The following list of 100 rock guitarists was found in Trouser Press magazine for thr months of December 1978 and January 1979. It stopped printing in 1984. This was the first list of guitarists like this I've seen and it helped me to scope out those guitarists I never heard before. There are a lot of great players here and with the date of its publication, it doesn't include a lot of other players, recent or non-rock. An incomplete listing of those I like is below this list. This is not an all encompising list, so if your fave guitarist isn't here, I might have forgotten him/her. But the best thing of all to do is make your own page. The TP list also included listings of best work/solos, bands played in, sessions they played in and guitars used, all of which I hope to add as soon as time allows. I've also added things from the Guitar for the Practicing Musician magazine article of Unsung Guitar Heroes. Until then, enjoy...
Jan Akkerman b.12/24/46, Holland
Best Work : Moving Waves, Focus 3 LP's (Focus) Tabernakel LP (Solo)
Duane Allman 11/20/46 - 10/29/71 b. Macon, GA
Best Work: Live At The Fillmore East LP (Allman Brothers), Layla LP (Derek and the Dominoes)
Syd Barrett b.1/6/46, Cambridge, England
Best Works: See Emily Play, Arnold Layne, Take Up Thy Stethescope and Walk, Apples and Oranges, Astronomy Domine, Interstellar Overdrive (Pink Floyd); No Man's Land, Late Night, Rats, Gigolo Aunt, Wolfpack (Solo)
Jeff Beck b.6/24/44, Surrey, England
Best Work: Beck's Bolero, Shapes of Things, Definitely Maybe, Livin' Alone, Cause We Ended As Lovers, Sophie, Rock Me Baby
Chuck Berry b.1/15/26, St. Louis, MO
Best Work: Maybelline, Johnny B. Goode, Deep Feeling, Reelin' and Rockin', School Day
Ritchie Blackmore b.4/14/45, Weston-super-Mare, England
Best Work: Machine Head LP (Deep Purple); Catch The Rainbow, Lady of the Lake, Gates of Babylon (Rainbow)
Mike Bloomfield7/28/43 - 2/25/81 b. Chicago, IL
Best Work: 1st LP, East West LP (Butterfield Blues Band); Highway 61 LP (Bob Dylan) Supersession LP
Marc Bolan 5/8/48 - 9/16/77 b. London, England
Best Solos: 20th Century Boy, Get It On, Ride A White Swan, Elemental Child
Definitive Licks: Jeepster, Buick McKane
James Burton b. 1941, US
Best Work: Suzie Q (Dale Hawkins): Waitin' In School, Believe What You Say, My Bucket's Got A Hole In It,Down The Line (Ricky Nelson); Solo LP
Glen Buxton 11/10/47 - 10/19/97 b. Akron, OH
Best Solos: I'm Eighteen, Billion Dollar Babies, Below Your Means, Ballad of Dwight Frye, Laughing At Me
Randy California 2/12/50 - 1/2/97 b. Los Angeles, CA
Best Work: Clear LP, Nature's Way, When I Touch You, Girl In Your Eye (Spirit); Rain (Kapt. Kopter)
John Cipollina 8/24/43 - 5/29/89 b. Berkeley, CA
Best Work: Gold and Silver, The Fool, Who Do You Love Suite (Quicksilver Messenger Service)
Eric Clapton b.3/30/45, Ripley, Surrey, England
Best Work: Five Live Yardbirds LP; All Your Love, Hideaway, Steppin' Out, Double Crossing Time, Stormy Monday (Bluesbreakers); Rollin' and Tumbin', Sunshine of Your Love, Tales of Brave Ulysses, Crossroads, White Room, Badge, etc. (Cream); Presence of the Lord (Blind Faith); Layla, Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad (Derek and the Dominoes); Side 1 - Live Peace LP (Plastic Ono Band) etc.
Eddie Cochran 10/3/38 - 4/16/60 b. Oklahoma City, OK
Best Solos: Eddie's Blues, Walkin' Stick Boogie, Pushin'
Steve Cropper b.10/21/41, Willow Spring, MO
Best Works: With A Little Help From My Friends (solo LP); Hip-Hug-Her, Slim Jenkins' Place, Hang 'Em High, Jellybread, Soul Dressing (Booker T. and the MG's); Midnight Hour (Wilson Pickett); Knock On Wood (Eddie Floyd)
Dave Davies b. 2/3/47, London, England
Best Work: You Really Got Me, 'Til The End of the Day, Milk Cow Blues, Waterloo Sunset, Victoria, Australia, Top of the Pops, Rats, Headmaster, No More Looking Back, Mr. Big Man
Buck Dharmab. Long Island, NY
Best Work: The Red and the Black, Buck's Boogie, Dominance and Submission, E.T.I., Kick Out The Jams
Bo Diddley b. 12/30/28, McComb, MS
Best Work: Pretty Thing, Mona, Bo Diddley is Loose, I'm Looking for a Woman, Road Runner
Duane Eddy b. 4/26/38, Phoenix, AZ
Best Work: Movin' and Groovin', Rebel Rouser, Forty Miles of Bad Road, Some Kind-a Earthquake, Desert Rat
Dave Edmunds b. 4/15/44, Cardiff, Wales
Best Work: The Stumble, Shake Your Hips, Sabre Dance (45), You Can't Catch Me (Love Sculpture); Outlaw Blues, No Money Down, Back To Schooldays, A-1 on the Jukebox, Heart of the City (Solo)
John Fogerty b.5/28/45, Berkeley, CA
Best Work: Proud Mary, Bad Moon Rising, Fortunate Sun, You Got The Magic, Effigy, Up Around the Bend, Born on the Bayou,pick your own
Peter Frampton b.4/22/50, Beckenham, Kent, England
Best Work: Impressions of Oliver (Herd); Rock On, Performance - Rockin' The Fillmore LPs (Humble Pie); Lines on My Face, others (Solo)
Robert Fripp b. 1946, Wimbourne, England
Best Work: 21st Century Schizoid Man, Epitath, Red (King Crimson); Baby's On Fire (Eno)
Fred Frith b.2/17/49, Heathfield,Sussex, England
Best Work: Ruins, With the Yellow Half Moon and the Blue Star, Teenbeat Reprise (Henry Cow); Water/Strugle/The North (Solo)
Rory Gallagher3/2/49 - 6/14/95 b. Cork, Ireland
Best Work: Railway and Gun, It's Happened Before, Blisters on the Moon (Taste); Rory Gallagher Live LP
Jerry Garcia 8/1/42 - 8/9/95 b.Los Angeles, CA
Best Work: Live Dead LP
Lowell George ?/?/45 - 6/29/79 b. US
Best Work: Sailin' Shoes LP, On Your Way Down
David Gilmour b.3/6/44, Cambridge, England
Best Work: Ummagumma, Dark Side of the Moon, Obscured by Clouds, Wish You Were Here LPs
Mick Green b. circa 1945, England
Best Work: A Shot of Rhythm and Blues, I Can Tell, I'll Never Get Over You (Johnny Kidd and the Pirates); Casting My Spell, My Babe ('64 Pirates); Out of their Skulls, Skull Wars LPs (Pirates)
Peter Green b. 10/29/46, London, England
Best Work: The Supernatural (Bluesbreakers); Black Magic Woman, Oh Well, Green Manalishi (Fleetwood Mac)
James Gurley b. 12/22/39, Detroit, MI
Best Solos: Piece of My Heart, Combination of the 2
Steve Hackett b. 2/12/50, England
Best Work:Foxtrot, Selling England By The Pound, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, A Trick of the Tail LPs (Genesis)
Olly Halsallb. 3/14/49 d. 5/29/92 b. England
Best Work: San Antone, Money Bag, Hold Your Fire, Air-Raid Shelter, Loud Green Song, Teen Turtle (Patto); Momma Bee (Neil Innes)
George Harrison b. 2/25/43, Liverpool, England d. 11/29/01
Best Work: All My Loving, Nowhere Man, Revolution, Get Back, Rain
Jimi Hendrix 11/27/42 - 9/18/70 b. Seattle, WA
Best Work: Live At Moterey Pop Lp; Voodoo Chile (Slight Return), Little Wing, Fire, House Burning Down, All Along the Watchtower
Steve Hillage b. 1952, England
Best Work: Fish Rising (Solo LP)
Steve Howe b. 4/18/47, England
Best Work: The Clap, Yours Is No Disgrace, Siberian Khartu, Mood for a Day, South Side of the Sky (Yes)
Wilko Johnson b. Canvey Island, England
Best Work: She Does It Right, I Can Tell (Dr. Feelgood)
Mick Jones b. 6/26/55, London, England
Best Solos: White Riot (UK LP Version), Cheat, Complete Control (Clash)
Steve Jonesb. 9/3/55, London, England
Best Work: God Save The Queen, Pretty Vacant, No Feelings, Submission (bootleg version)
Danny Kalb b. 1943, Queens, NY
Best Work: Two Trains Running (Blues Project)
Jorma Kaukonen b. 12/23/40, Washington, D.C.
Best Work: Spayre Change, Good Shepherd, Crown of Creation, Somebody to Love (Jefferson Airplane); 1st LP (Hot Tuna)
Paul Kossoff 9/14/50 - 3/19/76 b. Hempstead, England
Best Work: Songs of Yesterday, Fire and Water LP, Live takes of Mr. Big and The Hunter(Free); Stealing My Way (Backstreet Crawler)
Definitive Lick: All Right Now, Wishing Well (Free)
Robby Krieger b. 1/8/46, Los Angeles, CA
Best Work: Light My Fire, Who Do You Love,Run With Me, Roadhouse Blues (Doors)
Albert Lee b. 12/12/43, Leominster, Herts., England
Tracks LP (Head Hands and Feet)
Alvin Lee b. 12/19/44, Nottingham, England
Best Works: Goin' Home, Choo Choo Mama, Good Morning Little Schoolgirl, I'd Love To Change The World, Love Like A Man (Ten Years After)
Nils Lofgren b. 1952, Chicago, IL
Best Work: Beggar's Day (Grin); Nils Lofgren (first solo LP)
Phil Manzanera b. 1/31/51, Bogota, Columbia
Best Work: Diamond Head solo LP, Country Life (Roxy Music); Third Uncle (Eno)
Steve Marriott1/30/47 - 4/20/91 b. London, England
Best Work: Whatcha Gonna Do About It, Sha La La La Lee,My Mind's Eye, Collibosher (Small Faces)
Hank Marvin b.10/28/41, Newcastle, England
Best Work: Shadoogie, Apache, Shotgun, Rockin' With Curly Leeds (Shadows)
Brian May b.7/19/47, Twickenham, England
Best Solos: Keep Yourself Alive, Procession, Brighton Rock, Flick of the Wrist (Queen)
Jimmy McCulloch 6/4/53 - 9/27/79 b. Scotland
Best Work: Accidents, Something In the Air, etc. (Thunderclap Newman); SunsetCowboy (Stone The Crows); Soily, Medicine Jar (Wings)
Roger McGuinn b. 7/13/42, Chicago, IL
Best Work: Mr. Tamborine Man, It Won't Be Wrong, She Don't Care About Time, Eight Miles High (Byrds)
Tony (T.S.) McPhee b.3/3/44, England
Best Work: Who Will Save The World LP (Groundhogs)
Scotty Moore b. 12/27/31, Gadsden, TN
Best Work: Good Rockin' Tonight, Baby Let's Play House, Too Much, Shake Rattle and Roll (Elvis)
Bill Nelson b.12/13/48, Wakefield, England
Best Solos: Adventures in a Yorkshire landscape, Crying to the Sky, Axe Victim, Swan Song (Be Bop Deluxe)
Rick Nielsen b.12/22/4?, Rockford, IL
Best Solos: You're All Talk, California Man, High Roller (Cheap Trick)
Ted Nugent b. 12/13/48, Detroit, MI
Best Work: Journey to the Center of the Mind, Survival of the Fittest LPs(Amboy Dukes); Cat Scratch Fever, Stranglehold, Stormtroopin', Snakeskin Cowboys, Homebound (Solo)
Jimmy Page b. 1/9/44, Heston, Middlesex, England
Best Work: Led Zeppelin, II (Esp. Whole Lotta Love), IV (Esp. Stairway To Heaven)
Carl Perkins 4/9/32 - 1/19/98 b. Tiptonville, TN
Best Solos: Roll Over Beethoven, Sweethearts or Strangers, Where the Rio de Rosa Flows, Big Bad Blues
Joe Perry b. 10/10/50, Hopedale, MA
Best Solos: SOS, Train Kept A-Rollin', Same Old Song and Dance, Back In The Saddle (Aerosmith)
Eddie Phillips b. London, England
Solos: Making Time, Hey Joe, Painter man, How Does It Feel to Feel, Tom Tom, Nightmares (Creation); City Woman (Solo)
Mick Ralphs b. 5/31/44, Herefordshire, England
Solos: Sweet Jane, Rock and Roll Queen, Jerkin' Crocus, Walking with a Mountain, Sweet Angeline, I'm A Cadillac (Mott The Hoople); Can't Get Enough (Bad Company)
Definitive Licks:Ready For Love(Bad Co.), All The Young Dudes (Mott)
Johnny Ramone b. 10/8/51, New York, NY
Solos [sic]:Any cut or side from the first three Ramones LPs
Lou Reed b. 3/22/44, New York, NY
Solos: Run Run Run, Heroin, White Light/White Heat LP (Velvet Underground)
Tim Renwick b. 9/7/49, England
Best Solos: Killer Man, Gone by the Morning (Quiver); Have You Had a Vision, Rock and Roll Show, Maker, Saviour in the Rain, Laid Back in Anger, Annie, Last Boy Over the Moon, When the Train Comes (Sutherland Brothers and Quiver); Modern Times (Al Stewart)
Keith Richards b. 12/18/43, Dartford, Kent, England
Best Work: Brown Sugar, Gimme Shelter, Satisfaction, 19th Nervous Breakdown, Going Home, Get Off My Cloud, Time Is On My Side, Get Your Ya-Yas Out LP, Miss Amanda Jones, Sympathy for the Devil, All Down the Line, Midnight Rambler, Some Girls LP
Robbie Robertson b. 7/5/43, Toronto,Canada
Best Work: Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window (Bob Dylan); I Can Tell Lp, I Want You To Love Me, Can't Judge A Book... (John Hammond Jr.);Kingdom Come, This Wheel's on Fire, King Harvest, Just Another Whistle Stop (Band)
Definitive Licks: Up On Cripple Creek, Storyville
Mick Ronson 5/26/46 - 4/30/93 b. Hull, England
Solos: Hang On to Yourself, Moonage Daydream, Running Gun Blues, Round and Round (David Bowie); White Light/White Heat (solo)
Definitive Licks: Suffragette City,Jean Genie, Width of a Circle, Cracked Actor
Frank Rossi b. 5/29/49, London, England
Solos: Pictures of Matchstick Men, Ice in the Sun, Someone's Learning, In My Chair, Hold You Back, Let's Ride, Just Take Me, Don't Think It matters, Live LP (Status Quo)
Todd Rundgren b. 6/22/48, Philadelphia, PA
Best Work: Nazz Nazz LP, Open My Eyes, Wildwood Blues (Nazz); Parole, Black Maria, Little Red Lights, Birthday Carol (Solo); Heavy Metal Kids (live), Gangrene, Trapped (Utopia)
Carlos Santana b. 7/20/47, Autlan, Mexico
Solos: Black Magic Woman, Soul Sacrifice
Tom Scholz b. 3/10/47, Toledo, OH
Best Work: More Than a Feeling, Long Time, Peace of mind, A Man I'll Never Be, We Found It in the Trashcan, Honest bootleg (Boston)
Andy Scott b. 6/30/49, Rexham, Wales
Solos: Done Me Wrong Alright, Sweet FA, Set Me Free (Sweet)
Chris Spedding b. 6/17/44, Sheffield, England
Best Solos: To Isengard (Jack Bruce); The Game (Roy Harper); Guitar Jamboree (Solo)
Jeremy Spencer b. 7/4/48, West Hartlepool, England
Solos: Shake Your Moneymaker, Albatross, Rockin' Boogie, Fighting for Madge, This is the Rock (Fleetwood Mac)
Leigh Stephens b. USA
Best Work: Summertime Blues, Out of Focus, Satisfaction, Sun Cycle (Blue Cheer)
Stephen Stills b. 1/30/45, Dallas, TX
Solos:Rock 'N Roll Woman/Bluebird/Special Care, Questions, Uno Mundo, Hung Upside Down (Buffalo Springfield); Wooden Ships (CSN); Carry On, Almost Cut My Hair (CSNY); Pretty Polly (Judy Collins)
Mick Taylor b. 1/17/48, Welwyn Garden City, England
Best Work: Bare Wires (John Mayall); Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers LPs (Rolling Stones)
Richard Thompsonb. 1949, London, England
Solos: Time Will Show the Wise, Meet on the Ledge,Sloth, Leigh and Leif, Tam Lin (Fairport Convention); The Angels Took My Racehorse Away (Solo); When I get to the Border, Calvary Cross - Live (Richard and Linda Thompson)
Johnny Thunders 7/15/51 - 5/23/91 b. Queens, NY
Solos: Puss 'N Boots, Babylon, Bad Girl, Vietnamise Baby (New York Dolls)
Pete Townshend b. 5/19/45, London, England
Solos: Anyway Anyhow Anywhere, Heaven and Hell, Dogs Part 2, Armenia City in the Sky, Run Run Run, Underture, The Rock, I Can See for Miles (Who)
Robin Trower b. 3/9/45, London, England
Best Work: Repent Walpurgis, The Devil Came Down from Kansas, Whisky Train and Whaling Stories, Song for a Dreamer, Power Failure (Procol Harum); Daydream, Day of the Eagle (Solo)
Tom Verlaine b. 12/49, Wilmington, DE
Solos: Little Johnny Jewel, Friction, Marquee Moon, The Fire, The Dream's Dream (Television); Break It Up (Patti Smith)
Henry Vestine 12/25/44 - 10/22/97 b. Washington, DC
Solos: Bullfrog Blues (Live), World in a Jug, Amphetamine Annie, An Owl Song, Time Was (Canned Heat); Boogie Chillun #2 (Hooker'N'Heat)
Dick Wagner/Steve Hunter
Best Work: Rock and Roll Animal (Lou Reed) Wagner - Rock'n'Roll Music LP (Frost); Hunter - Rock'N'Roll Lp (Detroit)
Joe Walsh b. New York, NY
Best Work: Yer Album LP, Funk 49, Walk Away (James Gang); The Smoker You Drink LP, County Fair (Solo)
Leslie West b. 10/22/45, Queens, NY
Solos: Mississippi Queen, Nantucket Sleighride, Theme for an Imaginary Western (Mountain)
Clarence White 6/7/44 - 7/14/73 b. Lewiston, ME
Solos: Tulsa County Blue, Nashville West (Live), Hungry Planet, B.B. Class Road, Lazy Waters (Byrds)
Charlie Whitney b. 6/24/44, Yorkshire, England
Best Work: Systematic Stealth, Raingame (Streetwalkers)
James Williamson b. USA
Solos: Shake Appeal, Death Trip, I Got A Right (Iggy and the Stooges)
Alan Wilson 7/4/43 - 9/3/70 b. Boston, MA
Solos: Dust My Broom (Live), Sandy's Blues, Let's Work Together (Live) (Canned Heat)
Johnny Winter b. 2/23/44, Leland, MS
Best Work: The Progressive Blues Experiment LP, I'm Yours and I'm Hers, Johnny B. Goode, Highway 61 Revisited, Fast Life Rider, Johnny Winter And Live LP (Solo); Hard Again LP (Muddy Waters)
Steve Winwood b. 5/12/48, Birmingham, England
Best Solos: Stevie's Blues, Goodbye Stevie, On the Green Light, Watch Your Step (Spencer Davis Group); Coloured Rain, Dear Mr. Fantasy, You Can All Join In (Traffic)
Ron Wood b. 6/1/47, Hillingdon, England
Best Work: Stay With Me, Around the Plynth (Faces); Street Fighting Man, I Know I'm Losing You, It's All Over Now (Rod Stewart); I Can Feel the Fire (Solo)
Roy Wood b. 11/8/46, Birmingham, England
Best Work: Shazam LP, Looking On, Brontosaurus, Ella James (Move)
Link Wray b. 5/2/29, Dunn, NC
Solos: Rawhide. Alone (Ray Men); I'm So Glad (Solo); Is This the Way (Robert Gordon)
Zal Yanovsky 12/19/44 - 12/13/02 b: Toronto, Canada
Solos: You Didn't Have to Be So Nice, Nashville Cats, Do You Believe in Magic, Night Owl Blues (Lovin' Spoonful)
Neil Young b. 11/12/45, Toronto, Canada
Best Work: Mr. Soul (Buffalo Springfield); Waiting for You, Cinnamon Girl, Cowgirl in the Sand, Losin' End, Cortez the Killer, Like A Hurricane (Solo)
Frank Zappa 12/21/40 - 12/4/93 b. Baltimore, MD
Best Work: Hot Rats LP, Ritual Dance of the Young Pumpkin, My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama, King Kong
| King Sunny Ade Stuart Adamson Steve Albini Al Anderson (NRBQ) Daniel Ash Ron Asheton Chet Atkins Mickey "Guitar" Baker Adrian Belew George Benson D. Boon Roy Buchanan Peter Buck Mike Campbell Captain Sensible Maybelle Carter Charlie Christian Nels Cline Kurt Cobain Albert Collins Ry Cooder Pete Cosey Elizabeth Cotton Helios Creed/Damon Edge Dick Dale Steve Diggle/Pete Shelley Al DiMeola East Bay Ray The Edge John Fahey Ted Falconi (Flipper) Paul Fox (Ruts) Bill Frisell Cliff Gallup Hank Garland Billy Gibbons Andy Gill Doug Gillard Greg Ginn Guitar Slim Buddy Guy Eddie Hazel Michael Hedges Allan Holdsworth James Honeyman-Scott John Lee Hooker Lightnin' Hopkins Roland S. Howard Tony Iommi Ernie Isley Cordell Jackson Elmore James Bert Jansch Blind Lemon Jefferson Eric Johnson Robert Johnson Henry Kaiser Barney Kessel Albert King B.B. King | Freddy King Mark Knopfler Wayne Kramer Keith Levene Robert Lockwood Lonnie Mack Yngwie Malmsteen Johnny Marr Pat Methany Curtis Mayfield J. Mascis John McGeoch John McKay (Banshees) John McLaughlin Memphis Minnie Frank Michaels (Proletariat) Roger Miller (Mission Of Burma) Wes Montgomery Gary Moore Thurston Moore/Lee Renaldo Steve Morse Bob Mould Dave Navarro Jimmy Nolen Joe Pass Charlie Patton Les Paul Poison Ivy Lyle Pressler (Minor Threat) Prince Robert Quine Bonnie Raitt Jimmy Reed Vernon Reid Vini Reilly Django Reinhardt Randy Rhoads Nile Rodgers Zoot Horn Rollo Otis Rush Greg Sage Joe Satriani Michael Schenker Eldon Shamblin Sonny Sharrock Robert Smith Bob Stimson Andy Summers Bernard Sumner Marv Tarplin Hound Dog Taylor Tommy Tedesco George Thorogood Sister Rosetta Thorpe Merle Travis Ike Turner Steve Vai Eddie Van Halen Stevie Ray Vaughn T-Bone Walker Muddy Waters Billy Zoom |