Brian May explains why he was reluctant to share a solo with Billy Gibbons – and what changed his mind

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Steve Cropper's 2021 record, Fire It Up, may be a tough act to follow considering it was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Contemporary Blues Album category.

However, with Friendlytown, recently released under the moniker Steve Cropper and the Midnight Hour, Booker T. & the M.G.'s founding member managed to one-up himself, recruiting Billy Gibbons and Brian May for a proper guitar extravaganza.

The collaborative spirit extended to the solos, as the two guitar icons shared one on the track Too Much Stress.

“That was an interesting situation because Billy had already played half a solo. Jon [Tiven, the album's producer] said to me, ‘Can you play the other half?’” May tells Guitarist.

“I said, ‘Jon, look, can’t you give him a whole solo and me a whole solo?’ Jon said, ‘No, this is the way it’s going to be.’ I said, ‘Oh God, all right.’ But I listened and thought, ‘Actually, this probably does make sense.’”

May goes on to call Gibbons “the coolest guitar player on the planet”. Despite tending to play “very little,” his playing style resonated with May and perfectly complemented the Queen guitarist’s more flamboyant approach.

“He’s not showing off or trying to prove a point. He’s just playing from his heart – so I did the same thing,” May explains. “I took over where he left off and did my half of the solo, and it was a very rare thing.”

This solo nearly didn’t come to be, however. May initially passed on the project, telling Tiven he was dealing with “too much stress” – an encounter that ultimately inspired the song title.

For more from Steve Cropper, Brian May, and Billy Gibbons, plus new interviews with Martin Barre and Joe Perry, pick up issue 517 of Guitarist at Magazines Direct.