JUNIOR BROWN Picking, tapping, slapping, sliding and bending strings to his own will, Brown’s been taking country music back to its pre-pop ’50s and ’60s glory for a couple of decades. His instrument, the guit-steel, a funky device that he created, combines an electric guitar with a lap steel that can make the crowd sway or rock the house on a moment’s notice with a blend of Western swing, honky-tonk, Tex-Mex and rock. Rockabilly also invariably trickles into the fluid twang of his classic country foundation. (Samir Shukla)