Musicians Famous Guitarists from California

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List of famous guitarists born who were born in California, listed alphabetically with photos when available. Many of these guitar players from California are legends in the music world, each with their own innovative styles of play. If you play guitar, whether acoustic or electric, then these famous California guitar players should be people you look up to. These are some of the best guitarists that have ever picked up the instrument, and whether they play rock, blues, metal or folk, these men and women are considered legends.

Examples of items on this list include Katy Perry and Courtney Love.

This list answers the questions, "What guitar players are from California?" and "Who are famous California guitarists?"

1
Randy Rhoads is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
Dec. at 26 (1956-1982) Randall William "Randy" Rhoads was an American heavy metal guitarist who played with Ozzy Osbourne. A devoted student of classical guitar, Rhoads combined his classical music ...more

2
Katy Perry is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 34 Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, better known by her stage name Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter and occasional actress. She had limited exposure to secular music during her childhood and ...more

3
Cliff Burton is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
Dec. at 24 (1962-1986) Clifford Lee Burton was an American musician, best known as the bass guitarist for the American thrash metal band Metallica. Burton joined Metallica in 1982 and performed on the band's first ...more

4
Jerry Garcia is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
Dec. at 53 (1942-1995) Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician who was best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting, which came to prominence during the counterculture era. Though ...more

5
Dave Mustaine is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 57 David Scott "Dave" Mustaine is an American musician. He was the original lead guitarist for the American heavy metal band Metallica and is the co-founder, rhythm and lead guitarist, ...more

6
Bonnie Raitt is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 69 Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, ...more

7
James Hetfield is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 55 James Alan Hetfield is the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, main songwriter, and lyricist for the American heavy metal band Metallica. Hetfield is mainly known for his rhythm ...more

8
Kirk Hammett is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 56 Kirk Lee Hammett is the lead guitarist and a songwriter in the heavy metal band Metallica and has been a member of the band since 1983. Before joining Metallica he formed and named the band ...more

9
Zacky Vengeance is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 37 Zachary James Baker, better known by his stage name Zacky Vengeance, is an American musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist, and founding member for the American heavy ...more

10
Merle Haggard is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 81 Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country and Western song writer, singer, guitarist, fiddler, and instrumentalist. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the ...more

11
Courtney Love is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 54 Courtney Michelle Love is an American alternative rock singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and visual artist. Prolific in the punk and grunge scenes of the 1990s as the frontwoman of Hole, ...more

12
Danny Elfman is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 65 Daniel Robert "Danny" Elfman is an American composer, record producer, and actor. He is known as the lead singer and songwriter for the rock band Oingo Boingo, from 1976 to 1995 and ...more

13
Beck Hansen is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 48 Beck Hansen, known by the stage name Beck, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his lo-fi, sonically experimental style, ...more

14
Albert Hammond, Jr. is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 38 Albert Louis Hammond, Jr. is an American musician and member of the indie rock band The Strokes, in which he plays the guitar, and the keyboard. His father, Albert Hammond, whose career was ...more

15
John Fogerty is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 73 John Cameron Fogerty is an American musician, songwriter, and guitarist, early in his career best known as the lead singer and lead guitarist for the band Creedence Clearwater Revival and later ...more

16
Jerry Horton is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 43 Jerry Allan Horton is the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of Californian alternative rock band Papa Roach

17
Allison Robertson is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 39 Allison Rae Robertson is the guitarist for rock bands The Donnas and Chelsea Girls.

18
Ed King is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 69 Edward C. King is an American musician. He is best known as the guitarist for the psychedelic rock band Strawberry Alarm Clock and the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd.

19
Synyster Gates is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 37 Brian Elwin Haner, Jr., better known by his stage name Synyster Gates or simply Syn, is an American musician, best known for being the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the band Avenged ...more

20
Tom Waits is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 69 Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. With this trademark growl, his incorporation of pre-rock music styles such as blues, jazz, and ...more

21
Robert Trujillo is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 54 Robert Agustin Trujillo is an American musician known for his role as the current bassist of American heavy metal band Metallica. He also was a member of crossover thrash metal band Suicidal ...more

22
Adam Levine is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 39 Adam Noah Levine is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actor. He is the lead vocalist for the Los Angeles pop rock band Maroon 5. Born and raised in Los Angeles, ...more

23
Tommy Castro is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 63 Tommy Castro is an American blues, R&B and rock guitarist and singer. He has been recording since the mid-1990s. His music has taken him from local stages to national and international ...more

24
Aly Michalka is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 29 Alyson Renae "Aly" Michalka is an American actress and recording artist. Michalka gained fame for playing the role of Keely Teslow in the Disney Channel original series Phil of the ...more

25
Lindsey Buckingham is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 69 Lindsey Adams Buckingham is an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known as guitarist and male vocalist of the musical group Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987, and 1997 to the present ...more

26
Colbie Caillat is listed (or ranked) 26 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 33 Colbie Marie Caillat is an American pop singer-songwriter and acoustic guitarist from Malibu, California. She debuted in 2007 with Coco, which included hit singles "Bubbly" and ...more

27
Billie Joe Armstrong is listed (or ranked) 27 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 46 Billie Joe Armstrong is an American singer, songwriter, musician, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and actor. He is best known as the lead vocalist, principal songwriter, and guitarist of the ...more

28
Nancy Wilson is listed (or ranked) 28 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 64 Nancy Lamoureaux Wilson is an American musician, singer, songwriter, actress, and producer. She and her older sister Ann are the core of the rock band Heart.

29
Jeff Buckley is listed (or ranked) 29 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
Dec. at 31 (1966-1997) Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley, raised as Scott "Scottie" Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. After a decade as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, ...more

30
Dave Navarro is listed (or ranked) 30 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 51 David Michael "Dave" Navarro is an American guitarist, singer-songwriter and actor. He is best known as a founding member of the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction, with whom he ...more

31
Buckethead is listed (or ranked) 31 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 49 Brian Patrick Carroll, better known by his stage name Buckethead, is an American guitarist and multi-instrumentalist who has worked within many genres of music. He has released 157 studio ...more

32
Bob Weir is listed (or ranked) 32 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 71 Bob Wier is an actor.

33
David Crosby is listed (or ranked) 33 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 77 David Van Cortlandt Crosby is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of three bands: The Byrds; Crosby, Stills & Nash; and ...more

34
Drake Bell is listed (or ranked) 34 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 32 Jared Drake Bell, is an American actor and singer-songwriter. He began his career as an actor in the early 1990s, with an appearance on Home Improvement. Bell also appeared in several ...more

35
Ry Cooder is listed (or ranked) 35 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 71 Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder is an American musician and composer. He is a multi-instrumentalist, but is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United ...more

36
Ben Harper is listed (or ranked) 36 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 49 Benjamin Chase "Ben" Harper is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae and rock music and is known for his ...more

37
Lee Ritenour is listed (or ranked) 37 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 66 Lee Mack Ritenour is an American jazz guitarist, session musician, and composer. Ritenour has contributed to over 3000 sessions, and has charted over 30 contemporary jazz hits since 1976.

38
Michael Trucco is listed (or ranked) 38 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 48 Edward Michael Trucco is an American actor known for his role as Samuel T. Anders on the reimagined Battlestar Galactica and as Justin Patrick on the USA Network television series Fairly Legal. ...more

39
David Lindley is listed (or ranked) 39 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 74 David Perry Lindley is an American musician who is notable for his work with Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, and other rock musicians. He has worked extensively in other genres as well, performing ...more

40
Dweezil Zappa is listed (or ranked) 40 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 49 Dweezil Zappa is an American rock guitarist and occasional actor. He is the son of musician Frank Zappa.

41
Bradley Nowell is listed (or ranked) 41 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
Dec. at 28 (1968-1996) Bradley James Nowell was an American musician who served as the founder, lead singer, and guitarist of the band Sublime. Raised in Long Beach, California, Nowell developed an interest in music ...more

42
John Cipollina is listed (or ranked) 42 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
Dec. at 46 (1943-1989) John Cipollina was a guitarist best known for his role as a founder and the lead guitarist of the prominent San Francisco rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service. After leaving Quicksilver he ...more

43
Ritchie Valens is listed (or ranked) 43 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
Dec. at 18 (1941-1959) Richard Steven Valenzuela, known professionally as Ritchie Valens, was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement. During ...more

44
Grant Geissman is listed (or ranked) 44 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 65 Grant Geissman is a crossover jazz, contemporary jazz and new-age guitarist and an Emmy-nominated composer for network TV series and TV movies. An in-demand studio musician, he has recorded ...more

45
Tim Armstrong is listed (or ranked) 45 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 53 Timothy Lockwood Armstrong, is an American musician, songwriter, and producer. He is best known as the singer/guitarist for the punk rock band Rancid and hip hop/punk rock supergroup the ...more

46
Peter Buck is listed (or ranked) 46 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 62 Peter Lawrence Buck is an American rock musician who is best known as co-founder and lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M. Throughout his career with R.E.M., as well as during his ...more

47
Jaycee Chan is listed (or ranked) 47 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 36 Jaycee Chan Jo-ming is an American-born Hong Kong actor and singer. In 2004, he released his first Mandarin CD album in Hong Kong. He was based in Taiwan to continue his music career. He is the ...more

48
Brandon Flowers is listed (or ranked) 48 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 37 Brandon Richard Flowers is an American musician, singer, songwriter and lyricist. He is a principal songwriter and lead singer of the Las Vegas-based rock band the Killers. Due to his prolific ...more

49
Creed Bratton is listed (or ranked) 49 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 75 Creed Bratton is an American actor, musician and former member of The Grass Roots. He is more recently known for playing a fictional version of himself on The Office on NBC.

50
Daron Malakian is listed (or ranked) 50 on the list Famous Guitarists from California
age 43 Daron Vartan Malakian is an Armenian–American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist, songwriter, and second vocalist of the rock band ...more