: Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen come from different worlds, but it all comes back to the blues

Adrian Smith [left] and Richie Kotzen pose with an HSS S-style and Telecaster respectively.

In 2021, longtime Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith and nomadic virtuoso Richie Kotzen came together to form the aptly titled Smith/Kotzen, a blues-based duo showcasing the two veteran guitarists’ chops and vocals.

The self-titled record was a surprise hit, leading to further collaboration by way of album number two, Black Light/White Noise, the title of which reportedly has nothing to do with their idiosyncrasies, though Kotzen admits that “would be a really cool spin.”