Vernon Ice Black is one of his generation’s great session guitar players. Even if you don’t recognize the name, you’ll recognize his work. Anyone who has been near a radio in the past 30 years will.

For some 13 years, Black was a first-call guitarist for Mariah Carey. He has played with Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan and Herbie Hancock, and also served as musical director for the Spice Girls, which is a rare thing for a guitarist – the MD is a role typically given to keys players.