The Top 50 Guitarists Of All Time

[CBI_2]

I came across this list from one of our local radio stations and thought the music fans here would find it interesting.

All notes are from them also.

50.Robbie Robertson
He's best known for his membership in The Band. From their first album, Music from Big Pink (1968), The Band was praised as one of rock music's preeminent groups.

49.Jerry Garcia
Here we have the quick nod to the jam bands. Jerry is usually ranked higher than 49, but I think that is based on name moreso than actual guitar talent. The same could be said of the next entry on the list...

48.Trey Anastasio
The driving force behind the band Phish. He is credited by name as composer of 152 Phish originals, 140 of them as a solo credit.

47.Angus Young
I know, I know, you are probably saying "How the heck is AC-DC's Angus Young only 47???"
Answer: Because there were other people doing what he did... better... at the same time.

46.Robby Krieger
He was the guitarist in The Doors, and wrote some of the band's best known songs, including "Light My Fire", "Love Me Two Times", "Touch Me" and "Love Her Madly".

45.Elmore James
He was known as The King of the Slide Guitar and had a unique guitar style, noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice. He also was an immeasurable influence on future guitarists

44.Tim Reynolds
He has had most of his commercial success doing live concerts with Dave Matthews. Reynolds is known for his quick acoustic work, tremolo picking, and sharp rhythms. Look for his song "Stream". It's ridiculous!

43.Joni Mitchell
Yes, I was able to get a woman on the list. And this was no freebie, she actually influenced a lot of later music.
Not to mention all of the music she made herself.

42.Tony Iommi
He is the only person to have remained in Black Sabbath throughout the band's entire lifespan. Rumor is, he is the creator of the infamous index and pinky finger salute that was popular at their concerts.

41.Pete Townshend
Townshend made his name as the guitarist and principal songwriter for rock band The Who, which grew to be considered one of the greatest and most influential rock bands of all time.

40.John Frusciante
He is best known as the guitarist of the alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he has recorded five studio albums. Frusciante also maintains an active solo career, having released nine albums.

39.Joe Perry
He's the lead guitarist and contributing songwriter for Aerosmith. He released his first bona fide solo record, the self-titled Joe Perry, in May 2005, to critical acclaim.

38.Johnny Ramone
This lifetime member of The Ramones was known for his fast, high-energy playing style that consisted of rapid down strokes and both barre chords and power chords, often in a simple I-IV-V progression.

37.Neil Young
In more recent years, Young has started to adopt elements from newer styles of music, such as industrial, alternative country and grunge, often bringing him the title of "the godfather of grunge".

36.Randy Rhoads
He was an American heavy metal guitarist who is best known for playing with Ozzy Osbourne. He is cited as an influence by many contemporary heavy metal guitarists. Rhoads died in a plane crash at age 25.

35.Les Paul
Come on, the man has guitars named AFTER HIM.

What am I supposed to do?

34.Prince
His career has spanned several styles: from his early material, rooted in R&B, soul and funk, he has consistently expanded his musical palette throughout his career, absorbing many other genres including pop, rock, jazz, and hip hop.

33.John Fogerty
Basically, it comes down to this. There had to be a representative for Creedence. He was the one that made the most sense for the list.

32.Eddie Van Halen
I am dodging the rotten vegetables as I put Eddie at #32. Sorry, Van Halen fans, but there are strong arguments for every guitarist ahead of him.

31.Dimebag Darrell
I can still remember the night that this guitarist from the band Pantera was shot to death during a concert. My buddy, who is a big fan, and I just sat in silence.
He played metal, and he played with country legends. That's versatility.

30.Buddy Guy
He's a five-time Grammy Award-winning American blues and rock guitarist and singer. Known as an inspiration to 1960s blues and rock legends, Guy is considered an important exponent of Chicago blues.

29.George Harrison
Did you really think that zero Beatles would make the list?

Come on now!

28.Stephen Stills
Reputedly, when Jimi Hendrix was forming his trio The Jimi Hendrix Experience, his manager contacted Stills' manager to invite Stills to become the group's bass player. His manager never gave him the message.

27.Kurt Cobain
He may have been the best guitarist of the grunge period, but one thing is for sure.

He did not pull the trigger.

26.Brian May
You have to be good to be in a band known almost completely for the lead singer... and to still be respected as one of the greats.

25.Jeff Beck
His versatility has made it difficult for Beck to establish and maintain a broad following. He has won many Grammy awards in the category for best rock instrumental.

24.Keith Richards
Richards often uses guitars with open tunings which allow for syncopated and ringing I-IV chording that can be heard on "Start Me Up" and "Street Fighting Man".

23.Django Reinhardt
He was one of the first prominent jazz musicians to be born in Europe, and one of the most renowned jazz guitarists of all time. His most renowned works include "My Sweet", "Minor Swing", and "Tears".

22.Wes Montgomery
Instead of using a guitar pick, Montgomery plucked the strings with the fleshy part of his thumb, using downstrokes for single notes. This technique enabled him to get a mellow, expressive tone from his guitar.

21.Tom Morello
He is best known for his tenure with the bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. Rolling Stone called him one of the 20 best new guitarists alive.

20.The Edge
If you don't think this guy can play, you need to see him live. It's actually pretty crazy when you find out that Bono is not the talented one.

19.George Lynch
Lynch came to fame in the 1980s through his work as the lead guitarist in the band Dokken (of which he had been a member since 1980). They had a string of multi-platinum albums.

18.Jimmy Page
Page has been described as "unquestionably one of the all-time most influential, important, and versatile guitarists and songwriters in rock history." So I feel bad for putting him at 18.

17.David Gilmour
While Roger Waters was the driving force behind the band, Gilmour is not given nearly enough credit for the original sound of the band. That wasn't all about the bass!

16.Slash
He is credited with at least 2 or 3 of the best, and most memorable, giutar solos of all time. How could their creator not end up high on this list?

15.Steve Vai
He has mastered many performance techniques on the instrument including legato, pinch harmonics and volume swells, but is noted in particular for his extreme whammy bar effects.

14.Alex Lifeson
Lifeson founded Rush in the summer of 1968, and has been an integral member of the three-piece band ever since.He plays electric and acoustic guitars as well as other stringed instruments such as mandola, mandolin and bouzouki.

13.Steve Howe
He's best known for his work with the progressive rock group Yes, when he replaced Peter Banks in 1970.

12.Carlos Santana
He became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which created a highly successful blend of salsa, rock, blues, and jazz fusion

11.Adam Jones
Adam Jones is known for not predominantly using any particular guitar playing technique, but rather combines many techniques such as "alternately utilizing power chords, scratchy noise, chiming arpeggios, off-beat rhythm patterns, and a quiet minimalism".

10.Eric Johnson
Guitar Player magazine calls Johnson "One of the most respected guitar virtuosos on the planet". Johnson composes and plays not just instrumental songs, but also sings and plays piano.

9.Kirk Hammett
If you don't think that this guy deserves the top 10... listen to One. Then listen to Fade To Black. Then listen to Master of Puppets. then stop complaining.

8.Joe Satriani
Satriani has received 14 Grammy nominations and has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide. He also TAUGHT Steve Vai how to play.

7.B.B. King
By his own admission, he cannot play chords very well and always relies on improvisation, never thinking what to play beforehand. Yet he still makes the Top 10!

6.Chuck Berry
According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's website, "While no individual can be said to have invented rock and roll, Chuck Berry comes the closest of any single figure to being the one who put all the essential pieces together."

5.Duane Allman
Shortly after Duane's death, Ronnie Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd dedicated the song "Free Bird", to the memory of Duane Allman. Many people assume the song was written about Duane, but this is not true; the song had been written before Duane had died.

4.Stevie Ray Vaughan
Vaughan's blues style was strongly influenced by many blues guitarists. Foremost among them were Albert King, who dubbed himself Stevie's "godfather", Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, and Jimi Hendrix

3.Robert Johnson
His landmark recordings from 1936–1937 display a remarkable combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that have influenced generations of musicians. Without him, there might have been no...

2.Eric Clapton
He is one of the most successful musicians of the 20th and 21st centuries, garnering an unprecedented three inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (The Yardbirds, Cream, and solo).

1.Jimi Hendrix
Come on... how could it have been anyone else?


Even I am not that stupid!

[mastershogun]

what buddy is only 30th? as much as i like b b , his pacing, what he has done for blues I would rank buddy over bb any day
but i do like seeing robert johnson so high... actually surprised to see him there

[Mr.Maduro]

Where's Jack White?

[MajorCaptSilly]

Joe Bonamassa
Chris Whitley
Chet Atkins
Dave Hole
Ry Cooder


I'll think of more

MCS

[jonharky]

Originally Posted by Mr.Maduro

Where's Jack White?

Come on really?? Jack white is good, if not 50th because some of these other guys are good somewhere in the top 50

[Tripp]

Why is it that this lists always seem to include the top 50 guitarists from the 20th century? Recent artists who have comperable, if not more, skill never make the list. I think it's definitely missing Buckethead, and Synyster Gates at the least. They may have cheesy names, but they're both amazing classically trained guitarists, who can really play.

I would switch Clapton and Hendrix.... On going argument I guess

[DavenportESQ]

How is Muddy Waters no where on this list?

[mastershogun]

Originally Posted by DavenportESQ

How is Muddy Waters no where on this list?

interesting question indeed... maybe some would contend that his skill was as a band leader and recruiting members such as buddy

[Texan in Mexico]

Over at Louie's house we had this going on for a while.

I agree with MCS but it does my heart good to see SRV and Johnson in the Top 5. They are normally overlooked.

[Fumes]

Charlie Christian
Grant Green
Joe Pass
Jim Hall

[KidRock]

Originally Posted by dubnick

I would switch Clapton and Hendrix.... On going argument I guess

+1

[MedicCook]

Why is Kurt Cobain on the list? He was a horrible guitarist even for grunge music.

And where is Yngwie J. Malmsteen?

[DMK]

John Lee Hooker ??

[smokin5]

John McLaughlin
Lowell George
Luther Allison
Al Dimeola
Steve Morse
Frank Zappa
Leslie West
Rory Gallagher

Just off the top of my head.
If I gave it any thought, I'd prabably come up with at least 10 more worthy contenders who kick the stuffing out of half the guitarists mentioned.

[cigarusmaximus]

...surprised Jesse Cook didn't make this list.
He should be top 20, imo.

[Guitarman-S.T-]

dAmn.. No John Goodsall, Michael Romeo...Ouch

[Wolfgang]

Um.......... I believe everytone should be shifted sowna spot since I amd the best of all time!!!!

Originally Posted by smokin5

John McLaughlin
Lowell George
Luther Allison
Al Dimeola
Steve Morse
Frank Zappa
Leslie West
Rory Gallagher

Just off the top of my head.
If I gave it any thought, I'd prabably come up with at least 10 more worthy contenders who kick the stuffing out of half the guitarists mentioned.

You beat me to it but c'mon, Leslie West??? (He used to be a local here 30 years ago).
Kudos for remembering Rory!

[RichardW]

Originally Posted by smokin5

John McLaughlin
Lowell George
Luther Allison
Al Dimeola
Steve Morse
Frank Zappa
Leslie West
Rory Gallagher

Just off the top of my head.
If I gave it any thought, I'd prabably come up with at least 10 more worthy contenders who kick the stuffing out of half the guitarists mentioned.

uh, yeah! and perhaps Ronnie Earl.