Top 10 Guitarists (Rolling Stone)

[The Hawk]

Rolling Stone’s top 10:

 

1. Jimi Hendrix

 

2. Eric Clapton

 

3. Jimmy Page

 

4. Keith Richards

 

5. Jeff Beck

 

6. B.B. King

 

7. Chuck Berry

 

8. Eddie Van Halen

 

9. Duane Allman

 

10. Pete Townshend

 

Where's Les Paul and Chet Atkins?

 

I'll grab my coat now!

 

Dave

 

[barrows]

They used a pretty narrow criteria. All blues based rock players here. Clearly they are only talking about rock/blues players and not jazz. But any top ten for rock players needs to include more experimental players like Robert Fripp and Steve Howe.

Maybe the list should be re-titled: Top Ten Blues/Rock Guitar Players! Of course, then, where is Stevie Ray Vaughan...

 

Keith Richards??? Pete Townshend???

 

[beetlemania]

better than half the guitarists on their list. Oh well, I bow before the authority that is Rolling Stone mag. Keith Richards? GMAFB!

 

[89reksal]

How can Johnny Winter not be on a list with that kind of criteria? They've lost any credibility.

 

 

Bill

 

[The Hawk]

It is a frustrating list. Was this list limited to Rock/Blues/Pop, or what?

 

In general, I would need to see Chet Atkins, Les Paul, Segovia, Almeida, and a host of Jazz guitarists.

 

I recently watched the 'Crossroads Festival', and it opened my eyes (and ears) to so many phenomenal guitarists.

 

Dave

 

[Mark Powell]

Here in the UK a BBC poll asked the most important Britons ever.

 

1 Princess Diana

2 Winston Churchill

3 Isaac Newton

 

Presumably the most important American ever would be Jennifer Lopez. Far more important that those guys who beat us lot from the UK in the War of Independence?

 

[escapes]

Roy Bucannon

Johnny Marr

 

[RobGoodison]

Very genre specific.

Disappointed not to see Kaki King on the list - phenomenal guitarist.

 

[darascal]

Rock n Roll would not be the same without him.

 

And I'd love the see John McLaughlin on the list but hey: Rolling Stone is a rock magazine. Duh.

 

And it's a top-ten list, not a top 50.

 

And, um, really. Why care?

 

Rascal

 

[Mick The Kraken]

Johnny Marr was the very first name that came to mind when I saw the forum title "Top 10 Guitarists" (assuming Rolling Stone had limited the list to rock-n-roll and R&B), but it was also the name I figured would be missing from the list. And sure enough...

 

[KDinsmore]

X2 for Chet Atkins, Bob Fripp. If you play you know.

 

John McLaughlin.

 

[bottlerocket]

Come on we all know Pete Townshend can barely play guitar.

 

Where's Alvin Lee (Ten Years After) and Stevie Ray Vaughn.

 

 

 

[Mick The Kraken]

It would seem to me that, considering it's 2011 and the guitarists listed here are who they are (popularity wise, in the grand scheme of things), this list has no intension of ever representing modern music or modern players, and will simply remain stagnant like the classic rock station playing loops of the same tracks from the same albums day after day. Boring and predictable, but almost to be expected.

 

[Paul R]

 

No list is complete with him and his Scarlatti transcription performances.

 

[Priaptor]

reminds me of audio reviews, Academy Awards, etc. It's all BS but people love this stuff so we can do what we are doing now and will always do; argue who or what "really is the best"

 

 

 

[scobek]

Jerry Garcia and Harvey Mandel.

 

And possibly Buckethead.

 

[Priaptor]

was one of the best. Where I grew up, in Brooklyn, you were only allowed to like/love either the Allman Brothers OR The Grateful Dead, but NOT both.

 

If you liked/loved both, you were condemned and never to be heard from again.

 

Duane was MUCH better live than Jerry could ever hope to be.

 

May they both RIP.

 

[barrows]

Well, I have a huge appreciation for Johnny Mac! But clearly this list does not consider Jazz or Classical musicians. Or perhaps even those rock players who have jazz/classical influences (Fripp/Howe).

 

Here is an underated player, who unfortunately did not live nearly long enough to reallye stablish his potential greatness:

 

Tommy Bolin.

 

I have to agree with Jimmy Page though, and Jimmy Hendrix...

 

[Mick The Kraken]

Pierre Bensusan

Alex DeGrassi

Monte Montgomery

Alex Lifeson

Michael Hedges

John Fahey

Erick Turnbull

Justin King

Leo Kottke

Billy McLaughlin

...

 

 

[barrows]

any , younger, virtuoso, influential players... It seems thata musicianship is not valued all that much in contemporary (rock) music.

One guy that came to mind is:

 

David Navarro.

 

[joshua.ryan.larson]

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-guitarists-20111123

 

The voters were mostly 70s-90s rock guitarists.

 

Trey Anastasio, Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys), Brian Bell (Weezer), Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple), Carl Broemel (My Morning Jacket), James Burton, Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains), Gary Clark Jr., Billy Corgan, Steve Cropper, Dave Davies (The Kinks), Anthony DeCurtis (Contributing editor, Rolling Stone), Tom DeLonge (Blink-182), Rick Derringer, Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars), Elliot Easton (The Cars), Melissa Etheridge, Don Felder (The Eagles), David Fricke (Senior writer, Rolling Stone), Peter Guralnick (Author), Kirk Hammett (Metallica), Albert Hammond Jr. (The Strokes), Warren Haynes (The Allman Brothers Band), Brian Hiatt (Senior writer, Rolling Stone), David Hidalgo (Los Lobos), Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Lenny Kravitz, Robby Krieger (The Doors), Jon Landau (Manager), Alex Lifeson (Rush), Nils Lofgren (The E Street Band), Mick Mars (Mötley Crüe), Doug Martsch (Built to Spill), J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.), Brian May, Mike McCready (Pearl Jam), Roger McGuinn (The Byrds), Scotty Moore, Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Tom Morello, Dave Mustaine (Megadeth), Brendan O’Brien (Producer), Joe Perry, Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Robbie Robertson, Rich Robinson (The Black Crowes), Carlos Santana, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Marnie Stern, Stephen Stills, Andy Summers, Mick Taylor, Susan Tedeschi, Vieux Farka Touré, Derek Trucks, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Walsh, Nancy Wilson (Heart)

____

 

Chet Atkins = 21

Les Paul = 18

SRV = 12

____

 

I got bored after looking through the top 30.

 

[jerico]

Catch him live if you can. His albums are excellent, but they don't sound anything like his live gigs - really, not even similar - which are a thing to behold.

 

[darascal]

Yes, for sure @Barrows, he came to mind for me as well.

 

Actually I think there are many more excellent, young guitarists nowadays than 60's/70's and some no doubt have their influence. But virtuoso? No one else comes to mind immediately.

 

Rascal

 

[Clyde Willoughby]

It's a crime JB was left off this list. There are also a ton of extremely talented guitarists that didn't make it. Seems as if only "mainstream" artists and critics favorites were eligible.

 

[bottlerocket]

Just kidding. A little talent and a lot of enthusiasm goes a long way.