By Ian Murphy (Who else would it be by?)

This is where my two primary obsessions tend to intersect. Music nuts are as defensive and passionate about their favorite guitarists as boxing fans are about their favorite fighters. Sometimes the reasoning is ludicrous, like saying Floyd Mayweather, JR. is “The Best Ever” and other times it is sound, like making an argument for Jimi Hendrix as top guitar player. To make it a bit easier on myself, I have decided to make my top ten Rock guitar players only, so this takes out the whole Stevie Ray Vaughan vs Jeff Beck vs Van Halen vs Dimebag Darrell nonsense, as these men are all amazing in their own right but have enough difference in style, approach and genre to separate them.

My loose criteria is more or less determined by technical prowess, influence on subsequent players and maybe how good of a songwriter they were in addition to being an ax slinger. What you won’t find is the canned lineup of blues guitar players that often litter the lists of 60 year old men. So no three guys on the list all named King. Not happening. Maybe in another installment! Don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of respect for bluesmen, as they influenced many Rock guitar players. However, they are specialists, not unlike Yngwie Malmsteen is to progressive Metal. This leaves no room for them on my Rock list, which is comprised of players who are more well rounded in general. Also, some people might bemoan the absence of a Keith Richards, or a Pete Townshend, but there is a reason. Those two (for example) are noted more as songwriters and not as much as players, although both are good. This excludes them from my list because the men below by and large, can do both things equally well in most cases.

I have also included my own personal favorite performance by each player. This may or may not be their most known work, but you can be assured it represents them at their best! In addition, this list was requested by fellow Newzbreaker and Ringside Report writer Dave Siderski. Check out his articles, you won’t be disappointed. The list is also heavily based on my own tastes of course, which are indisputably more refined and come from a seat of (infinitesimally) greater knowledge…

Top Ten Rock Guitarists of All Time

10. Duane Allman

A gifted player that was much more than a great slide player or blues guitarist. Allman was proficient in Jazz, Blues and Rock and combined them in a one of a kind style. Duane wrote that KILLER opening riff to Derek and the Dominos’ “Layla”, too. He was a true “tone master”, and he played clean, yet had a distinct power and resonance. A tremendous loss to the scene due to a motorcycle at age 24, we really never got to see him at his best. Check out his blistering lead work on the Allman Brothers Band’s At Fillmore East.

Ian’s Pick: “One Way Out” (1971)

9. Chuck Berry

Without Berry, everyone else on this list wouldn’t even be here. They all owe something to the man who turbocharged the blues and really made it Rock and Roll. A great showman and a great player, Chuck was the guy everyone emulated in the late 1950s. No one played like him. All the great guitarists that followed pay homage to Chuck Berry every time they plug in a guitar.

Ian’s Pick: “Johnny B. Goode” (1958)

8. The Edge

Many people would find my inclusion of Dave “The Edge” Evans in my list of top Rock guitar players a little odd. After all, he doesn’t have the flashy chops of Van Halen or the extroversion and charisma of Jimi Hendrix. So, why is he here? He is on this compilation because he treats his playing like an artist does a painting. The Edge expertly arranges sometimes the simplest sounds and weaves them into melodic masterpieces. My good friend Chris LaFalce once said something to the effect of “part for part, it doesn’t sound like much, but when you hear it all put together, the Heavens open up”. I couldn’t put it any better.

Ian’s Pick: “Where the Streets Have No Name” (1987)

7. Tony Iommi

The father of true Heavy Metal guitar, Iommi’s guitar playing inspired legions of fledglings to take up the ax (this writer included). His style was dark and crushingly heavy, yet at times could be surprisingly melodic. On most Black Sabbath albums, Iommi had at least one quiet, introspective piece like “Planet Caravan” or “Solitude”. His best work, however, are in his monstrous riffs, of which there are literally dozens that can be a “rock’s greatest riff” contestant. An industrial accident to his fingers at age 20 took away some of his dexterity, but in getting around this injury, Iommi found himself and became an originator, not unlike fellow guitarist Django Reinhardt.

Ian’s Pick: “Supernaut” (1972)

6. David Gilmour

His style is dramatic and bold, yet there is an aching and melancholic sweetness just beneath the surface. While best known for sweeping epic solos like “Comfortably Numb”, Gilmour is at his best perhaps when he is a little understated and allows the solo to breathe like in “Another Brick in the Wall”. Gilmour has a gift in that he can take you on a separate journey with his playing while simultaneously keeping with the theme and movement of the song. That, along with his phrasing make him completely unique and often copied. Very few guitarists know how to “pull” like Gilmour.

Ian’s Pick: “Time” (1973)

5. Jeff Beck

An original, Jeff Beck was one of the first guitarists to move away from the blues-based style that was popular in the mid 1960s and fuse it with more diversity. Jeff could tell a story just with hands and his guitar. What keeps Beck from being rated higher is that the men above him are fantastic songwriters as well as great players. Beck is technically better than Page or Clapton and is as good or better than Hendrix or Van Halen, but they all wrote the tunes as well as the solos we all remember. This does not take away from Beck’s genius, as he used minimal effects (even for his time) and created some truly memorable pieces of guitar work.

Ian’s Pick: “Blue Wind” (1975)

4. Eric Clapton

Clapton has been getting “greatest guitarist” props for as long as I can remember. For many years I got incredibly tired of hearing how great Clapton was, as I was always a bigger fan of fiery shredders like Van Halen and Jimmy Page.. To be sure, he is not the god that some make him out to be, but his body of work is actually quite diverse and he has proven to be an ace level player in many styles. Combine that with incredible longevity, very underrated songwriting, and you have EC in my top five all-time Rock guitar players.

Ian’s Pick: “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” The Beatles (1968)

3. Jimmy Page

Out of all the players shown here, Jimmy Page is perhaps the most versatile. Equally comfortable playing the blues, blistering Rock n Roll and acoustic music, Page is truly a guitar renaissance man. He coined the term “Light and Shade” to describe his combining of acoustic and electric guitar parts. Page may not be as polished as his Yardbirds contemporaries Beck and Clapton, but I value his versatility above all else. He had the right color for anything he could dream of playing on his palette, and that made his art that much more special.

Ian’s Pick: TIE. “Heartbreaker” (1969) and “Since I’ve Been Loving You (1970)

2. Edward Van Halen

Eddie gets a lot of attention for his virtuoso solos and innovative techniques, and this is of course warranted, as he is in a class by himself in many ways. However, we must also take a look at his contributions to Van Halen in the vein of crafting the songs themselves. He is an expert arranger and a master at harmonizing his guitar with the composition. His solos, no matter how out of this world, ALWAYS fit and had a beginning and an end. Despite what his detractors might say, this was not mindless “wanking”, and there was dynamic purpose to his work.

Ian’s Pick: TIE. “Hot For Teacher” (1984) and “Mean Street” (1981)

1. Jimi Hendrix

Ah, the greatest of all the greats! Completely flawless as a guitar player. Equally incredible at playing rhythm, lead, or writing great songs. His melodic sense was practically cosmic in its scope. Who else can effortlessly go from Purple Haze to Crosstown Traffic to Little Wing to Voodoo Child? Nobody but Jimi. This is a guy who could shred with the best of them, or make you cry with the sweetness of his more melodic numbers. The fact that he left such an incredible body of work in only about four years is a testament to his genius, and this is not a term to throw around lightly. Hendrix was without peer as a player. He is the Sugar Ray Robinson of the guitar, an artist of the highest degree whose art was both ahead of it’s time and still incredible to this day.

Ian’s Pick: “Voodoo Child (Slight Return) 1968

Honorable Mention
Ritchie Blackmore
Zakk Wylde
George Harrison
Steve Howe
Alex Lifeson
Randy Rhoads
Alvin Lee
Joe Walsh

[si-contact-form form=’3′]