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The Greatest Guitarists Of All Time
JohnH- 1
Hard rock, Heavy metal, Folk rock More#2 on the ultimate list“ Page comes out on top with me for his combination of great versatility (he's an ex-session man, after all) and great influence. „ - 2
Rock music, Hard rock, Progressive rock More#1 on the ultimate list“ A sonic pioneer, Hendrix redefined the voice of the electric guitar. „ - 3
Rock music, Rhythm and blues, Rock and roll More#12 on the ultimate list“ He may not have been extraordinarily dexterous, but Chuck invented rock and roll guitar playing. „ - 4
Rock music, Hard rock, Heavy metal More#5 on the ultimate list“ While not my favorite style of playing, Eddie's guitar work was strikingly original, and (for better or worse) inspired thousands of metal bands. The last great rock guitar revolutionary. „ - 5
Rock music, Hard rock, Pop rock More#3 on the ultimate list“ The first true guitar hero. He invented the power trio and -- on occasion, as with Derek & The Dominoes -- can play with real soul. „ - 6
Rock music, Blues-rock, Rhythm and blues More#23 on the ultimate list“ Dave Davies may have invented the rock riff with "You Really Got Me," but Keef perfected it. His licks are the foundation of every great Stones song. „ - 7 Punk rock#645 on the ultimate list“ Punk guitar starts with Johnny Ramone. „
- 8 Alternative rock, Black metal, Experimental rock More“ As revolutionary as Hendrix or Van Halen (though far less influential as a player), Thurston Moore took the Velvet Underground's "noise can be beautiful" approach to its logical conclusion with weird tunings and effects. He seems to spend more time listening to his guitar than dictating to it. „
- 9 Classical music#61 on the ultimate list“ For decades, the gold standard in acoustic guitar playing. „
- 10 Jazz, Swing, Bebop More#1031 on the ultimate list“ The guy who wrote the book on electric jazz guitar. „
- 11 Chicago blues, Jump blues, Blues More#86 on the ultimate list“ The model for most electric blues guitarists that followed, from BB King, to Mike Bloomfield, to Stevie Ray Vaughan. And T-Bone could put on a show; he was playing his guitar behind his head when Hendrix was in diapers. „
- 12 Folk music, Alternative rock, Rock music More#1624 on the ultimate list“ Surely the greatest folk instrumentalist of all, though he can also dazzle on electric guitar. And one of the very few players who understands the role silence can play in music. „
- 13 Rock music, Hard rock, Progressive rock More#9 on the ultimate list“ Because he's less charismatic than his fellow Yardbirds axemen (and doesn't have quite the same ear for hit songs), Beck is less heralded than Page or Clapton -- but he sure can play. „
- 14 Alternative rock, Post-punk, Punk rock More#602 on the ultimate list“ As architect of The Smiths' music, Marr created the sonic blueprint for all U.K. indie, shoegaze and Brit-pop bands. „
- 15 Rock music, Hard rock, Rockabilly More#1601 on the ultimate list“ With all apologies to Dick Dale, Link was the most memorable guitarist from rock's pre-Beatles instrumental era -- and maybe the original psychobilly artist. „
- 16 Folk music, Rock music, Folk rock“ McGuinn is really only known for one sound -- but what a sound! As the Rickenbaker's greatest champion, he invented folk rock and created some of the most memorable music of the 1960s. „
- 17 Film score, Folk music, Rock music More#51 on the ultimate list“ For decades a leading exponent of world music, Cooder brings influences from all around the globe to his fretboard. „
- 18 Rhythm and blues, Blues#100 on the ultimate list“ Probably the most distinctive guitarist in blues history -- once you've heard Elmore's slide work, you'll never forget it. But other than the Rolling Stones (on a good night), few have dared follow him... „
- 19 Rock music, Jazz fusion, Blues-rock More#16 on the ultimate list“ The soul of Southern rock. „
- 20 “ It turns out the all-time greatest delta blues guitarist was a white guy born decades after Robert Johnson. „
- 21 Alternative rock, Rock music, Post-punk#1396 on the ultimate list“ His distinctive, clipped tone arrived at a time when rock guitar playing seemed sapped of inspiration. He's less significant to the success of U2 than Bono's singing/posturing, but without The Edge, they'd still be performing in Irish clubs. „
- 22 Rock music, Pop music, Experimental rock More#19 on the ultimate list“ For years this dark horse kept pace with The World's Greatest Rock Band, and then developed his own voice as a solo performer. If I were a bigger fan of that slide guitar sound, he'd rate higher. „
- 23 Rock music, Rockabilly, Country More#1618 on the ultimate list“ Maybe you don't care about Ricky Nelson records. But he was The King's choice for touring guitarist -- and the man who taught Jimmy Page how to play. „
- 24 Jazz, Roma music, Swing More#35 on the ultimate list“ YOU try playing this stuff minus a couple of fingers! „
- 25 Rock music, Pop music, Jazz More#10 on the ultimate list“ They name guitars after him for a reason... „
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The Greatest Guitarists Of All Time at 3/29/2011 2:46 PM
The Greatest Guitarists Of All Time at 3/26/2011 8:03 PM