Recently I was again reminded of Rolling Stone’s Top 100 list of guitar players, and it really made me start thinking. Since starting GuitarPlayerZen, I’ve really realized that it is pretty much impossible to come out with any kind of objective rating scale on guitarists. Hell, I know probably more than 100 guitar players that are our Myspace Friends that could objectively “smoke” some of these guys.
It is, however, very interesting to see what players are influential to other great musicians. Whenever I hear a new talented guitarist, I immediately begin to wonder what guitar players he/she grew up listening to and idolizing. Finding out who one’s top influences are is a great way to discover new talent, I also feel is a great exercise in understanding and appreciation for all musical genres. You might not like metal, but there is something that can be greatly appreciated in the playing of Dragonforce, or Dimebag. You might not be into country chicken pickin’, but man Brent Mason can play the hell outta a guitar.
We would love to hear who your Top 5 Guitarists are in our Forum. We could all benefit from it!
Anyways, keep reading for the Rolling Stone’s Top 100 Guitar Players List and let us know what you think about it at the end of the post:
The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time
1Jimi Hendrix
2 Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band
3 B.B. King
4 Eric Clapton
5 Robert Johnson
6 Chuck Berry
7 Stevie Ray Vaughan
8 Ry Cooder
9 Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin
10 Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones
11Kirk Hammett of Metallica
12 Kurt Cobain of Nirvana
13 Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead
14 Jeff Beck
15 Carlos Santana
16 Johnny Ramone of the Ramones
17 Jack White of the White Stripes
18 John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
19 Richard Thompson
20 James Burton
21 George Harrison
22 Mike Bloomfield
23 Warren Haynes
24 The Edge of U2
25 Freddy King
26 Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave
27 Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits
28 Stephen Stills
29 Ron Asheton of the Stooges
30 Buddy Guy
31 Dick Dale
32 John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service
33 & 34 Lee Ranaldo, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth
35 John Fahey
36 Steve Cropper of Booker T. and the MG’s
37 Bo Diddley
38 Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac
39 Brian May of Queen
40 John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival
41 Clarence White of the Byrds
42 Robert Fripp of King Crimson
43 Eddie Hazel of Funkadelic
44 Scotty Moore
45 Frank Zappa
46 Les Paul
47 T-Bone Walker
48 Joe Perry of Aerosmith
49 John McLaughlin
50 Pete Townshend
51 Paul Kossoff of Free
52 Lou Reed
53 Mickey Baker
54 Jorma Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane
55 Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple
56 Tom Verlaine of Television
57 Roy Buchanan
58 Dickey Betts
59 & 60 Jonny Greenwood, Ed O’Brien of Radiohead
61 Ike Turner
62 Zoot Horn Rollo of the Magic Band
63 Danny Gatton
64 Mick Ronson
65 Hubert Sumlin
66 Vernon Reid of Living Colour
67 Link Wray
68 Jerry Miller of Moby Grape
69 Steve Howe of Yes
70 Eddie Van Halen
71 Lightnin’ Hopkins
72 Joni Mitchell
73 Trey Anastasio of Phish
74 Johnny Winter
75 Adam Jones of Tool
76 Ali Farka Toure
77 Henry Vestine of Canned Heat
78 Robbie Robertson of the Band
79 Cliff Gallup of the Blue Caps (1997)
80 Robert Quine of the Voidoids
81 Derek Trucks
82 David Gilmour of Pink Floyd
83 Neil Young
84 Eddie Cochran
85 Randy Rhoads
86 Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath
87 Joan Jett
88 Dave Davies of the Kinks
89 D. Boon of the Minutemen
90 Glen Buxton of Alice Cooper
91 Robby Krieger of the Doors
92 & 93 Fred “Sonic” Smith, Wayne Kramer of the MC5
94 Bert Jansch
95 Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine
96 Angus Young of AC/DC
97 Robert Randolph
98 Leigh Stephens of Blue Cheer
99 Greg Ginn of Black Flag
100 Kim Thayil of Soundgarden
Popularity: 32% [?]
Featured Guitar Player of the Week: Mike OrlandoWho’s your biggest influence on the guitar?Guitar Player Favorite Review & Bio: Andy TimmonsGuitar Player Virtuouso Review: Oz NoyRemembering our Fallen Guitar Heroes
44 responses so far ↓
1 Kenny // Mar 3, 2008 at 1:02 pm
For sure all of these guitarist are good but I think to be politically correct, Rolling Stone’s should name this “The Top 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL Guitarist of all time…
2 Brian Lowe // Mar 3, 2008 at 1:37 pm
1)Brent Mason
2)Steve Lukather
3)James Burton
4)Jimi Hendrix
5)Edie Van Halen
3 jimmy mac // Mar 3, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Wes Montgomery
Jimi Hendrix
Jeff Beck
Sabicas
Django
4 Liam McCann // Mar 3, 2008 at 7:05 pm
Last I checked, Steve Morse has been voted best overall guitarist by Guitar Player magazine more times in the last 10 years than any other guitarist. These lists are laughable ! There are TOO many guitarists who rate on a level with the 100 mentioned!
5 guitarzan6000 // Mar 4, 2008 at 6:57 am
You gotta be kidding me…Joan Jett ???? I mean seriously, is this a JOKE??? How can there even BE a
“greatest guitarist” list???? Thats like rating the top 100 “Wives” of all time, you just can’t!!! It’s all based just on “opinions”, and you know what they say about opinions….”Opinions are like A**holes, everyone has one, nobody wants to hear someone else’s, and they all stink”….
6 John fitness trainer New Urleans // Mar 5, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Roy Buchanan 57th?
No Chet Atkins?
7 Ben // Mar 7, 2008 at 1:02 am
Of course this list is biased toward rock/pop, which is fine, considering it comes from Rolling Stone. I’m not really surprised that other great players like Vince Gil or Robben Ford aren’t on the list instead of Jack White and Johnny Ramone. I suppose if it were a perfect world they would be.
Liam’s right - There’s just no way to keep the list to 100.
8 Ben // Mar 7, 2008 at 2:07 am
I don’t know about “top” five, but here are five that I like that you may not have heard about:
Jim Hall
Alan Holdsworth
Herb Ellis
Russell Malone
Graham Dechter
9 Jeff // Mar 7, 2008 at 11:32 am
Yeah this list is a little iffy. I have a feeling that the creators of this list might not even have played guitar at all….But hey to each his own!
10 Chris // Mar 8, 2008 at 8:52 pm
These lists are almost always politically correct garbage. When it comes to sheer ability Shawn Lane will always be the greatest electric guitarist. And where are Gary Moore, Michael Schenker and Uli Jon Roth?! Half the people on this RS list are weak and most of them are not important as players but rather as songwriters. Newsflash - Joan Jett, Kirk Hammett, Kurt Cobain, Jack White, Steven Stills, Keith Shields, Kim Thayil, Loud Reed et al never have and never will matter as guitar players. What a joke! But then again - this is Rolling Stone so the joke doesn’t come as a surprise.
11 Allphourus // Mar 11, 2008 at 11:54 am
Well I agree that these kind of list are an exercise in futillity.
So I’ll go with some of my fav’s, that way it’s about me and not “Who’s the Bast?”. In no particular order:
1)Nah, I just can’t limit myself to just FIVE.
Let’s try this,I’ll just do what a few others have and list some conspicuous omissions:
Phlii Keaggy
John Renbourn
Jim Wieder
Rory Gallagher
Joe Walsh
Gordon Kennedy
Dan Huff
Jerry Donahue
Bill Perry
Paul Ashbell
Pat Martino
John Scofield
Mike Stern
Howard Roberts
Larry Carlton
Larry Coryell
David Bromberg
Steve Miller
Pat Metheny
Jon Randall
David Lindley
Joe Satriani
Steve Vai
Eric Johnson
Bruce Cockburn
Patty Larkin
John Fehy
Al Di Meola
Roy Clark
Frank Gambale
Michael Hedges
Steve Wariner
Tal Farlow
Lenny Breau
Jerry McPherson
John Jorgeson
Tony Rice
…………..ON and ON and ON………………..
12 Ed // Mar 17, 2008 at 12:30 am
Rolling stones list of top guitarists is a complete joke, it’s a popularity contest, there are a few guys who belong in their top 20 , but people like Eddie Van Halen 70, Randy Rhoads 90, Joni mitchell ? the guys from sonic youth? I don’t know who compiled this list but they know nothing bout true musical ability, sure Jimi, and Clapton, belong in their but there are so many who were left out, not to mention those on the list who were so innovative, and they sit way down the list, where’s Alan Holdsworth, Al Dimeola, Chet Artkins,Willie Nelson, Next time ask a guitar magazine to help out with the list.
13 Skydog 2 // Apr 7, 2008 at 11:59 am
I love that they put duane allman number 2 when he plays i get goose bumps
14 matt Karre // Apr 14, 2008 at 8:01 am
SRV deserves way better than 7th. Im glad that shitty guitar players like cobain steve howe can make it past van halen. And this list is a fucking popularity contest. Im pretty sure that dimebag should be AT LEAST!! in the top 30. And what about Janick Gers, Dave Murrey, and Adrian smith from one of the greatest band of all time. Iron maiden. i think they should get a little respect because they paved the way for dual guitar riffs and solos. And even alexi laiho should be on here. I think this list is garbage. Rolling stone should stick to the genres of pop and rap, because they know nothing about guitar. METAL!!!!!
15 jim myers, n.c. // Apr 20, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Leo Kottke, I guess he just isn’t that well known, what a shame. He’s one of the best.
16 cody w, nc // Jun 20, 2008 at 12:30 am
i agree with matt Karre, iron maiden SHOULD be on this list. have you ever heard the songs titled ” Run To The Hills, The Number Of The Beast, The Trooper, or 2 Minutes To Midnight”? Listen to the guitar in those songs! you will want iron maiden to be on this list. i agree that kirk hammett should be in the top ten, which he is. But come on, Angus Young is 96th!! that is bull shit. here is my list in my own opinion:
1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Stevie Ray Vaughnn
3. Kirk Hammett of Metallica
4. Slash of Guns N’ Roses
5. Dave Mustaine of Metallica and Megadeth
6. Angus Young of AC/DC
7. Dan Donegan of Disturbed
8. Dave Murray of Iron Maiden
9. Eddie Van Halen of Van Halen
10. Eric Clapton
11. Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin
12. Tom Morrello of Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave
13. Kurt Cobain of Nirvana
14. Eric Johnson
15. Jerry Garcia of Grateful Dead
16. Les Paul
17. Joe Perry
18. Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple
19. David Guilmour of Pink Floyd
20. Glen Buxton of Alice Cooper
21. Neil Young
22. Tony Iomma of Black Sabbath
23. Randy Rhoads
24. Vernon Reid of Living Colour
25. Lou Reed
26. Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden
27. John Frusciante of Red Hot Chili Peppers
28. Johney Ramone of The Ramones
29. Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones
30. Chuck Berry
31. Ry Cooder
32. Robert Johnson
33. B.B. King
34. Daron Malkian of System of a Down
35. Rudolf Schenker and Michael Schenker of The Scorpions.
Thank You.
17 Brice // Jun 23, 2008 at 4:05 pm
What about Joe Satriani-you all lost your minds.
18 Dreamtard // Jun 25, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Cody, Rollingstone, other jokefaces on this site…
I actually laughed out loud at some of the people you claim are worse at guitar than Kurt Cobain. Songwriter is one thing he deserves MASSIVE respect for…. but guitarist!?! Get…serious. I mean, think about what your claiming… Do you actually believe Kurt Cobain could theoretically teach guitar technique to Jerry Garcia!?!? HAH! Straight laughable. Kurt Cobain shouldn’t be on the top 500 greatest guitar players of all time list.
19 wulf // Jun 30, 2008 at 7:54 am
How Phil Keaggy can be left off any top guitarist list is beyond me. Hendrix called Keaggy the best! Phil is still out there creating and playing his heart out. I just saw him 2 days ago in front of about 50,000 people. In my book he’s been #1 for a long time. Pick up a Glass Harp disc or one of his solo ventures and give it a spin.
20 rockthemetal // Jul 1, 2008 at 10:13 am
What the Hell were is Dimebag Darrell come on listen to pantera sometime he should def be at the top of the list.
21 chase // Jul 5, 2008 at 3:23 pm
i think angus young is overrated, he was like 96th and slash wasnt on it.
heres MY five
1. Jimmy Page
2. Eric Clapton
3. David Gilmore
4. Pete Townshend
5. Jimmy Hendrix
22 The CUZ 13 // Jul 8, 2008 at 12:12 pm
ACE FREHLEY!!!! You mean to tell me Joan Jett is better than ACE? What about LITA FORD? She is SOOOOOO much better than JETT!!! This list is a joke!
23 wulf // Jul 10, 2008 at 6:27 pm
I forgot to leave my top 5 picks in my last comment.
1) Phil Keaggy
2) Joe Satrianni
3) Jimi Hendrix
4) Eric Clapton
5) SRV
I have to admit I have a warm spot in my heart for Roy Clark too.
24 Mark Mannion // Jul 15, 2008 at 5:18 am
Rory Gallagher has to be in aty least the top 5 there and thats not just my opinion.alot of people dont know him because he didnt care for fame.he just wanted to play the guitar.a reported once asked jimi hendrix “what it felt like to be the best blues guitar player in the world.he replied ” i dunno.ask rory gallagher”
25 Randy Wright // Jul 15, 2008 at 10:21 am
Frank Marino? Jake Cinninger? Jimmy Herring? Michael Houser? Kenny Wayne Shepherd? Brendan Bayliss? Bill Nelson? Doyle Bramhall II? Steve Kimock? Alex Lifeson? Robin Trower? Joe Bonamassa? Rory Gallagher? Alvin Lee? Michael Shenker? Walter Trout? Billy Gibbons? I could go on and on. Your list is weak, to say the least!
26 Jeff // Jul 15, 2008 at 10:55 am
Yes indeed Rolling Stone’s List is definitely a little crazy.
And maaan do I love me some Jimmy Herring!
27 ed // Jul 15, 2008 at 3:04 pm
no #1s just different flavors for different taste buds
28 Dsmith // Jul 17, 2008 at 10:45 pm
Duane Allman is probably one of the best ever. He deserves a top 5 at the very least
29 AR // Jul 22, 2008 at 2:36 am
Eddie Van Halen at no. 70, no Steve Vai and No Joe satriani apart from being rock guitar legends in their own right - these guys were resonsible for more people picking up guitars in the 80s and 90s than all others put together.
30 Jason // Jul 23, 2008 at 11:02 pm
This is my top five:
1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Eric Clapton
3. Johnny Winter
4. Duane Allman
5. Warren Haynes
Sorry, but I love the blues. Johnny Winter was #74 on Rolling Stones list?! I guess the fact that Johnny Winter filled in with Hendrix’s band for a memorial concert after he died doesn’t earn but a #74 is very sad.
31 Darran // Jul 25, 2008 at 12:52 pm
My top five are =
1.Duane Allman
2.Warren Haynes
3.Michael Houser
4.Jerry Garcia
5.Scott WINO Weinrich
32 Leon Holston // Aug 3, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Why does your list not include the great Wes Montgomery, George Benson, Earl Klugh, and Stanly Jordan. These are some of the greatest and most influencial players of all time, and would play circles around over half the names on your list.
33 jpohan // Aug 11, 2008 at 2:28 am
Rory Gallagher seems like ignoring all the fames behind as he just plays and tours. He wasn’t on a RS’s 100 greatests, but he should, really.
34 ADAM // Aug 14, 2008 at 2:45 am
WHERE THE HELL IS
DIMEBAG DARELL
IN YOUR LIST
DIMEBAG DARELL
35 ADAM // Aug 14, 2008 at 2:47 am
1. dimebag darell
2. jimmy paige
3. eddie van halen
4. toni iommi
5. kirk hammet
36 adam // Aug 15, 2008 at 2:03 am
Wow i cant believe this, i believe that guitar players should be judged on influence and skill i think that people like angus young and slash should be towards the top one because angus and acdc are still going strong and have been for 30 plus years slash will always be one of the best because of his talent. I have been learning guitar for about two years now and i can play almost any rock song but slash and angus young’s solos are some of the hardest i have tried to play because they are so fast and the timing is so difficult you have to be pretty advanced at the guitar to play them exact and i dont recall seeing slash on this list at all which is pretty amazing to me i cant belive that he isnt even mentioned on this list at all
37 Jeff // Aug 15, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Yeah Slash should definitely be on this list. You should take it up with Rolling Stone Magazine! We will have our own top list sometime in the future, so be on the look out for that! Thanks for the feedback!
38 Jon // Aug 20, 2008 at 10:37 pm
Some people need to open there eyes more and see how instrumental hardcore bands can be. For example, look at the lead guitarist for Killswitch engage, Parkway Drive, August Burns Red, etc.
39 allen // Sep 2, 2008 at 12:52 am
HERE IS MY TOP FIVE
1.SLASH OF GUNS N ROSES
2.GEORGE HARRISON OF BEATLES
3.JIMI HENDRIX
4.BRIAN MAY OF QUEEN
5.DUFF MCKAGAN OF GUNS N ROSES
40 John "Flagg" Francese // Sep 6, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Well, here’s my 2 cents on the matter,they were like Gods when I started playing!
1. Ritchie Blackmore
2. Jeff Beck
3.Leslie West
4.Tommy Bolin
5. Jim McCarthy (Cactus,Mitch Rider,Buddy Miles)
41 Paul Lowe // Sep 19, 2008 at 9:54 am
Here is my top 20
1.Andy Timmons
2.Steve Lukather
3.Tommy Emmanuel
4.Kee Marcello
5.Gary Moore
6.Joe Satriani
7.Steve Vai
8.Jason Becker
9.Michel Cusson
10.Brent Mason
11.Justin King
12.Shawn Lane
13.Eddie Van Halen
14.Eric Johnson
15.Albert Lee
16.Steve Morse
17.Yngwie Malmsteen
18.John Williams
19.Phil Keaggy
20.David Gilmour
42 Andy // Sep 23, 2008 at 12:53 pm
my favorite 20
Jimmy Page
Jimi Hendrix
John Frusciante
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Yngwie Malmsteen
Eric Clapton
Eddie Van Halen
Dimebag Darell
Kirk Hammet
BucketHead
Joe Satriani
Alexi Laiho
Jack White
Steve Vai
Toni Iommi
Buddy Guy
Randy Rhoads
Slash
Robert Johnson
Kurt Cobain
43 Jeff // Sep 25, 2008 at 10:00 am
I think Kirk Hammet, Jimmy Page, Dimebag darell, van halen and dave mustain are the masters but heres my list on 1-20
1.Kirk Hammet of Metallica
2.Dimebag Darell of Pantera
3.Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin
4.Eddie Van Halen
5.Dave Mustain of Megadeth
6.Herman Li of Dragon Force
7.Jimi Hendix
8.Stevie Ray Vaughn
9.Slash of Guns n Roses and Velvet Revolver
10.Duane Allman of Allman Brothers
11.Angus Young of ACDC
12.Randy Rhoads of Quiet Riot and OZZY
13.Kurt Cobain of Nirvana
14.Jack White of White Stripes
15.Tom Morello of Rage and Audioslave
16.Eric Clapton
17.Eric Johnson
18.Zack Wyllde of Black Label Society
19.John Frusciante of Red Hot Chili Peppers
20.Brian May of Queen
44 Brickman550 // Oct 2, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Rory Gallagher isn’t even on the list?
http://www.last.fm/music/Rory+Gallagher
Leave a Comment