“On a couple of gigs we had Eddie Van Halen playing with us. He said, ‘I can't play on that!’ I said, ‘Yes, you can!’” Albert Lee is the legendary British picker who found his home in country music – and made guitar heroes quake in their boots

Albert Lee performs during Titan of Twang: A Celebration of Duane Eddy at the Grand Ole Opry House on April 13, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.

He’s the country boy who was raised in London: one of the most respected pickers on the planet – admired from LA to Nashville – and a man who counts just about every guitar hero among his fans, with Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and Eddie Van Halen among them.

He’s met and jammed with George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. And yet, back in his hometown, he can wander down the street unrecognised. It’d be tempting to say this was unjust, but in some ways, we think this is just how Albert Lee likes it. If you know, you know.