100 Greatest Guitar Players

[cgarges]

Trust me in saying that I don't hold Rolling Stone sacred or anything. In fact, I rarely read it, but can anyone out there please explain to me how Wes Montgomery, David Gilmour, and Chet Atkins failed to make this list? I'm being totally serious. I mean, I can understand people's opinions being different from one another and I can name a whole shitload of people who were left off, but really. These three absent? Furthermore, I would love to hear how George Harrison was placed at number 21, five places behind Jack White. I'm really trying to be open-minded and understand this, but it completely fails to make any sense to me. I'd love to hear from anyone who can justify everyone on the list in light of all the people I mentioned. Really.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[rhythm ranch]

Here's the list:

1 Jimi 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 Qeen
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
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

[Curbcalc]

Chris, Gilmour actually made it, I think, somewhere around 85-right before or after Neil friggin' Young-Which makes those 2 guitar players something like 65 places worse than Jack White and John whoever the the hell stumbles through the chili pepper's songs. It made me go back and listen to the recent White Stripes opus Elephant. I do enjoy the record in a reckless haphazard way. It sings to me. But I bet this board in the coarse of a few hours could come up with a 100 Slide guitarists that are better than Jack White. I just imagine the deer in headlights look on his face during the jam session that would include Mr. Young, and Mr. Gilmour.

I do not think that list is aimed at music listeners as much as music consumers. Methinks current and back catalog has something to do with it. Kinda like when britnee or nsync was given the 2nd best pop song of all time by the editors of rolling stone a few years back.

Finally, Kurt Cobain was a great Songwriter and very good guitar player. I think it ends about there.

LH

[honkyjonk]

I wouldn't even put Eric Crapton on that list. And I just took a quick look, but I didn't see any Nick Drake. Psssssst. Wha?

[marqueemoon]

No Johnny Marr?

One of the thousands of reasons I don't read Rolling Stone.

[miamidevice]

While I am pleasantly surprised to see John Fahey on the list (top 50, no less...), the inclusion of Kirk Hammett at #11 is flabbergasting. Similarly, excluding Dr. Know is shameful.

m.

[Seamus666]

Jeez,
Link Wray #67 and Jerry "King of the Inaudible" Garcia #13? Where the hell is the justice in that? I'd put Link Wray in the top 3 for sheer "rock value" and I'm not talking "Rumble" here. I'm talking his whole catalog until the 70's. Similarly, the duo of Kramer/Smith blows doors off Sonic Youth. Cobain became a decent guitar player and a great songwriter, the latter being a far more impressive feat than the former. Thank god I didn't see too many Joe Satriani-esque wankers on that list. Then again, I didn't look too close.

Ughh, please tell me I just missed seeing the following and that they really are on that list....

Jimmy Bryant
Ray Nichols
Lonnie Johnson
Fred McDowell
Hound Dog Taylor
Angus Young (#97?)
Elmore James
Paul Burleson (Rock and Roll Trio)
Carl FREAKIN Perkins
Charlie Patton
Fred Cole (Dead Moon)

I assume they excluded jazz players because that's a whole nuther list but once you include a BB King or Lightnin Hopkins you open up a whole can of worms with the guys I listed and many, many more. And then you have to compare them to Jack White, a guy who is talented enough but about whom Rolling Stone will not be content until he is exalted as some Rock God. He's not all that. I mean, Angus at #97 and White at #17? Who has created more unforgettable rock standards? And I'm no huge AC/DC head. Ughh, I could go on, but that's the whole point...

[EasyGo]

No Johnny Marr?

No shit. How bout Roger McGuinn?

Not only no Chet Atkins (one of Harrison's biggest influences) but no Merle Travis (one of Atkins' biggest influences)? No Django?

Warren Haynes? Above the Freakin' Edge? And where's Andy Summers on this list? Good lord, this type of thing really gets me rankled!

[wing]

Kevin Shields @ 95?? well, at least he made the list... but still... he's a better guitarist and made more innovative sounds with his guitar than most people on that list, in my opinion

[Randall]

goes to show there are some punk ass's working for RS,were is Brent Mason?,Malmsteen?,Vai?,Segovia?,hell,who's that guy that plays for Diamond Rio?,I see some jackasses that I can play better than myself on the BS list,,where the hell is Billy Gibbons?thats what I'm talkin bout' Jimmy Bryant?,,shit dude thats a well kept secret(one of the innovaters,period)him and Speedy West were awe inspiring,,excuse me but were is,,Danny Gatton?

[cgarges]

Sorry, I don't know how I missed Gilmour. Probably just because I was so stunned by the time I got that far down. I mean, I'm really trying to consider these people as great by way of being "influential," because that often defines impartial greatness. I wouldn't say that Artemis Pyle is a great drummer, but you can't deny that he has influenced thousands of rednecks everywhere. And I dare anyone to suggest that someone like Tony Levin or James Jamerson being left off a list like that. Even Eddie Vedder should appear on a list like this without question because of the VAST number of singers adding "R"s to every vowel sound they make. I just really don't get it.

In all honesty, there are some people on the list (and a few of the lists here) with which I am not familiar. But I'd be really surprised if anyone reading this post has never even heard of Wes Montgomery or Chet Atkins. Trust me, I'm restraining myself from naming a whole lot more.

By the way, Danny Gatton is thankfully on the list at number 63.

Thanks for posting the list, rhythm ranch!

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[darkestshade79]

Well of course they're gonna put Jack White ahead of everyone else...... they gotta sell the magazine somehow! The average jackass that picks up this mag has no idea who more than 80% of these people are. In summary, dont waste your time on corporate crap

[mingus2112]

Well. . .seems to me that the list is OK as IS. . .but it should be "Top 100 most INFLUENCIAL" or "popular" guitar players. I fail to see how Kurt Kobain made it on the list at all. I hate Nirvana, but at the same time I respect the musical impact that they made. I also respect Kurt as a songwriter. But a guitar player? No WAY!

I guess i'm singling him out because he jumped out at me first. The real point is that there will NEVER be one of these lists that everyone agrees on. Jimi Hendrix number 1?? He is perhaps one of my FAVORITES and most INFLUENCIAL and I am in no way denying that he was a KICK ASS player and better then a billion other guys. . .but greatest?. . .nah. . .try again.

-James

[tactics]

In summary, dont waste your time on corporate crap

[KingOlaf]

I'd say just don't waste your time on crap, regardless of where it comes from.