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?"
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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
