Sky Arts Announce “Greatest Guitar Riffs” Premieres 24 November

Turn up your amplifiers to eleven on the 24th, 25th, and 26th of November for the premiere of a new series on Sky Arts called Greatest Guitar Riffs. In this three-part documentary, Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, The Police’s Andy Summers, and Heart’s Nancy Wilson reveal the inner workings of some of rock’s most iconic riffs while taking viewers on an exhilarating journey that traces the guitar riff’s personal impact on each of their careers.

Episode One: Tony Iommi, guitarist for Black Sabbath, discusses the origins of heavy metal and the songs “Paranoid,” “War Pigs,” and “Iron Man,” among others. In addition, Queen’s Brian May joins him for a private performance.

Episode Two: Andy Summers, the legendary guitarist for The Police, looks back on his favourite riffs and explains how they helped make the band famous, including the opening bars of their Grammy-winning hit, Every Breath You Take. Andy also pays George Benson, one of the greatest jazz guitarists of all time, a visit.

Episode Three: Nancy Wilson of Heart takes us on a deeply personal tour of the songs and riffs that shaped her, drawing a line from Heart’s music to the grunge movement of the ’90s. She is accompanied by Mike McCready of Pearl Jam and Kim Thayil of Soundgarden.

George Benson, Dave Keuning (The Killers), Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi), Hank Marvin (The Shadows), and Orianthi (Michael Jackson/Alice Cooper) will all be joining the legendary trio onstage. Riffs from bands like Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Rage Against the Machine, and more will be performed by the group as a whole.

Phil Edgar-Jones, Director of Sky Arts and Entertainment, commissioned Greatest Guitar Riffs from Zai Bennett, Managing Director of Content for Sky UK and Ireland. Barbara Lee is Sky’s Commissioning Editor.

Somethin’ Else TV, a Sony Music Entertainment company, is responsible for producing the show. The show’s executive producer is Ian Sharpe.

Starting on November 24, 2023, Greatest Guitar Riffs will be broadcast on Sky Arts, Freeview, and NOW.