Music
Famous Guitarists from Northern California
List of famous guitarists born who were born in Northern California, listed alphabetically with photos when available. Many of these guitar players from Northern 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 Northern 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.
List includes Courtney Love, John Fogerty, more.
This list answers the questions, "What guitar players are from Northern California?" and "Who are famous Northern California guitarists?"- Dec. at 53 (1942-1995)
- Nationality: United States of America
- Birthplace: California, United States of America
- Guitars Played: Gibson SG, Gibson Les Paul, Fender Stratocaster
Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for his work as the lead guitarist and as a vocalist with the band the ...more - Age: 59
- Nationality: United States of America
- Birthplace: California, United States of America
Kirk Lee Hammett (born November 18, 1962) is an American musician who has been lead guitarist and a contributing songwriter for the heavy metal band Metallica since 1983. Before joining Metallica he ...more - Age: 57
- Nationality: United States of America
- Birthplace: California, United States of America
Courtney Michelle Love (born Courtney Michelle Harrison; July 9, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. A figure in the punk and grunge scenes of the 1990s, Love's career has spanned ...more - Age: 76
- Nationality: United States of America
- Birthplace: Berkeley, California, United States of America
John Cameron Fogerty (born May 28, 1945) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. Together with Doug Clifford, Stu Cook, and his brother Tom Fogerty, he founded the band Creedence Clearwater ...more - Age: 47
- Nationality: United States of America
- Birthplace: Dixon, California
Jerry Allan Horton is the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of Californian alternative rock band Papa Roach - Age: 72
- Nationality: United States of America
- Birthplace: Palo Alto, California, United States of America
Lindsey Adams Buckingham (born October 3, 1949) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and producer, best known as lead guitarist and one of the vocalists of the music group Fleetwood Mac from ...more - Age: 50
- Nationality: United States of America
- Birthplace: Oakland, California, United States of America
Billie Joe Armstrong (born February 17, 1972) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and actor. Armstrong serves as the lead vocalist, primary songwriter, and lead guitarist of ...more - Age: 68
- Nationality: United States of America
- Birthplace: California, United States of America
Nancy Lamoureaux Wilson (born March 16, 1954) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, producer, and film composer. She rose to fame alongside her older sister, singer Ann Wilson, as a guitarist ...more - Age: 74
- Nationality: United States of America
- Birthplace: San Francisco, California, USA
Robert Hall Weir ( WEER; born October 16, 1947) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member of the rock band Grateful Dead. After the Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995, Weir ...more - Age: 52
- Nationality: United States of America
- Birthplace: San Mateo, California, USA
Edward Michael Trucco (born June 22, 1970) is an American actor known for his role as Samuel T. Anders on the reimagined Battlestar Galactica and his recurring role as Nick Podarutti in How I Met ...more - Dec. at 45 (1943-1989)
- Nationality: United States of America
- Birthplace: Berkeley, California
John Cipollina (August 24, 1943 – May 29, 1989) 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. ...more - Age: 69
- Nationality: United States of America
- Birthplace: Berkeley, California
Grant Geissman (born April 13, 1953) is an American jazz guitarist and Emmy-nominated composer. He has recorded extensively for several labels since 1976 and played guitar on the theme for Monk and ...more - Age: 65
- Nationality: United States of America
- Birthplace: Berkeley, California, United States of America
Peter Lawrence Buck (born December 6, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter who is best known as co-founder and lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M. Throughout his career with ...more - Age: 56
- Nationality: United States of America
- Birthplace: Berkeley, California, USA
Timothy Ross Armstrong (born November 25, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, producer, and actor. He is best known as the singer/guitarist for the punk rock band Rancid and hip ...more - Dec. at 48 (1941-1990)
- Nationality: United States of America
- Birthplace: Berkeley, California
Thomas Richard Fogerty (November 9, 1941 – September 6, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist for Creedence Clearwater Revival. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock ...more - Age: 53
- Nationality: United States of America
- Birthplace: Berkeley, California, United States of America
Alexander Nathan Skolnick (born September 29, 1968) is an American musician who is best known as the lead guitarist in the thrash metal band Testament from 1983 to 1993, and again from 2005. He has ...more - Age: 72
- Nationality: United States of America
- Birthplace: USA, California, San Francisco
Joe Louis Walker, also known as JLW (born December 25, 1949) is an American musician, best known as an electric blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer. His knowledge of blues history is ...more - Age: 53
- Nationality: United States of America
- Birthplace: Berkeley, California
Jesse Michaels is a songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, artist, and author from Berkeley, California. He is the son of the author Leonard Michaels and was married to producer Audrey Marrs. His lyrics ...more 
Dec. at 56 (1934-1991)- Nationality: United States of America
- Birthplace: USA, California, San Francisco
Donald David Guard (October 19, 1934 – March 22, 1991) was an American folk singer, songwriter, arranger and recording artist. Along with Nick Reynolds and Bob Shane, he was one of the founding ...more- Age: 49
- Nationality: United States of America
- Birthplace: USA, San Leandro, California
David Randall Silveria (born September 21, 1972) is an American drummer, best known as the drummer for the band Korn from 1993 until leaving the band in 2006. He then became the drummer for INFINIKA, ...more - Age: 66
- Nationality: United States of America
- Birthplace: California
Marc Bonilla is an American guitarist and composer. He has worked with Keith Emerson (including on 1995's Changing States and in 2006-2016 was featured in the Keith Emerson Band), Ronnie Montrose, ...more - Age: 61
- Nationality: United States of America
- Birthplace: California
David A. Immerglück (born May 3, 1961) is an American multi-instrumentalist who is best known as a guitarist in the alternative rock bands Counting Crows, Camper Van Beethoven and the Monks of Doom, ...more - Age: 56
- Nationality: United States of America
- Birthplace: USA, California, Sacramento
Aaron Abeyta (born August 8, 1965), better known as El Hefe or simply Hefe, from el Jefe (Spanish for "the boss") is the lead guitarist and trumpet player for the California punk band NOFX. He ...more - Dec. at 64 (1947-2012)
- Nationality: United States of America
- Birthplace: California, United States of America
Ronald Douglas Montrose (November 29, 1947 – March 3, 2012) was an American rock guitarist, who led the bands Montrose (1973-77 & 1987) and Gamma (1979-83 & 2000) and also performed and did session ...more - Age: 52
- Nationality: United States of America
- Birthplace: Richmond, California, United States of America
Jason Eli Becker (born July 22, 1969) is an American musician, songwriter and composer. At the age of 16, he became part of the Shrapnel Records-produced duo Cacophony with his friend Marty Friedman. ...more
