Wanted: Your 10 favorite guitarists any genre......

the poll so far shows these results:

Jimi Hendrix.....13 mentions
Eric Clapton......7 mentions
Wes Montgomery....7 mentions
Richard Thompson..7 mentions
Larry Carlton.....6 mentions
Ry Cooder.........6 mentions
David Gilmour.....5 mentions
Jeff Beck.........4 mentions
Rory Gallagher....4 mentions
B.B. King.........4 mentions
Pat Metheny.......4 mentions
Jimmy Page........4 mentions
Neil Young........4 mentions

followed by many with 3, 2 and 1 mentions

Rich

'bout time someone mentioned J.J.Cale, scandalous!

I started listening to popular music rather late in life, and for two or three years was puzzled by something: many guitarists seemed to be trying and failing to do something - the same thing - I couldn't quite work out what. Then I heard Jimi Hendrix...

Blues as a genre has never really appealed to me. However, so many blues musicians put real emotion into their work that I can't help listening to it. B.B. King's guitar playing seems miraculous - every note seems meticulously shaped and emotionally charged.

I'm sure guitar afficionados will tell me that Tim Bricheno [formerly of All About Eve] is not technically in the same league as King and Hendrix but it's all about emotion...

I suppose I am showing my ignorance here in listing only three but these are the only ones who instantly came to mind and demanded to be chosen...

1. B.B. King
2. Jimi Hendrix
3. Tim Bricheno

--J

"Ok, I'll bite... I see Kimberley Rew mentioned twice, and I'm guessing it's not on the strength of his work in Katrina and the Waves (?)"

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll

Kimbo was in the Waves and the Soft Boys primarily. The Soft Boys he was in produced the classic Underwater Moonlight (1980) and the less classic but nonetheless desirable reunion album Nextdoorland (2002). He's also made 2 solo albums, the second being Grand Central Revisited which has a leadoff track called Life Itself with a riff which Clapton would give his Strat to be able to write now.

A few off the top of my head while sitting in a law class:

Bob Mould
Leo Kottke
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Michael Hedges
Segovia
Lou Reed
Peter Buck (I know, I know, but he has to be on here just for coming with the riff in "Feeling Gravity's Pull")

Oops! Class is over!

Bob

Nice idea to update with a summary table of mentions to date. Here are mine, looking forward to the next update although Hendrix will clearly and understandably win.

BB King
Eric Clapton
Ry Cooder
Lowell George
Joe Walsh
Billy Gibbons
Robert Cray
Duane Allman
Dave Kelly
Ally McErlaine

quote:

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Michael Schenker

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Yes he's worth a mention for the Live version (from 'Strangers in the Night') of Doctor Doctor, which is amazing.

Glaring omission from my list: David Grissom.

jay (whose list is like Nigel Tufnel's amp... it goes to 11.)

Baden Powell

... & the 'lead' guitarist from the Proclaimers.. now there's emotion to rival the best of them.

Hi Folks,

Some serious omissions on the blues front:

Albert Collins, John Hammond, Little Charlie, and of course Stevie Ray Vaughan

In the country arena:
Junior Brown, Lucky Oceans
In jazz:
Charlie Byrd, Baden Powell

In classical:
John Williams

In flamenco:
Paco Pena, Paco de Lucia

Of course there's more to go...

Cheers, Jens

Here's the latest based on your responses. Interesting and a wide variety.
Hendrix__________________15
Clapton___________________9
Ry Cooder_________________8
Wes Montgomery____________7
Richard Thompson__________7
Larry Carlton_____________6
David Gilmour_____________6
B.B. King_________________6
Stevie Ray Vaughan________6
Jimmy Page________________5
Neil Young________________4
Pat Metheny_______________4
Rory Gallagher____________4
Jeff Beck_________________4
Duane Allman______________3
Kenny Burrell_____________3
John Fahey________________3
Robben Ford_______________3
Bill Frisell______________3
Jerry Garcia______________3
Peter Green_______________3
George Harrison___________3
Michael Hedges____________3
Bert Jansch_______________3
Sonny Landreth____________3
Johnny Marr_______________3
John McLaughlin___________3
Django Reinhardt__________3
Carlos Santana____________3
John Squire_______________3
Tom Verlaine______________3
plus lots more with fewer than 3 mentions.

here's my ten
1 Jimi Hendrix
2 Jimmy Page
3 Randy Rhoads
4 Steve Vai
5 Eddie van Halen
6 Angus Young
7 Joe Satriani
8 Kirk Hammett
9 Tony Iommi
10 Zakk Wylde

I'm surprised that Randy has had little mention as Ozzy Osbourne's guitarists are usually above average.

Dave

1. Jimmy Page
2. Dave Gilmour
3. Vini Reilly
4. Michael Karoli
5. Steve Cropper
6. Django Reinhardt
7. Derek Bailey (oooh! arty!)
8. Albert Collins
9. Nile Rodgers
10. Johnny Marr

Hendrix not listed as he's taken as read.

Honorable menshes for John (Magazine/Banshees) McGeogh, Pete Townshend, Michael Rother, Charlie Christian, Earl Slick, Carlos Alomar, John Fahey and Ry Cooder. Don't like John McLaughlin much, but his playing on Miles' "Jack Johnson" album is awesome...

Clapton, Vai, Santana, Knobfluff and Satriani are all turds. So there.

Kevin

PS...
And the 5 best bassists
1. Peter Hook
2. John Paul Jones
3. Larry Graham
4. Bootsy Collins
5. John Entwhistle

[This message was edited by Kevin-W on THURSDAY 27 November 2003 at 01:33.]

I am glad that Steve Cropper has had a couple of mentions as his work with the MG's and Otis Redding is awesome. I always find with these list is that once you get past the first 3-4 the rest are much of a muchness. Anyway I go for:
1) Hendrix
2) Cropper
3) Reinhardt
4) Peter Buck
5) Paul McCartney (but only if he really did do the solo on 'Taxman')
6) Larry Carlton (purley for his Steely Dan work)
7) Charlie Christian
8) Wes Montgomery
9) Johnny Marr
10) Paul Weller (very underated but has done some very fine concise riffs)

I actually do not have a lot of Guitar Hero type music so once you get past number 4/5 on the list I am struggling!

Hi,

Here are some of mine.

1) Jimmy Nolan (invented the funk guitar sound)
2) Steve Cropper (the sound of Stax/Volt)
3) Jah Jerry (Helped to define ska)
4) Nile Rogers (part of a tight rhythm section)
5) Joe Messina (Part of the Motown sound)
6) Eddie Willis (As above)
7) Robert White (As Above)
8) Lynn Taitt (Help define ska & Rocksteady)
9) T-Bone Walker (1st electric blues guitar hero)
10) Chuck Berry (Another early guitar hero)

Dean

I think my top 10 should have included Jeff Beck and Ry Cooder but who would I take out?

Top 10 eh, well her goes:

1) Frank Zappa (if you haven't heard "Shut up and play yer guitar" you should)
2) David Wilcox (Toronto guitarist, simply amazing live)
3) Andres Segovia (classical)
4) Paul Williams (classical)
5) Julian Bream (classical)
6) Liona Boyd (the First Lady of the guitar)
7) Jeff Beck (Rock)
8) Robert Johnson (Blues)
9) Les Paul (would not have the electric guitar without him)
10) Jimmy Page (Rock)

Cheers

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5) Paul McCartney (but only if he really did do the solo on 'Taxman')

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Is there evidence that he supposedly did? Sure sounds like Harrison to me.

No it´s Mc cartney

According to Ian McDonalds 'Revolution in the head' it is McCartney who plays the wonderful solo break in the middle of the song. I must admit I always found this fact to be very suprising. There was always a bit of tension between McCartney and Harrison as I think the former always wanted to play lead.

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Originally posted by GUNNAR JANSSON:
No it´s Mc cartney

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I did not know that.

According to William J. Dowlding's Beatlesongs, George Harrison is quoted in Guitar magazine, 1987, as saying: " ... I was pleased to have [Paul] play that bit on Taxman. If you notice, he did like a little Indian bit on it for me."

No wonder I always assumed it was Harrison.

Speaking of guitar solos, I've always loved that round robin on The End from Abbey Road, with McCartney, Harrison, and Lennon taking turns in that order. Actually, they're all damn good!

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Originally posted by fred simon:

Speaking of guitar solos, I've always loved that round robin on _The End_ from _Abbey Road_, with McCartney, Harrison, and Lennon taking turns in that order. Actually, they're all damn good!

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I can´t say that I can always can hear whos doing what.
Harrison made a lot of superb solos too. Could have been him.

The End ; Yeah that´s a cool bit.
A kind of odd thing is that after Lennon last solo at , Mc Cartney´s piano is just a little out of tune. Seems like the overdubs with the solos tranformed the original key of the song.
Never actually thought of that before a friend said it.

Mc Cartney´s bassplaying is very good on Taxman as well.

Gunnar

My fav's

Blues: Robben Ford

Rock: Joe Satriani

Jazz: Martin Taylor

Country: Chet Atkins

Mr Tibbs

I can't disagree with the list generated her -far
better that the ridiculous rankings in Rolling Stone magazine - but one incredible oversight (here and there) is Steve Morse. The unfortunately now deceased Listener magazine pointed me in his direction when it pointed out that Morse was banned from Guitar Player magazine's guitarist of the year award, after winning it 5 years in a row. I would wager that anyone who picks up one of his CD's will be immediately inclined to revamp their list.

Thanks for that Gregor. I've no doubt heard Morse and certainly have heard of him but can't recall his playing per se. I'll check him out. I agree, our Naim list is much more sensible than Rolling Stone (that now pathetic rag that was a great music magazine way back when).

Rich