Top 15 Most Influential Guitarists

[R_of_G]

Neil Young- nobody can get so much out of one string

Except perhaps Django Reinhardt.

Dan Auerbach - so much noise for 2 people to make

I love The Black Keys as well. I just got Dan's solo album this week. I highly recommend it. He's evolving as a songwriter, but still very heavily rooted in the blues. If you like Dan, you should enjoy it.

[Geraint Jones]

Except perhaps Django Reinhardt.

Hahaha, yeah opposite ends of the spectrum alright .

I`ll defineately be looking out for Dan Auerbach`s new solo stuff , I think I`ve got all the other albums but I`ve never seen them live and they`re supposed to be fantastic

[R_of_G]

I've not seen them live in person either, but I have some live stuff on audio (a John Peel session, a live broadcast for the BBC, and a couple of live full shows). They are definitely a powerful live act. Like you said, it's a lot of sound for coming from only two people.

[johnboymartin]

Thanks for the great idea. You made me think!

Hutch Hutchinson - my first guitar teacher RIP Hutch!!
Rev. Virgil Martin- my Dad who taught me Hank Sr tunes
George Harrison
Chuck Berry
Pete Townsend
Pat Metheney
Billy Gibbons
Bill Lloyd
Jimmy Page
Trevor Rabin
Mike Campbell
Andy Summers
Hendrix
Lee Ritenour
Wes Montgomery



thanks!

Johnboy

[marnold***]

Pat Metheny is a good choice too, although he falls into the same category for me as a guy like Tommy Emmanuel: guys I love to listen to, but I can't see myself ever imitating. With Metheny it's mostly because I don't "get" Jazz. With Emmanuel (and really Metheny too for that matter) I understand that I'll never have the chops to play like them anyway.

[R_of_G]

Marnold, I feel the same way about Metheney. I absolutely love his playing but I harbor no illusions that I'd ever be able to play like that. The guy is a genius, but way out of my league.

Back to the subject of Dan Auerbach for a second. About an hour ago I taught myself how to play "I Got Mine" and I am quite thrilled about it. I can play a few covers that the Black Keys play ("She Said She Said" and "Have Love, Will Travel") but this is the first proper Black Keys song I've learned. Whoo hoo!!

[Geraint Jones]

I must admit I`m more inclined to list guys who`s guitar playing is a little more tangible to the mere mortal.

And now I`m going to have to dig out Attack and Release , although I`ve been listening to Tony Rice for most of the afternoon

[Geraint Jones]

Marnold, I feel the same way about Metheney. I absolutely love his playing but I harbor no illusions that I'd ever be able to play like that. The guy is a genius, but way out of my league.

Back to the subject of Dan Auerbach for a second. About an hour ago I taught myself how to play "I Got Mine" and I am quite thrilled about it. I can play a few covers that the Black Keys play ("She Said She Said" and "Have Love, Will Travel") but this is the first proper Black Keys song I've learned. Whoo hoo!!

Now I`ve had to go and learn that as well , damn.

[R_of_G]

It's pretty easy, the main riff of it anyway. Sounds a lot like it could have been a Zeppelin riff (which is a compliment).

[Geraint Jones]

Yeah it did`nt take me long to suss it out , although I know the intros to tons of stuff .

[street music]

John Lennon
George Harrison
John Fogerty
John Mellencamp
Joe Walsh
Richie Blackmore
Gerry Beckley
Glenn Frey
David Gilmoure
John Cash
Johnnie Rivers
There are more but I just can't think of them right now.

[kiteman]

I groove on the 70s stars and wish to keep the 70s music alive.

My very favs and who I like to play are:

Mark Farner (Grand Funk Railroad)
Buck Dharma (Blue Oyster Cult)
Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath)
Richie Blackmore (Deep Purple)

And ME! (The Brazen Man) :

[blingdogg]

Jimi Hendrix
Jimmy Page
Eric Clapton
Dan Auerbach (Black Keys)
Buddy Guy
Freddie King
Jack White (White Stripes/Raconteurs)
Mick Collins (Dirtbombs)
Albert King
R.L. Burnside
Eric Gales
Jimmy D. Lane
SRV
Eddie Hazel
Santana

[oldguy]

Wow............. with all the meat & potato players listed I figured someone would have listed Mick Green.........

the antithesis of "getting so much out of one string".

[johnboymartin]

Howdy!

To me, Pat Metheney, Lee Ritenour, and to some degree Larry Carlton and Wes Montgomery made me realize that there is melody that we don't get to hear by typical rock players. I can't play any of there tunes, although I scoot around on Montgomery a little. However, after starting to listen to the aforementioned guitarists more than 20 years ago, I wanted to be able to express myself with the guitar as I heard melody in my head. It ain't hardly worked out, but I can still hear "As it falls in Witchita,... so it falls in Witchita Falls, Wes Bound, the theme from MASH, and all those cool commercial tunes we all know Montgomery played on the radio when I was a kid back in the 60's. Now that was taking the guitar to a place it hadn't been before, and made me less afraid of what I was doing. I wanted to write more using the guitar as my centerpiece.

By the way, I still suck, but I suck a lot less than I used to.


Johnboy

[kiteman]

Howdy!

To me, Pat Metheney, Lee Ritenour, and to some degree Larry Carlton and Wes Montgomery made me realize that there is melody that we don't get to hear by typical rock players. I can't play any of there tunes, although I scoot around on Montgomery a little. However, after starting to listen to the aforementioned guitarists more than 20 years ago, I wanted to be able to express myself with the guitar as I heard melody in my head. It ain't hardly worked out, but I can still hear "As it falls in Witchita,... so it falls in Witchita Falls, Wes Bound, the theme from MASH, and all those cool commercial tunes we all know Montgomery played on the radio when I was a kid back in the 60's. Now that was taking the guitar to a place it hadn't been before, and made me less afraid of what I was doing. I wanted to write more using the guitar as my centerpiece.

By the way, I still suck, but I suck a lot less than I used to.


Johnboy

Don't worry, you're not alone. Sometimes I think I'm a rock star.

[oldguy]

There's also Robert Johnson....not the blues legend, the Memphis white kid.

Rolling Stone magazine gave his album a good review, so I bought it, about 30 years ago. You can have a free listen@ lala if you'd like.

http://www.lala.com/album/3098758019311669901

To quote johnboymartin, I guess "it ain't hardly worked out" for this Robert Johnson as far as record deals.......I don't know where he's at today, can't find much info on him. I only mention the more obscure guitarists, as some of you may want to hear something new. Everyone has listed some great influences, I'd rather list some not previously mentioned.

(Quote from Tim Brough's review)

"One of the late seventies lost classics came in the form of a split-legged Memphis rock guitarist who came with an incredible pedigree. Robert Johnson was the touring guitarist with John Entwistle's Ox, was once considered a replacement for Mick Taylor in the Rolling Stones (Ronnie Wood got the gig) and was signed with the lavish - but ultimately failed - Infinity Records in the USA. Infinity was a new vanity label which scored early hits from Rupert Holmes, Orleans, Hot Chocolate, New England and Spyrogyra. Johnson was supposed to be their entry into the scene that was blowing up via The Knack and The Cars.

Johnson's album met that challenge and more. While his closest contemporary of the time would be folks like Dave Edmunds or Nick Lowe, his fretwork was still rooted in Chuck Berry's Memphis and there was an energy here that could have lit up radio dials had radio been paying attention (and Infinity not $pent itself into oblivion). Like Berry, Johnson has an affinity for the cars and girls rock life, as is evidenced by name-drop titles like Keri, Leslie and Debbie. I've also been always partial to "Wreck My Mind," Johnson's ode to the calamity of love ("like cutting corners on two wheels...").

While the album never caught on stateside (and Infinity tanked soon after the album was released, wiki the label if you'd like to see more), Johnson did get a second album in the UK. His biggest hit there was a faithful (if revved up) cover of Elvis Presley's "Burning Love." The companion album, "The Memphis Demos" is linked to the CD, marking its first release ever in the US. They include a couple live cuts and raw versions of "Wish Upon a Star" and "I'll Be Waiting

[guitartango]

No one has mentioned the First UK strat Player Hank Marvin (The shadows), without him there wouldn't be

Brian May, Pete Townsend, Dave Gilmour, Jimmy Page and countless more British guitar players.

He was a God before Clapton became God.

[oldguy]

No one has mentioned the First UK strat Player Hank Marvin (The shadows), without him there wouldn't be

Brian May, Pete Townsend, Dave Gilmour, Jimmy Page and countless more British guitar players.

He was a God before Clapton became God.

Absolutely.
Marvin was about 3 yrs. older than Mick Green. However, Marvin was a more refined player, and was influencing players before Green, who had a more raw, wild style of playing. By the time Mick Green came to play for Johhny Kidd and the Pirates, Marvin had long ago left his mark with the Drifters, which was later changed to The Shadows.
Each band had hits in the U.K. around the same time, albeit with different band members.