The Greatest Guitarists Of All Time By reggiecollins  [1 more lists]

He was an esteemed member of The Yardbirds, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, Derek & The Dominos, AND he's had a decades-long solo career. Through all of that, EC is never better, in my estimation, than when he's simply playing the blues--and that he does in spades during his guest spot at The Band's Last Waltz concert. DAMN. (The Band's Robbie Robertson nails it in this clip, too.)

The man from Downey, CA, would have fit right into Memphis, TN--and in the Sun studios, no less. Speaking selfishly, I'm glad that he exists during my era so that I can witness his brilliance in real time. This all-too-brief clip features Dave's original band, The Blasters, fronted by his amazing brother, Phil, performing their signature tune, "Marie Marie"--penned by Dave Alvin, who also happens to be one of the greatest songwriters of the last 30 years.

The genius of The Who ain't about leads (although he's perfectly capable on those rare occasions when he chooses rattle one off), he's about riffs. Windmill riffs. In this clip, Townshend & Co. are so on fire that they make it sound as if an admittedly overexposed track was recorded yesterday. AND it turned out to be their last-ever concert with drummer Keith Moon, who OD'd four months later. Rock 'n' roll ecstasy.

Swing king Benny Goodman led the first-ever racially integrated jazz band--during an era in which that was a HUGE deal--featuring African American greats Lionel Hampton & Charlie Christian. And Mr. Christian was the first electric guitar player of consequence, playing dazzling solos that paved the way for rock 'n' roll, bringing that previously neglected instrument to the forefront as opposed to it being a relatively minor player in the rhythm section. On his nights off from playing in Goodman's band, Christian was known to head to Minton's, a fabled Harlem jazz club, and jam. Minton's regulars also included Dizzy Gillespie & Thelonious Monk. Christian was given the chance to stretch out as a player (as you can hear on this clip), and he became a major influence on the emerging bebop genre. He died in 1942 at the age of 25. R.I.P.

The Staple Singers were bursting at the seams with talent. Most of us know that Mavis Staples can tear the roof off of any sucka with her volcanic, glorious pipes. However, the daddy of the group could not only sing, but play some fierce tremolo guitar, adding a welcome Mississippi blues flavor to all of that church-driven passion. Badass with a smile. R.I.P.

A stereotype-bustin', full-throated, guitar-slingin' mama jama who was equal parts church lady diva and juke joint goddess. Perhaps the most overlooked guitar hero ever? Click "play" and judge for yourself. (The guitar magic begins at 1:25 into the clip.) Must be seen to be believed. R.I.P.

His countrified pickin' has backed up the likes of Elvis Presley & Rick Nelson, among others. In this fiery 1987 clip, James provides ample support for the legendary Roy Orbison. Even though he shares the stage with Roy and a host of other luminaries--including Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, Jackson Browne, etc.--it was arguably James Burton who was the true star of this performance, especially when he takes it over at 2:40. The epitome of a musician's musician. (My favorite part of the clip is when Burton & Springsteen, the latter of whom is a HUGELY underrated lead guitarist, start dueling on their respective axes.)

The great Howlin' Wolf laid down some of the best and most primal blues EVER. Not only did the Wolf possess that inimitable voice, but he also had a backing band that all of those British dudes would have KILLED to sound like, featuring the brilliant guitarist Hubert Sumlin. You may have never heard of him, but many of your axe-slinging idols have. Trust me.

San Pedro's finest, the Minutemen, kept it short and sweet, with brilliant punk/funk/jazz blasts that rarely lasted over 2 minutes. "We jam econo" was their credo, and their late singer/guitarist D. Boon could pack more into a 15-second solo than most axe-slingers could accomplish in 15 minutes. This clip is a rare treat, with the trio tearin' the roof off, unplugged. R.I.P.

Tasteful--a word that describes the Quiet One, both as a human being AND a guitar player. He was not one to play extended, flashy improvised solos. He WAS one to play lead guitar for the f**kin' Beatles. As time went on, his chops got better and better on all counts--as a guitarist, a singer, and a songwriter. And he was deep, too. R.I.P.

He never sought the spotlight, but those amazing '50s-era Gene Vincent 45's rocked that much harder because Cliff Gallup's astonishing fret work sparked the metaphorical fire that heated the grooves of those records to a boiling point. Quite simply, these were the best rockabilly sides NOT recorded at Memphis's Sun studios.

Everyone knows that the brutha could sing, write, and produce. His estimable skills on the axe aren't nearly as well known 'cuz he never played them up. No showboatin' solos, but plenty o' chicken scratches, wah-wah, and funk. R.I.P.

In a genre better known for its intricate vocals, '50s-era R&B's The "5" Royales had an additional trick up their collective sleeve: the wickedly stinging fret work of Lowman Pauling. The sax guy usually got the solos, but Pauling was all over the fills and/or the breaks, adding an unexpected, but thrilling edge to one of the most criminally underrated groups of all time. Lowman was also quite an accomplished songwriter, penning "Think" (later a bigger hit for James Brown), "Tell The Truth" (later a bigger hit for Ray Charles), and "Dedicated To The One I Love" (later a bigger hit for The Shirelles and The Mamas & The Papas). The "5" Royales were there first. And they rocked with the best of 'em.

After doing time with Ronnie Hawkins, but before evolving into The Band, The Hawks met a skinny kid from Minnesota who was on the verge of adding a huge volt of electricity to his music. His name was Bob Dylan. A lot of the folkies didn't dig it, but, thankfully, Dylan didn't give a F**K. Robbie Robertson's jagged guitar break in this stellar 1966 live performance is rock 'n' roll bliss. When The Band became a glorious entity unto themselves, Robertson's awesome rhythm and lead guitar playing would do the same for them on top of his becoming the group's primary songwriter.

Bass was his primary instrument, but he was responsible for some of The Beatles' most memorable lead guitar parts, such as "Ticket To Ride," "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "Good Morning Good Morning," "Back In The U.S.S.R.," and this one (if you play the clip)..."Taxman." (Macca is playing the KILLER bass line here as well.) 'Nuff said.

As a guitarist, he was overshadowed by bandmates George Harrison and Paul McCartney, but an argument can be made that what John Lennon lacked in polish, he more than made up for in style. When asked by Rolling Stone magazine about his own guitar playing ability in 1970, Lennon said: ""I'm okay. I'm not technically good, but I can make it f**king howl and move. I was rhythm guitarist. It's an important job. I can make a band drive."" He was way more than okay. On one of my all-time favorite Beatles tracks, ""Rain,"" John's and George's guitars interlock in a perfect rock 'n' roll tapestry. R.I.P.

I love the more mainstream Parliament/Funkadelic records that came later, but my absolute favorite George Clinton music is early Funkadelic--funky guitar-driven freak-outs by some bruthas whose soul had been psychedelicized. And Eddie Hazel--a guitar god who had obviously absorbed A LOT of Hendrix--was one of the group's most essential ingredients. For ""Maggot Brain"" (as heard on the attached clip), Clinton allegedly told Hazel to play as if he had heard that his mama just died. R&B guitarists weren't doing s**t like this in 1971. Prince, who turned 13 that year, was obviously taking notes. R.I.P.

Scotty was Elvis Presley's first lead guitar player and--with all due respect to James Burton, who came later--my personal favorite. That's 'cuz Scotty's Southern-fried country pickin', a dazzling counterpart to Elvis' Southern-fried bluesy singin', graces (in my opinion) the majority of Presley's best recordings.

Creedence Clearwater Revival hailed from El Cerritos, CA, but their music--and the inimitable guitar licks of group leader John Fogerty--sounded like they sprang up from a Mississippi swamp. Like The Band, they passed on the flower power and psychedelia of the late '60s, and stuck to their blues and country roots. And, as far as I'm concerned, any case to be made for Fogerty's considerable axe prowess begins with "Ramble Tamble," as heard on the attached clip. Check it.

Neil's been around forever in more incarnations that one can count (Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, his work with Crazy Horse, The Stray Gators, solo, etc.), so it's tempting to take him for granted. His estimable axe skills are far from polished, but his oft-dissonant style is summed up best with one of his own album titles--ragged glory.

The Boss doesn't play a whole lot of lead guitar, so his name doesn't often come up when one thinks "guitar hero." When he DOES step forward to do a little shreddin', however, he's just about as good as anyone else. Not genius level a la Hendrix, but he certainly more than holds his own, as he does in this heart-stopping 1978 concert clip.

If level of influence were commiserate with level of wealth, Chuck Berry would be ten times richer than Bill Gates. To say that 99% of the guitarists on this list would not exist without him is an exercise in understatement. John Lennon said it best: "If rock 'n' roll had another name, it would be called 'Chuck Berry.'"

Fleetwood Mac is not one of my all-time favorite groups, but, during the mid-to-late '70s, they were a REALLY good pop-oriented rock band. While Stevie Nicks was doing her intriguing gypsy waif thang, and Christine McVie was writing radio-friendly MOR, Lindsey Buckingham was contributing eccentric, unpredictable pop fare--and the dude's astonishing finger-pickin' virtuosity is criminally underrated.

Who would'a thought that a guy whose axe vocabulary rarely extended beyond simple barre chords cranked to 11 would land on anyone's guitar hero list? With punk rock, it ain't about chops, it's about attitude. I wasn't crazy about Johnny's right wing politics, but neither were the other Ramones. Hey, it was a fair trade for changing my life.

X ruled the L.A. punk scene during the early '80s. The literate lyrics and dissonant harmonies of John Doe & Exene Cervenka were juxtaposed with the rockabilly-on-speed guitar thrashing of perpetually smilin' pretty boy Billy Zoom. This clip features one of my favorite X songs performed by the band more than 25 years its original 1981 release. Billy's baby face has inevitably aged, but his inimitable punk/rockabilly-style of guitar playing is ageless.

T-Bone was one of the first important electric guitarists to use his instrument to play fluid single-note leads as opposed to rhythmic chords. The impact of that concept on blues and rock 'n' roll was incalculable. A young B.B. King took up the electric guitar, a young Chuck Berry rethought his axe technique, and a young Jimi Hendrix started to play the instrument with his teeth--all because of T-Bone Walker. And, trust me, the British guitar gods worship at his altar. No T-Bone, no rock 'n' roll as we know it. R.I.P.

The Rolling Stones have always been more about the gloriously imperfect guitar weaving between Keith Richards and Brian Jones or Ron Wood than virtuosic soloing. Mick Taylor, the Stones' OTHER guitarist from 1969 to 1974, was the exception. Case in point, his killer slide work on Robert Johnson's "Love In Vain" (featured in this live clip from the '69 tour) is soulful enough to make a grown man cry.

According to several highly placed sources, he was a royal pain in the ass, but he was also the original leader of The Rolling Stones. Even though his self-destructive habits doomed him to an early grave, his contributions to early Stones records were undeniable--like his slide guitar licks on their cover of "Little Red Rooster," mimed here on the attached clip from a 1964 UK TV show.