The best – and the most popular – example of his slide guitar skills is the solo on “Desdemona” from the 2003 album “Hittin’ the Note”. That’s a bold statement when you consider some of the other greats, but I genuinely believe this to be true, His playing has the soul and passion of the blues. The audience sat in the sun on a grassy hill while Ravi Shankar played – which was mindblowing. The Mahavishnu Orchestra came out... and the music damaged me for life. It was no surprise to me that he was such an amazing session player even before Led Zeppelin. Every player in that band was world class, and the songs were amazing. Randy Rhoads #1 and Dime #2 both were the Real McCoy. I can listen to any player and pantomime their sound, but I can’t do Brian May. Bath For me, as a singer, it took me a long time to find myself as an artist. But this list wasn't compiled by a bunch of tired hacks sitting in a room rolling out the same old names. Getty Images. There were some interesting things developing, but everyone I knew wanted to be in Level 42, Simple Minds or U2. "Like so many of Robin’s songs, they’re excellent vehicles for a guitarist. I had taken a night off from the second Asia tour, by which point the band was having troubles. The way he took straight blues riffs and siphoned them though the AC/DC sensibility is a lesson to all guitarists.". I don’t really care about finger picking, and acoustic doesn’t satisfy me. He later told me that I was an influence of his, which was immensely flattering. It’s electric, screaming, loud rock that I love. "When the Black Crowes recorded and toured with Jimmy Page, he told us so many Peter Green stories. I play guitar, I’m here in town with Frank Zappa.” He said: “Oh, really? It’s the same syndrome with guitarists today. ", “It was obvious, even on the acoustic guitar he played that first night [when the pair first hooked up in Hollyewood], that Slash was a special player. Led Zeppelin were very influential to Kiss. Ritchie Kotzen (Poison, Mr Big, Winery Dogs): "This is kinda embarrassing but the first time I heard Eddie Van Halen was on the Beat It solo. Back in those days I would stay afterwards and practise and practise. Green understands that simplicity could hold the key to the blues. Unlike so many over-produced and fake-sounding records from that decade, [producer/engineer] Ken Scott had given it a beautiful, organic sound that just blew me away. He can take liberties – he’s Ritchie Blackmore. The late Kurt Cobain was far from the “best” guitarist in terms of technical ability, but his cultural influence was far-reaching. From Buddy Holly to Dave Murray from Iron Maiden everyone owns at … And that title also means that he is probably the best guitar player the world has ever seen, so the fact that he died aged 27 is a tragic thing for music as well. I knew every note he played. Ralph Mooney was the best steel guitar player ever. All those mid-60s Beatle tracks, whether it was Day Tripper or Ticket To Ride or whatever, they all start with a guitar lick that you wait to come around again in the chorus. There was a problem. Top 5. Obviously, he’d left Fleetwood Mac long before these were done, but I was influenced enough by them to want to know more about what the band had done before – and that’s when I discovered the amazing talent of the man. If he was alive FM today would sound a lot like Randy Rhoads. There are some great players out there but it doesn’t mean anything; it doesn’t cross over like Hendrix, Blackmore, Page or Beck. "His playing is just so moving. That’s what I heard in Brian May’s playing. This kid, you know? When he was a kid, that’s the music he learned on. © Day Of The Eagle also has a great, unusual conclusion. Paul Gilbert. You made this. Then I ended up getting some Van Halen records and from there I just really wanted to play like him. "Morello’s approach is rooted in his love of metal. Mike McReady (Pearl Jam): "It’s really hard to pick just one guitarist. Watch his videos and you can learn things. "Nowadays you don’t see any guitar heroes of the same calibre. What Harrison did, he taught me about short solos and hooks, and what a hook is. Picking the ten greatest guitarists of all time is an impossible task. The 10 Greatest Electric-Guitar Players ... Clapton is probably best known as the king of the Tulsa Sound. Myles Kennedy (Alter Bridge): "He’s such a character guitar player: you can tell within one measure, ‘that’s Slash’. I thought I would make a few reviews and share with you what's out there in cool guitar accessories. BA1 1UA. Actually I have a UFO tribute band called Flight To Mars, we do a [charity] show every year, and we do shows up around Seattle, and we do most of the Strangers In The Night record. I have seen how hard he works at his craft, and he is not just good by chance. But as soon as I heard Hendrix that was it. What makes him great is his choice of notes. His contribution to orchestrated guitars is unprecedented. And for each entry another musician of note (plus an astronomer, and a comedy writer) has chimed in with their thoughts, so you can read what Scott Ian thought about Malcolm Young, or what Dweezil Zappa leant from his dad. I love really flashy lead guitar playing, and Blackmore’s technique is great – it’s aggressive. In particular, I wanted to be like the guy in the middle, the guy looking down at his guitar and playing all the little fills and solos. The man is truly a one-off. Brian May. "And he still has the magic. I saw him a month go in Oakland and I was just in tears standing at the side of the stage listening to him playing Where Were You. "Of course, there’s no way to have this conversation without mentioning Jimmy Page. "He’s probably one of the top identifiable guitar players, even more so than Jeff Beck and Page and Clapton. I was 10 years old when the Beatles played the Ed Sullivan Show and I was already playing a little guitar. The way that he can perfectly and seamlessly orchestrate guitars? There was a guy in the sixth form who everyone treated as a god for owning a bright yellow Ibanez guitar. "There’s footage of that show on YouTube (see below). As he developed, and hip-hop emerged, he identified with what the MCs and DJs were doing. Just two months after featuring Jimi on the cover of this very magazine we find ourselves talking once... 3. Kurt Cobain. He was the lead guitarist and got all the glory. No contest! He was a gift to the Planet and should be #1. His musical contributions inspired artists ranging from Eric Johnson to the late Lenny Breau. Normally you get someone that’s really good and the music’s crap. Scott Ian (Anthrax): "Malcolm Young has gotta be the most unsung, underrated guitar hero of all time. So in order to get a different or unique sound, I had to learn to squeeze it out of the strings with just my fingers. It sounded so unique to me – the tone, everything, but it was more about the way that he played the notes. Dr Stuart Clark (Astronomer): "Deep Purple gave me colour, excitement, classical influences and long songs that were improvisational. As anyone who’s attempted to perform it will know, the ending of Too Rolling Stoned is just a single bass note with Trower soloing over the top. He is both inventive and musical, and he is a beautiful collaborator.". Joe Satriani. He is relentlessly creative. To have that guy there, standing to the side, looking down at his guitar while he played his licks like that, to my impressionable mind it set in stone the definition of a lead guitar. Randy Rhoads was the quintessential guitar player. All great players play according to the music they are playing, it’s not like it’s a self-promotion vehicle. I found that very reassuring, as he’s now into his 60s. It’s about that ability that he has to put something into a song that lifts it and sort of augments the meaning, that adds to it in a way that you can hear it many, many times and still get that emotion. 5. Fripp’s the ultimate evolving musician. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. It’s more about that to me than the amp or whatever guitar he’s using. It’s something that’s inherent in the brain of the guitar player. They’ll be around forever. "There can be no substitute for originality. We're all … "My most overriding memory of back then is covering those songs and, more importantly, trying to play them like Robin. Not only that, but he’s an auteur. This was rock, but not like I’d ever heard it. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done. – then go and listen to the opening chords of Back In Black. A god among men (with a great guitar tech!)! Phil Collen (Def Leppard): "The first gig I ever went to was Deep Purple – during their Machine Head period – at Brixton Sundown, now known as the Academy. Sign up below to get the latest from Louder, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox! There is a fair bit of variety in the list so one of the musicians should align with your taste. I was absolutely stunned by the raw, emotive power he so easily tapped. "To be honest I think he was more interested in my girlfriend, which was fine by me [laughs]. The other songs I’d strongly recommend are Riff Raff and Beating Around The Bush. Chuck Berry changed the rhythmic landscape of popular music forever. I have played with him on recording sessions and dozens of live performances, and what my experience has shown me is that he is among the most original and creative players in the game. That’s a real gift, because a lot of players might be really great technically, or they might have a great emotional thing, but Slash has all that. Steven Wilson: "He’s probably the biggest influence of all for me. ", Duff McKagan (Guns N' Roses): "Slash has remained an innovator and high-water mark for what modern rock’n’roll guitar playing should be and is. "This short-haired guy played his guitar like he was possessed. Mammoth – me, Alex [Van Halen] and a bass player we knew – were the junior Cream. Slash was already in a league of his own and watching him play guitar was a ‘holy shit’ moment.". Bath I found that frustrating and hard to believe. That’s where I leaned to do that.". Scotty Moore is best known for being the genius guitarist who backed the iconic vocals of Elvis Presley. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, You will receive a verification email shortly. I went to the Rainbow Bar & Grill and Brian May was there. Thank you for signing up to Louder. His rudimentary style inspired an entire generation of musical newbies to keep practicing. The 50 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time 10-1. From guitar faces to the different kinds of axes, here is the Top 10 Greatest Guitar Players. Stevie Ray Vaughan is one of the most influential guitarists in blues music, leading the... #8 - David Gilmour. And beyond the steel guitar, he was one of the most important and most influential musicians in country music history. "I know for a fact that the Mahavishnu Orchestra inspired Yes. And on Strangers In The Night, which I think you guys (Classic Rock) put as your second best live album of all time, he was pretty incredible. The 50 best guitarists of all time pays homage to the string benders, the finger tappers and the whammy wranglers, as voted by you. The only non-Beatle ever invited to record a guitar solo with the Fab Four ("While My Guitar Gently Weeps"), Eric Clapton is a three-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We needed another band for this charity night back six or seven years ago, and I hadn’t really heard anyone do UFO before, so it seemed original. He was a songwriter, not a shredder. I hope I can do likewise. "I knew, right then, that that was what I wanted to do with my life. It’s amazing. If you want to know how perfect his guitar skills actually are, just listen the track “Cliffs of Dover”. Jimmy wasn’t just a genius in the way he played, he was a genius in how he recorded too. The notes and rhythms he and his band performed, not to mention the sheer attack of it all, constituted something I had never considered could have a place in the genre. It’s the most important dimension in art. Jimi Hendrix. Malcolm got through a pick for every song, because he hit the strings so hard. "That’s was what probably got me going, looking at George Harrison. "I don’t use the term ‘revolutionary’ lightly, so, ladies and gentlemen, based on this metric, The Revolution is in good hands.". 1. "The real secret to his musicality, though, is that under the hard-rock-distorted-Marshall-effect-stomp-box-wizardry lays a true funk player. 70,000 votes were cast, and sure, there's some predictable results... but there's also some surprises. For instance, Steve Via is an alien from another world; there’s absolutely no point aspiring to be like him because he’s from a different planet. Even now when you listen back to him you can hear what a great player he is. But all of us do our own thing.". I couldn’t even believe that I was touching this instrument! BA1 1UA. When you get someone like Blackmore – when he hit a chord it was like being punched in the face. I work in an area of music that’s electronic-based, but I started off as one of those guys that was into nothing but rock. As a result, he has embraced the entire range of cultural influences. Though he obviously has bags of inherent talent, he became that good because he practised, which gives hope to everybody. Hopefully, we have given you a good idea of some of the best and most badass guitar players throughout history. Bruce Kulick (Kiss, Grand Funk Railroad): "All of my really big inspirations come from that period. Apparently that pick was used on just one song during the band’s set that night! We’ve just played with Billy Idol, and Steve Stevens still has that fire. He’s a peerless performer and improviser, and his stunning slide playing, full of wailing vocalisms and exotic micro-tonalities, is unlike anything else in modern music, rooted in blues and rock players like Elmore James and Duane Allman while also incorporating jazz, … This is also expressed in the way he uses the guitar to complement his vocals and vice versa. Listen to what he achieves on Oh Well or Rattlesnake Shake, and it is stunning. But what McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra came out and did next – the sound, the visual element and especially the music – damaged me for life. He didn’t sound like any other guitar player. It was great. You can’t ever claim that one particular song defined him, in the way that you can possibly do with Hendrix, for instance. ", Steve Vai: "I don’t think enough is really said about the brilliance of Brian May’s guitar playing, in the sense that it’s overshadowed by the greatness of the music itself. What he chose to play is what we chose to love. Please refresh the page and try again. One day there was a beautiful moment in which he announced: “I’m going to give you the Paul Gilbert tuition video,” almost like it was a passing of the baton of shred. "Doing like the Rock Bottom solo or something, I feel like I’m 16 years old again and I’m emulating my heroes. In my mind when I’m playing my heroes are sitting on my shoulders. "I got into Paul Gilbert through the school’s resident shred-master. So I thought the idea of a UFO tribute would be fun. "Although I also had the Bridge Of Sighs, Robin Tower Live and Victims Of The Fury records, all of which were stunning, I didn’t get to see him in concert till the 1980s. The 50 Best Guitarists Of All Time 1. Jimi Hendrix Jimmy Hendrix is the best guitarist in history. Totally crazy.". "Before then I was a drummer and I started from watching The Stones and The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show. "But he’s also got that sound, and he developed that sound at a really young age. Paul Gilbert (Racer X, Mr Big): "My interest in Robin Trower began through hearing Day Of The Eagle, from Bridge Of Sighs [1974], on the radio at the age of 14. To us, that’s what that job looks like – that’s what you do when you play lead. He was 16 years old in The Scorpions. He later told me that I was an influence of his, which was immensely flattering. I was already in a band and we began playing Day Of The Eagle and the same album’s Too Rolling Stoned. It would have to be… early on, I’d say Ace Frehley and Paul Stanley. "I never knew rock music could astound in this way. And that’s when I decided to start playing guitar. This is the man responsible for more great rock moments than any other guitarist you can name. You know who the Real McCoy was don't you? ... t break a sweat – and proceeds to change his guitar right in the middle of the song. This shows up not only in his electric work, but in his acoustic guitar playing as well. Jimmy was really polite and just a real gentleman about it all.". It’s just a beautiful composition; he becomes the song, that’s very important. Steve Howe (Yes): "During the 1980s I stumbled across an instrumental album called What If by the band Dixie Dregs. But in about 1979, when I began to get into guitar playing in a serious way, I gravitated towards Malcolm. In my mind, what he was playing was a strange new take on rock‘n’roll. The fact that he’s still playing and is passionate about something is great, even though it’s a bit wonky and weird. "I went down and he brought me up on the stage and he let me play the guitar – the guitar that he built with his dad. "Unfortunately the 70s were a hellish period for many great players, if you look at Hendrix’s comrades it was a rough road. And it appropriately reinforces Tom’s activism in the best sense of Chairman Mao’s admonition that “bad art is bad for the revolution”. "Of course, I stayed around to watch Robin’s show, which was stunning. "To my mind, Peter Green is the finest white man I’ve ever heard playing blues guitar. Jimi Hendrix. He made the blues slightly more commercial and easier to relate to for me as a teenager. When you listen to Appetite For Destruction, he found who he was by the time he was in his early twenties. "He’s a class act from head to toe and it shows in his playing. "When I finally got to make my own album, Electronic Guitar, I knew that I also wanted it to be accessible to those who don’t play the guitar, just like Paul’s own solo albums.". And yet he never seems to get the recognition enjoyed by people like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton or Jimmy Page. "Guitarists now are like saxophonists were in the 1950s – a few original voices and thousands of imitators. Thank goodness for YouTube, because it gives all of us a chance to appreciate his talents. "A lot of what Gilmour does is about feel and emotion and atmosphere. There are so many greats that limiting it down to ten makes it inevitable that someone will be left out. And in later years McLaughlin was to exert a strong influence on the development of rock music, not by becoming a household name but because the few he touched went on, in turn, to touch millions. Usually, guitar players are divided between Fender and Gibson players. This is kinda embarrassing but the first time I heard Eddie Van Halen was on the Beat It solo. And I mustered up every little bit of courage and went up to him and said: “Brian May, oh my god, it’s really you. So I was sitting in there watching the show. And David Gilmour is one of the masters of that.". I had no money and couldn’t afford a fuzz box or a wah-wah or a ring modulator, or whatever Hendrix had in his whole rig. I asked around and found out it was Eddie Van Halen. 9. "I remember seeing Van Halen in magazines, but I didn’t know what their music sounded like, and then after hearing Beat It I got really into them. And anybody who disagrees with me, I will come to where you are and personally kick your ass. Like I do, Steve understands the development of the instrument. Guitar, as a music instrument, came in recognition in 20th century. I got into a lot of other players as I got older, but Schenker was one of the first for me. Rich Robinson (The Black Crowes, The Magpie Salute): "Growing up in America, you couldn’t help but hear the Rumours and the Fleetwood Mac albums on the radio all the time. But he also had some other curious qualities. I couldn’t believe it – that Brian May was standing there. I grew up in the 80s, and it was a pretty bad decade for music. Edward Van Halen: "Clapton was it. However, when Chuck Berry released it back in 1958, everyone was blown away by it. And probably Joe Perry… I still love these guys. Jimi Hendrix. Maybe even top 3. That’s why Eric Clapton’s live jams with Cream were such an influence on me. #9 - Stevie Ray Vaughan. This classification is subjective => Leave the common beliefs on guitars behind before reading this article! Skimming over almost a century of music, here are the 10 best guitarists the world ever saw. So thanks for taking part, one and all. You see him play now and he’s still had the same passion and energy he’s always had. Wayne Kramer (MC5): "In the world of cutting-edge modern electric guitarists, Tom Morello ranks foremost. I was just a 13-year-old kid at an outdoor show at Syracuse University in 1972. A lot of the guys in my generation that saw Harrison play, that’s how we learned how to be a lead guitarist in a band. Make no mistake, he was given a gift, but he has moulded the gift and has never taken it for granted. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. © I just plugged straight into an amp and turned it up to 11. Nowadays as a guitarist you want to celebrate what you’ve been able to play, which goes back to quoting other great players, but you also feel a responsibility not to copy those people. Jim Davies (The Prodigy, Pitchshifter): "As a guitarist with The Prodigy and Pitchshifter, I guess I might be considered an unlikely fan of Paul Gilbert. I grew up with that music. Led Zep was a great place for him to show off his guitar talent, because he got to play electric and acoustic and even some jazzy riffs. 44. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer, The 50 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time 50-41, The 50 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time 40-31, Marillion and the unexpected return of prog rock, The 50 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time 30-21, The 50 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time 20-11, The 50 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time 10-1, Tom Morello, Roger Waters, Brian Eno to play April 10 Live For Gaza fundraiser, Tigercub announce UK tour, share new single Blue Mist In My Head, This Winter Machine unveil new line-up and video for Pleasure And Purpose. Despite the fact that he had a mainstream career that lasted for only 4 years, Jimi Hendrix can be considered the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock. Brent Mason has played on over 1,000 albums for all of the top country stars and in other genres. After searching the net and reviewing and writing about tech products all day I like to unwind at the end of the day and play my guitar. I wasn’t interested in any of that, so I found solace in the 60s and 70s music that my parents were listening to. Widely recognized as one of the most creative and influential musicians of the 20th century, Jimi Hendrix pioneered the explosive possibilities of the electric guitar. What he does is so interesting, because he doesn’t overplay. His contribution to orchestrated guitars is unprecedented. Perhaps that’s because he’s so understated. They’re all so identifiable but Brian May had such a tone in his head and in his fingers, it speaks volumes. King and Jimi Hendrix, Rolling Stone critic chooses the best and most influential guitarists in rock That’s rare. Check for exceptional guitar lessons near me. "He’s also one of the most extraordinarily unique guitar players. I guess you could say that his paintings launched a thousand ships. It just looked like scribbling, so I threw it away. 2. Even then, he’ll be on to new sounds and new techniques. But I wish everybody could have rock’n’roll laid out for them the way it was for me on that particular day. I was a cub scout and then I was in a band. He’s the only guitarist I know of who regularly devises new and wholly unorthodox textures and noises, always remaining in complete control. "Trower is sometimes unfairly dismissed for copying Jimi Hendrix – well, there are worse people to imitate! Bruce Kulick (Kiss, Grand Funk Railroad): "All of my really big inspirations come from … Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer, The 50 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time 10-1, The 50 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time 20-11, Marillion and the unexpected return of prog rock, The 50 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time 50-41, The 50 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time 40-31, The 50 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time 30-21, Tom Morello, Roger Waters, Brian Eno to play April 10 Live For Gaza fundraiser, Tigercub announce UK tour, share new single Blue Mist In My Head, This Winter Machine unveil new line-up and video for Pleasure And Purpose. "When I first started to listen to AC/DC it was Angus who caught my attention. So I was in this little service room where all his guitars are and his tech is in there tuning stuff. "The first time I saw Eddie play I had the best possible seats, because we had the same guitar tech. As a teenage girl growing up in England I couldn’t really relate to T-Bone Walker, but Stevie just whacked the whole thing up into a package that I could get into. I work in an area of music that’s electronic-based, but I started off as one of those guys that was into nothing but rock. To me it was like when Edward Van Halen came along and just reshaped the sound of electric guitar. So, without further ado, in no particular order, here is the list of the top ten all-time greatest guitar players.. Table Of Contents What I like about Steve’s playing is that he’s not one of those guys that thinks that Jimmy Page was the first electric guitarist. Visit our corporate site. "I recall being given one of his guitar picks after a gig on the band’s current tour, and it was half worn down. Led Zeppelin were very influential to Kiss. A week later I saw him at the same club, and this time he was sober, dressed great, and he remembered me from the week before. Stratocaster was introduced in 1954 and it changed the music world.