James Burton comes to my mind. He played lead guitar for Rick Nelson, Elvis, John Denver, and along with the rest of Elvis' backup band, on Roy Orbison's black and White Night.
Joe Satriani Live in San Francisco What I say! Thanks, Edgewound et.al.
David
Leo Kotke played a mean 12 sting but somewhere around I have a album that states to the effect of "Leo's voice does not appear on this album because it sounds like geese farts on a muggy day". Most of my folks I'd nominate already have but I would throw in the fellows from California Guitar Trio, Hideyo Moriya, Bert Lams and Paul Richards.
Time for a first post. Having been a proffessional guitarist for far too long, I would rate my favourite players thus.
Edward Van Halen. Flambouyant, you are always wondering what he is gonna do next and he just keeps getting better and better. Listen to everything. He will always inspire.
Joe Satriani. I would rate as the "nicest" player on the planet. mm mm
Yngwie Malmsteen. Not really a favorite of mine, but listen to some of his baroque style playing.
It is real hard to say who the best is simply because there are so many different playing styles and not many players who can pull it all off. The most influentual player of the last 30 years would have to be Edward Van Halen. Of this I have no doubt. But my greatest player of all time would be Andrei Sergovia.
Wow. Five pages and no one has mentioned Steve Howe of YES. His style is instantly recognizable. He was the first to be awarded Guitar player Magazine's lifetime achievement award after he won the best overall guitarist too many years in a row.
Bob
"It is said, 'Go not to the elves for counsel for they will say both no and yes.' "
Frodo Baggins to Gildor Inglorion, The Fellowship of the Ring
THE MUSICIAN'S ROOM
Scotty Moore. Steve Cropper. I'm glad somebody remembered James Burton.
George Harrison was so good too.
And God Bless Johnny Ramone for reminding us that one could be a great rock and roll guitar player without playing leads.
Amen ! Other standouts include the 4 LP "Live at Carnegie Hall" set and "Chicago V", both of which see regular playing on my turntable.
I was literally blown away watching Clapton's "Crossroads" festival DVD set. After over 5 hours of seeing everyone from BB King to Clapton to Eric Johnson, here's this young preppy looking kid complete with the Polo shirt and upturned collar. I'm thinking "OK, who is this kid and why did Eric invite him", then he starts to play. MAN can this kid play - and not just another lead guitar wanker. He's got the groove, big time. I picked up his live CD "TRY" the other day and even though the sound quality is not great, I really like listening to it.
A lot of great guitarists have already been mentioned here, but I'll add a few more just for the sake of completeness....
Los Lonely Boys - check out Henry who somehow manages to channel Hendrix, Stevie Ray and Santata without sounding like a clone. They're amazing and will be even more so in 10 or 20 years.
Gamalon - who you ask ? The best fusion band you never heard, unless you frequented the Buffalo/Rochester bar scene in the 90's. I've seen just about every guitar player on this list in my life and no one, NO ONE, can play like Georgo Puelo. If you like instrumental fusion (closer to Rock, like Satriani), you need to pick up some of their CD's. "Aerial View" is a must, as is their self-titled debut. As good as the CD's are, they don't capture what he can do live. I wish he was still with them....
Frank Zappa - no mention of guitar greats is complete without the grand master. Take a listen to "Roxy and Elsewhere" and marvel at his tasteful style and blistering speed. We miss ya Frank !
Adrian Belew - He played with Frank in his younger days then King Crimson after that. His music is a little out there, but he can make magic with a guitar in his hands.
Jimmy Herring - another favorite of mine. Check him out on some early Aquarium Rescue Unit CD's (like Perfect World) or see him live with latest incarnation of The (Grateful) Dead. Another dazzling combination of chops, skill, style and restraint.
Birelli Lagrene - a French gypsy guitarist that plays mostly accoustic jazz. But for a little while in the late 80's he plugged in and turned it up. Check out "Foreign Affairs" or "Inferno" for some blazing fusion guitar mixed with some of his nicer solo acoustic material.
There's so many more but I'm out of time. PM me if you like this kind of music and I can recommend some others.
jblnut
If you're veering towards classical, look for John Williams, too. Amsterdam Guitar Trio has an impressive 'Four Seasons'.
Ragtime on guitar, Giovanni De Chiaro.
Latin, try Johannes Linstead, Jesse Cook, Strunz & Farah...I'll think of more.
Christmas on guitar: De Chiaro and a personal favorite: Lewis Ross (get it while you can).
je
Wow....lotsa great names...yeah..Steve Howe is awesome and I forgot about the newer Yes guitarist...
Trevor Rabin.
Edgewound...JBL Pro Authorized...since 1988
Upland Loudspeaker Service, Upland, CA
Saw Clarence White on this list, but didn't see Tony Rice (David Grisman band, etc.)
Good to see Danny Gatton recognized too. Incredible player.
Haven't seen Denny Freeman mentioned. He was the prime guitarist in the "Paul Ray and The Cobras" band out of '70s Austin. The punk "flash" kid in that band was SRV -- Freeman mentored him. Saw them a number of times. Great honkin' blues/soul band. Freeman has also been in Lou Ann Barton's bands.
Haven't seen Cesar Rosas or David Hildalgo of Los Lobos mentioned.
Eddie Shaver, who was mentored by Dickie Betts, was a grand talent when he played with his dad, Billie Joe. But an overdose took him.
Dave Alvin of The Blasters.
Eddie Angel of Los Straitjackets.
I gotta say, this was a great thread and I've now got some CD's to hunt down, thanks to jblnut. I agree with Ti Dome, Prince is pretty damn good. Most of his music is mastered so cleanly. The detail shines through and it just sounds absolutely bitchin' through my system. Solid bass and drums that just pound! I just discovered the Prince CD in my girlfriends collection and remembering some of the better songs, said 'what the heck'? Worth a listen.
A lot of good pics, but surprisingly, nobody mentioned the Schenkers, Michael or Rudy. I have the breakthrough album by the Scorpions, "Intrance". Rudy is playing here and there is some pretty serious 'guitar' talking. Robot Man, Evening Wind and other songs just wail, with very good guitar solos walking up and down the scale and just laying it down! To be honest, I believe this to be their best album, even over the later goods.
UFO
Edgewound...JBL Pro Authorized...since 1988
Upland Loudspeaker Service, Upland, CA
No Rick Nielsen? No Bill Frisell? ... the list is (fortunately) endless
-grumpy
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