The era of the modern electric guitarist started about four decades ago, when players like Clapton and Hendrix began running their Gibsons and Fenders through stacks of Marshall amplifiers, creating a whole new sonic range with endless possibilities.

One of the innovators in that regard flourished in San Francisco, during an era people tend to remember for the flowers and tie-dyes. But Quicksilver Messenger Service played harder-edged music than many of the other Frisco bands, and lead guitarist John Cipollina (1943-89) drove that sound.

Cipollina was ahead of the curve in the electric guitar's formative years of the '50s. He used to say that while his friends were busy working on their hot rods, he was customizing his axes, looking for new sounds.

He helped form Quicksilver in the mid-'60s, and you can see the band in its original incarnation perform in the boxed-set DVD of the Monterey Pop Festival. The high point for him and the band came on their second album, "Happy Trails," which features extended jams with plenty of opportunity for Cipollina and second guitarist Gary Duncan to flash their chops.

Quicksilver kind of stagnated after that, though. Cipollina hung in there for a while, then joined a pretty good bar band called Copperhead. From there, his resume included partnering with former Electric Flag singer Nick Gravenites; guesting with Man, an interesting Welsh band that often drew comparisons to Quicksilver; and playing with San Francisco-based Zero, which also featured a talented young guitarist named Steve Kimock (more about him later).