Favourite Guitarists


This discussion was inspired by the recent article about our 3 favourite female singers.

Because it was impossible for me to pick just three female vocalists ( I love women singers), I will not put a limit as to how many you wish to vote for. I limited myself to a dozen. However, if you list more that 50 I will seriously question your decision making skills.

In no particular order, except for Rory at number one.

1. Rory Gallagher

2. Peter Green

3. Roy Buchanan

4. Joe Bonamassa

5. David Gimour

6. Slash

7. Johnny Winter

8. Duane Allman

9. Stevie Ray Vaughn

10. Mark Knopfler

11. Glen Campbell

12. Guthrie Govan

 

128x128tony1954

Danny Gatton 

Wes Montgomery 

Al Dimeola 

Robin Trower

Jeff Beck

Pat Martino

Allan Holdsworth

Ralph Towner

I’ve been fortunate enough to see some of these folks live so let me give an additional thumbs up to Robben Ford and Tommy Emmanuel.  

Peter Green is another all time fave, though I’ve never heard him in person.  

Mark Knopfler is often passed over in these discussions and yet I think he plays with an understated elegance and soulfulness that is virtuoso but not flashy.  I’ve never seen him solo but saw Dire Straits twice.  

As a blues afficiando it’s hard to avoid the Kings of electric guitar: Freddie, Albert and B.B.  Have not listened to Born Under a Bad Sign in months.  I’m overdue.  

I was lucky enough to see SRV on the same stage as Clapton and he blew everyone away.  Also that night Jeff Healy impressed with his fire and emotion.  Not many folks know he played the trumpet as well.  

On the Jazz side I really like Pat Metheny, Kenny Burrell and Grant Green.  But if you’re an audiophile and have not heard any of the albums by Al DiMeola, John McLaughlin and Paco DeLucia you are missing out.  Bill Frisell and Larry Coryell deserve an honorable mention here too. 

I didn’t notice any female players mentioned so allow me to throw a couple of names off the top of my head into the mix here.  
Sue Foley is a very talented blues player and Patty Larkin is just fantastic; check out Banish Misfortune/Open Hand , either the studio or live version.  

And I love Susan Tedeschi but am I the only one that thinks Dereck Trucks sounds screechy?  Or is he always just in the wrong key?  

Maybe I've mentioned this before, but I continue to appreciate Joan Baez, Judy Collins and Joni Mitchell -- all major influences on my own guitar playing. Joan Jett was fun if perhaps a bit sloppy. One of the punk bands I played in had a female lead guitarist, too. She was horrible. I got to say, though, that her ineptness had little to do with our own lack of success. Even by punk band standards we were horrible.