Listening Room Readers Poll: guitar players

November

The thing about music is everyone has an opinion and no one is necessarily wrong – sort of.

Nowhere is this more evident than with guitar players. Everyone has their favorites, across genres, styles and technique. Take Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 greatest guitarist, which was compiled in 2003. There’s an argument at every entry.

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Is Chuck Berry really a better guitar player than Eddie Van Halen? No, but he was a more influential guitar player. The one that fueled an argument at the office yesterday was Jack White vs. Slash. Is White more creative, influential and innovative than Slash? Of course. But is he techinically a better guitar player than Slash? Not close, in my view.

So let’s start some new debate. What do our readers think? Let’s see if we can’t put together the Listening Room’s Greatest Guitar Players of All Time as determined by you, the reader.

We’ll take entries here in the comments section, on Twitter (https://twitter.com/jfitzgibbon or http://twitter.com/dianacostello) or you can emai jfitzgib@lohud.com or dcostello@lohud.com.

Follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/jfitzgibbon

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 7th, 2009 at 9:51 pm by jfitzgibbon.
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11 Responses to “Listening Room Readers Poll: guitar players”

Stu November 7th, 2009 at 11:55 am
In no particular order…
Duane Allman, Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, Buddy Guy, Mark Knopfler (sp?), Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, Dave Davies, Tuck Andress, Stanley Jordan, Eddie Van Halen, Dicky Betts, Lee Ritenour, Jimi Hendrix…
Jorge Fitz-Gibbon November 7th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
I like your taste, Stu, and I like the way you cross genres. From Ritenour and Jordan, to Van Halen and Hendrix. Nice touch. Your votes are recorded. Thanks.
dwayne November 8th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
jack white, jimi hendrix, stevie ray vaughn,Nuno Bettencourt, john frusciante, duane allman
Jorge Fitz-Gibbon November 9th, 2009 at 10:04 am
Thanks, Dwayne. Got it. Thanks for the input.
Diana Costello November 9th, 2009 at 10:23 am
IMO: Duane Allman, Angus Young, Van Halen, Keith Richards, Trey Anastasio, Eric Clapton, Robby Kriger, Jimi, Stevie Ray, Mick Taylor, jeez, my list could go on and on!

Good call on Frusciante, Dwayne! And I’ll never forget seeing Stanley Jordan for the first (and only) time—it was at the Wetlands in NYC back in 2001, right up front and personal. I was blown away.
E Wolke November 9th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Acoustic: Eric Clapton (of course) and here are some you may not know in no particular order: Al Petteway, Ani DiFranco, Chet Atkins, Nancy Wilson, Brooks Williams, Peter Ostrushko, Garnet Rogers, Richard Shindell, John Renbourn, Bonnie Raitt, Robin Bullock, James Keelaghan, Leo Kottke, Paul Simon, Warren Haynes, John Williams of the Classical Guitar and anything else he has a mind to play, from jazz to the Beatles. I know I’ve forgotten a dozen or so of my favorites.

Electric: (in no particular order) Eric Clapton (of course), Jeff Beck, Chet Atkins, Les Paul (let’s get down to the basics, after all), Eddie Van Halen (I think that man is hiding extra fingers somewhere), George Harrison, Jimi Hendrix (duh), Bonnie Raitt, Anne Wilson, Sheryl Crow, Derek Trucks, the late greats Jeff Healy and Stevie Ray Vaughn… Also have forgotten a bunch. That do you for a start?

Check out some of the acoustic players, who are excellent on their own and as accompanists, which is often how you see them.
Jorge Fitz-Gibbon November 9th, 2009 at 10:50 am
Thanks DC, Wolke. I like some of the names that are showing up. Jeff Healy, for instance, and Bonnie Raitt. The list is growing. We’ll post the results before the end of the week.
Meanwhile, keep the lists coming.
Fishing Jones November 9th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Not in order and with omissions, but: D. Boon, B.B. King, Jerry Garcia, Pete Townsend, Duane Allman, Tony Iommi, Etta Baker, Jorma Kaukonen
Eric S November 9th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
If we are not limiting ourselves to rock guitarists I have to thrown in Andrés Segovia. Also Django Reinhardt, the man could do more missing a finger than most could with an extra finger.

Steve Morse, I don’t think I’ve seen anyone list Frank Zappa. I think that’s the main additions I have to what I have already seen listed.
Jorge Fitz-Gibbon November 9th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Thanks, guys. It took a while for Django and Jorma to pop up. But they belong on the list and it’s cool you brought them into the conversation. I also like Eric’s mention of Zappa, who really does not get the credit he deserves as a guitarist.
Great stuff all around. Keep it coming.
Pete November 10th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Hey, great idea. Here’s my picks:

Jimi Hendrix
Carlos Santana
Jerry Garcia
Eric Clapton
Pat Metheny
John Scofield
Les Paul
Django Rheinhardt
Pete Townsend
John Mclaughlin

I could go on but those are the ones that came to mind right away

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