The most iconic bands in music history would be nothing without the guitarists that provided those legendary riffs and power chords. All that finger work is tricky business, definitely not for the faint of heart!
But which known rock legend is really the best of the best? It's time to take a look at the contenders for the most iconic string benders across time. It's been a hot debate in the rock world, but everyone's number one is somewhere on this expert list!
Read on to choose the ultimate king of strings, and the best guitarist of all time!
Frank Zappa
A little odd, perhaps? Frank Zappa taught himself how to play guitar and compose music, all the while embracing his reputation for quirky genius. His kids are further evidence that this star always thought outside the box. Seems unlikely he found Moon Unit, Ahmet, Dweezil and Diva in any baby names book published in this galaxy. In so many ways, Frank broke the mold!
With a composition legacy including rock, jazz, jazz fusion, pop, and orchestra pieces, the man had endless creative range and would usually improvise even more surprises at live shows. Some say that Zappa is its own genre!
Ritchie Blackmore
This British guitarist and songwriter was one of the original members of Deep Purple. Ever heard of it?
Trick question, every rock fan has! During his career, Ritchie was part of a new definition of heavy metal guitar. Many point to “Smoke On The Water” as an example of the emergence of this sound way back then, no small advance in style. Combining raw blues-rock with classical music tricks, he has been honored in a big way for all the effort. With so many masterpieces, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame includes him on its list of most influential artists!
Mark Knopfler
Dire Straits would have been a totally different experience without the great Mark Knopfler. It's just a fact, people! Known for balancing lead guitarist, singer and songwriter for the band, he wasn't just functioning. He was innovating, and creating a unique sound at a time when punk rock was on the march everywhere.
Mark was able to produce a sound never heard before, and his unique playing style was definitely to blame in the best way. As a fingerstyle guitarist, he played without a pick! Dire Straights would have been in dire straights without Mark Knopfler, no doubt about it.
Tony Iommi
Tony Iommi suffered a major setback as a teenager, and many might have avoided guitar. He lost the tips of both his middle and ring fingers in an accident at a factory in industrial Birmingham. And yet, he still mastered the art of rock and roll!
Black Sabbath really benefited from Tony's creativity overall, like his idea to detune his guitar for a lower and heavier sound. Heavy metal owes a lot to this semi-fingerless genius, and hardcore fans know all about the early days. The one, the only, Tony Iommi!
Les Paul
Does this name sound familiar? For real rock n' roll fans, it should! Les Paul is actually the musician and composer behind the famous guitar line so many uses to this day.
Les certainly had a signature style, and it was more clean and elegant than raw and diabolical. He loved to improvise and played alongside his wife Mary during the 1940s and 1950s with memorable methods for the time. And after his heyday, he never abandoned his passion. New Yorkers could attend weekly gigs until he died at age 94!
Scotty Moore
Scotty Moore is known as the guitarist that always played alongside the crooning Elvis Presley. Some observers claim he invented the power chord! It's no wonder then that he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Many still cite him as an inspiration today, a musician's musician.
Scotty's guitar style even wowed Keith Richards, the lead guitarist for The Rolling Stones: “Everyone else wanted to be Elvis, I wanted to be Scotty.” Heartbreak Hotel actually inspired Keith to try out the guitar himself! What a legacy, right?
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain is a name heard around the world, by now. Despite his premature death, his influence hasn't gone anywhere. He remains a generation X icon, and many may remember him for his raw lyrics and distinct vocal style. But the truth is, his guitar skills are just as admired by those in the know.
The frontman for Nirvana really had commanding performances on guitar in between the verses, and it's safe to say he makes the list today. Nineties represent!
Slash
Slash, the one and only. Who else could advertise just a one-man show today, and get away with it? Audiences still show up in droves to see this man's lightning-fast finger skills, and there's a good reason why.
Though his real name is Saul Hudson, no one knows him that way in the rock world. Maybe they are distracted by the best electric guitar solos, ever? It's safe to say that Guns N’ Roses would not have had its signature sound without Slash, and he did it all with a top hat to boot!
Robert Johnson
Recent decades have reintroduced the legendary Robert Johnson to the world, giving him the credit he always deserved. Known now as a total Delta blues master, he wowed lucky audiences in the early 20th century until his death in the 1930's.
With a knack for any and every style, an urban legend started that he sold his soul to the devil himself for this otherworldly talent. Not enough real information exists about Robert's life, sadly. Before social media, people had real privacy! Still, critics rightly honor him today as one of the best guitarists who ever lived. Check him out, sometimes!
Pete Townshend
The lead guitarist of The Who was Pete Townshend, one of many Brits to make the list. Is there something in the water over there?
All on his own, he commanded attention on stage with energetic, wild jumps in the air during play. And then there was the matter of guitar smashings after songs. Who does that kind of thing? Well at the time, mostly Pete! Thanks to this guitar legend, his band always rank right at the top of memorable rock n' roll. In fact, he helped them make The Guinness Book of World Records for loudest concert ever!
Brian May
Guitarist Brian May had a secret degree in astrophysics. But is that why his career was remembered by millions? No way, say fans!
The lead guitarist for Queen also wrote quite a few of their songs. He had a notable ability to layer multiple guitar sounds on tracks that wowed listeners, and he went farther than in his industry innovations. Using his scientific background, he actually created his own guitar! It was called the Red Special, and he played it with a coin! Creativity and academic mastery like this is no normal event. Some might even call it a bohemian rhapsody!
David Gilmour
David Gilmour was not the only guitarist in the history of Pink Floyd, but he made quite an impact while he was there. He helped to develop the signature sound of the band and pioneered the echo on tracks that fans know and love with their dark, dark souls.
Interestingly, David arrived to the group with a blues passion. Did this influence his ambient, dreamy style? Tough to say, but the unique sound of Pink Floyd is timeless and seems to still gain more and more fans as time goes on. Very few bands are in that club!
Duane Allman
The Allman Brothers are legends, but one member had his career and life tragically cut short. In 1971, Duane Allman did not survive a motorcycle accident at age 24. Fans were devastated, not to mention his brothers!
But today, Duane's improvisation skills live on as the very best of southern rock. There's a reason why Aretha Franklin and Eric Clapton alike wanted to collaborate with him back in the day, and the glorious evidence lives on! RIP, Duane.
Keith Richards
Mick Jagger might have had the scowl and the moves to dazzle fans at a Rolling Stones performance, but Keith Richards is an equally big part of that story. The lead guitarist and co-founder of the band sang along sometimes too. And his songwriting and guitar solos were one of a kind!
While he may have looked a little more clean-cut at the beginning, Keith eventually developed a memorable fashion sense that became a big part of the band's image, The riffs, the chords, the Keith Richards legend! There's nothing quite like it, yet and still.
Carlos Santana
Oh yea, the smooth Carlos Santana. Of course, he made the list! Mexican-born and world-famous, this guitarist’s songs are actually very easily identified with a few seconds of effort. His sound was just that unique!
Fans just can't get enough of his blues, Latin, and African rhythms all rolled into one. Even the legendary artist Prince was a big fan, citing him as a major influence alongside Jimi Hendrix. Widely recognized as one of the best guitarists in history, he has earned 10 Grammy Awards so far. And 3 Latin Grammys, too!
Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck is often called the “guitarist’s guitarist” for a reason, but the layman might not always understand why. Maybe his collaborations offer will paint a clearer picture!
Rod Stewart, Morrissey, Mick Jagger, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Cyndi Lauper, ZZ Top, Brian May, and more? Seems like something special was going on with this man's fingers, and the Grammy committee agreed. He won 'Best Rock Instrumental Performance' six separate times! What's more, he was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame not once, but twice. It's undeniable: Jeff Beck, total guitar legend.
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stevie Ray Vaughan seemed to have such a deep connection to the guitar that he must have been born with one. He wasn't, it turns out. But he was experimenting with one at an early age, starting at 7!
Though his life was cut short in a tragic helicopter crash at 35, his mark on music cannot be understated. A gifted blues guitarist, he won 6 Grammys and 10 Austin Music Awards during his career. Plus, he has a very well-earned spot in the Blues Hall of Fame! No surprises there, Stevie Ray was a legend.
Chuck Berry
Widely declared one of the main founders of rock and roll itself, Chuck Berry made his own path in a world that didn't see his vision at first. But after “Roll Over Beethoven” and a few other smash hits, the world changed. And for the better, for sure!
Chuck's unique version of Chicago blues was like nothing else at the time, and people couldn't help but boogie all night long. His music became very commercially successful, something not all starving artists get to say when they make what they love. Chuck never had to pander, because he set the trend!
Eddie Van Halen
Half of Van Halen was related, as many fans are well aware. Alex and Eddie Van Halen joined two other California musicians to form one of the most popular bands of all time, way back in the 1970s. But the star of the guitar was always Eddie, and just one performance will show skeptics exactly why he belongs on any player ranking.
A master of riffs and a genius of harmony, Eddie added texture to the music that made fans go wild. Fun fact: Eddie held his guitar pick between his thumb and middle finger. That way, he could finger tap all night long!
Angus Young
Angus Young was a major reason why AC/DC took the world by storm in the 1970s. Still today, “Highway To Hell” is an entirely recognizable song. And the guitar elements are no small part of it!
Scottish-born but raised in Australia, Angus dropped out of high school at age 15. Most of the time, this plan don't work out so well. But he knew how to play the banjo and the guitar, and he honed these skills like nobody's business. Rock star might just be destiny for some people, and joining AC/DC may have just been the logical outcome!
B.B. King
B.B. King was the soloist to beat them all. So sophisticated, so legendary. How could anyone argue that he is one of the greats?
Notably, a string bending technique made his blues performances extra special for audiences. And boy, did he love to play in front of a crowd! Everyone could feel it. He loved it, they loved it — and with around 200 concerts each year, plenty of people have personally experienced why B.B. is called “The King of Blues.” The thrill isn't gone, and it's not going anywhere.
Jimmy Page
Of course, Jimmy Page! There was no way a list of great guitarists was going to miss this obvious name. A crucial part of Led Zeppelin, Jimmy always performed flawlessly. Would that group have been the same without him? Unlikely, fan know!
Stylistically, Jimmy liked to use extra props during shows. Two-necked guitars and violin bows on guitar were genuinely unique aspects to his performances. And that was on top of the out-of-this-world creativity listeners were already experiencing with the band!
Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton seemed to be everywhere, joining bands left and right since the 1960s. Best known for the Yardbirds, Derek & The Dominos, and cream, this man always brought something special to the group before eventually going solo.
Psychedelic sounds followed Eric wherever he went. Or was it the other way around? Either way, this master guitarist racked up 18 Grammys and 3 different slots in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It’s no wonder Eric Clapton is called one of the most influential guitarists, ever!
Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix is almost a sacred figure in the rock and roll canon, and his career ended tragically early like so many of the greats. What was his true contribution to the genre?
Fans loved his unique style, which involved blinding speed and abstract sound layers created with sound engineers in the studio. During performances, he sometimes played the guitar with his teeth! And who could forget his performance of the Star-Spangled Banner at Woodstock? An absolute genius, as anyone in the music world, will happily testify. Jimmy Hendrix is iconic!
Prince
The Artist formally known as Prince was still known as Prince long after his name change. He tried, but the original moniker still sticks long after his passing. And truly, he was royalty in the music world! Why mess with a good thing?
Flamboyant, sensual, and creative are just a few adjectives used to explain the phenomenon that was Prince. But any true blue fan will have to talk about one more thing: His outrageous guitar skills. With a massive private collection at home, the man had many guitars for musical experiments. The results cannot be disputed, to this day!
Kirk Hammett
Kirk Hammett was actually not the original Metallica guitarist. Before his arrival to the band, Dave Mustaine was fired! Seems like it worked out for, as he moved on to Megadeth — but Kirk really shined when he got his chance.
The long-haired rocker really brought Metallica to new heights with his wild solos and booming chords, and many of them are instantly recognizable. The history of rock says thank you to Kirk Hammett! Very well done, sir.
Tom Morello
There's no other group quite like Rage Against The Machine, and many people would cite Zack de la Rocha for its wild energy. But what about the music driving the songs? All that credit certifiably goes to Tom Morello, an irreplaceable element for Ragers everywhere!
Tom's heavy sound and highly experimental techniques made Rage totally unique on the radio of the 1990s. And later, he joined Audioslave. With so many fans of both groups, millions would place him in their personal guitar hall of fame. What will talented Tom do next? Only time will tell!
Tom Petty
The late Tom Petty shines on for fans, and will as long as modern music exists. Hit after hit over a forty-year period really built up a significant base of listeners, not only in America but around the globe.
Difficult to define in genres at the time, many said Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers was too gritty to be called pop. It wasn't exactly folk, either. What was it? Some say magic, some say rock n' roll. Either way, Tom's pulsating riffs belong on any list of the greatest guitarists in history!
Dimebag Darrell
The untimely death of Dimebag Darrell was a strange tragedy, even for the rock world. This guitar genius was actually killed on stage by a crazy fan!
A self-taught genius, Darrell had many tricks up his sleeve to make live shows truly memorable. He really made metal pound harder, bringing his unusually complex techniques to Pantera and Damageplan. No one played like that at the time! Any metalhead will agree that his contribution was unique, even in their sleep. Rest in peace, Dimebag Darrell.