Rock On

Guitarists have been pushing the boundaries of rock, blues, jazz, and beyond for ages. Some are celebrated for their technical mastery, others for their inventive tone or unforgettable riffs that define entire generations. With that in mind, here are the 20 best guitarists in all of history. Did we miss any of your favorites?

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1. Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix is often considered one of the best guitar players of all time, known for his innovative style and showmanship. He was famous for playing his guitar with his teeth and for setting fire to his guitar, a Fender Stratocaster. He made the electric guitar sing in new ways, combining elements of blues, psychedelia, and rock music.

Warner/Reprise Records Uploaded by We hope at en.wikipedia on Wikimedia

2. Brian May

May, the guitarist of Queen, achieved his unique sound by creating his own signature tone with his homemade Red Special guitar, playing with a sixpence as a pick, and using unique amp and effect combinations to produce a full and detailed sound that was both original and suited well to Mercury's style. As well as being a masterful guitarist, May is also known for his memorable solos, riffs, and melodic songwriting, making him one of the most influential and renowned guitarists in rock music.

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3. Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry did not create the style known as rock & roll guitar, but he took the disparate elements of blues, country, and boogie-woogie and welded them into a rhythmically propulsive, electrified style. The iconic riffs, including the instantly recognizable opening to "Johnny B. Goode," set a new standard for guitarists.

Pickwick Records on Wikimedia

4. Jimmy Page

Jimmy Page began his career in rock music at an early age. As a studio session guitarist in London, he became known for his work on songs by rock and roll musicians such as the Who, the Kinks, and Donovan. Page was only in his early 20s when he had already established himself as one of the most in-demand and versatile session guitarists of the time.

Dana Wullenwaber on Wikimedia

5. Eddie Van Halen

Van Halen's signature guitar style incorporated techniques such as finger-tapping, dive bombs, harmonics, and innovative high-speed instrumental runs. His work on the electric guitar was a major influence on other players; it was featured in his instrumental solo "Eruption." His guitar work was also distinct in that it was combined with hooks and melodies that formed songs that could be sung along with and not just played as a flashy technical exercise.

Carl Lender on Wikimedia

6. Jeff Beck

Jeff Beck redefined the guitar and did so without much regard for his own fame and stardom. He pushed the limits of the guitar to find new ways of innovating, experimenting, and expressing himself through his instrument. From the blues-influenced playing with the Yardbirds to the fiery solo on "Beck's Bolero," his instrumental virtuosity, tone, and technical approach continued to change and grow.

Craig ONeal at https://www.flickr.com/photos/craigoneal on Wikimedia

7. Sister Rosetta Tharpe

A guitar pioneer who effectively invented the idea of the guitar hero decades before rock & roll even emerged, Sister Rosetta Tharpe used her sizzling picking, arpeggios, and joyful solos to popularize gospel music and influence a long line of guitar slingers from Eric Clapton and Keith Richards to Jeff Beck. Blessed with a high-powered voice and groundbreaking guitar skills, Tharpe challenged and shattered social taboos, and her influence can still be felt today.

New York Public Library on Wikimedia

8. Nile Rodgers

Few pop guitarists have had as enduring an impact on music as Nile Rodgers, whose guitar playing helped create the sound of disco and funk, as well as a myriad of genres, for over 50 years. From the staccatoed funk riffs of Chic on “Le Freak,” “I Want Your Love,” “Good Times,” and more, to his enduring work as a producer, Rodgers’ signature style became the rhythmic pulse of pop music worldwide.

Raph_PH on Wikimedia

9. B.B. King

The “Ambassador of the Blues,” B.B. King, was a master of expressive string-bending and vibrato, making his Gibson “Lucille” sing with a vocal quality on records from his first hit, “Three O'Clock Blues,” in 1951. He was one of the most innovative and influential guitarists of all time, inspiring countless players from all styles of music, and is considered the father of modern electric blues.

Tom Beetz on Wikimedia

10. Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell is rock's ultimate acoustic guitarist, who built her signature sound on more than 50 alternate tunings. A pioneer of the singer-songwriter genre, she plays the guitar like an orchestra, assigning the top strings a horn section and the bottom strings a rhythm section. Her innovative picking and complex songs have influenced countless artists and expanded what the acoustic guitar can accomplish.

Capannelle on Wikimedia

11. Carlos Santana

Carlos Santana is known for his pioneering blend of blues, jazz, and Latin music. Santana first gained worldwide attention with his appearance at the Woodstock festival. The guitarist's tone and phrasing, and Latin influences are unmistakable, and easily identifiable in his songs.

David Gans on Wikimedia

12. Duane Allman

Duane Allman may have had a short career, but it was impactful nonetheless. Jamming with the Allman Brothers Band, he blurred the lines between blues, jazz, country, and psychedelic rock, inventing a distinctively Southern sound in the process. Developing his skills from childhood by playing along to recordings of Robert Johnson and Chuck Berry, to sessions with Wilson Pickett and Aretha Franklin, Allman's talent and vision changed the face of American music.

Ed Berman on Wikimedia

13. Jimmy Nolen

Jimmy Nolen was an innovative guitarist who helped shape the sound of funk music. He joined James Brown's band in 1965, and his choppy, exacting rhythms and stinging lead lines powered hits such as "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" and "Cold Sweat." His revolutionary style, combining percussive chord work with fluid leads, set the standard for funk guitarists for decades.

Jeremy Allouche on Unsplash

14. Tony Iommi

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath is another pivotal heavy metal guitar hero. He developed the archetypal heavy metal style and sound through the use of lighter gauge strings, prosthetic homemade finger caps, and down-tuned guitars. This new metal guitar tone, created with his raw heavy-handed technique and amplified amplification, would become the template and foundation for future generations of metal guitarists.

Photobra (Adam Bielawski) on Wikimedia

15. Prince

Prince was a guitar virtuoso who could tear up a stadium-rock solo with hits like “Purple Rain.” He pushed the boundaries of what the guitar could sound like and also what it could look like, making custom guitars such as his yellow "Cloud Guitar" and the sculpted "Symbol Guitar."

penner on Wikimedia

16. Keith Richards

Keith Richards is the father of cool guitar. From "Satisfaction" to the "Brown Sugar" riff, his driving, raw yet swinging playing has helped define rock & roll. For more than 40 years, his fluid guitar has anchored the Stones through solid rock & roll and rich acoustic blues and ballads.

Dina Regine on Wikimedia

17. Robert Johnson

Obscure in his own lifetime, Robert Johnson recorded only 29 songs in the 1930s that would shape generations of rock guitarists. Combining picking, slide, and rhythm that could conjure the sound of an entire band from a single guitar, Johnson's riffs are now well-known. Resonating from Eric Clapton to Led Zeppelin, his songs have been covered thousands of times and stand as the prototypical model of blues-influenced rock.

Sebby 123 on Wikimedia

18. Tom Morello

Tom Morello transformed the sonic possibilities of the rock guitar by morphing effects pedals and his own imagination into otherworldly sounds. From the turntable-esque scratches of "Bulls on Parade" to the dive-bomber attacks of "Fistful of Steel," his playing became the genre-defying revolutionary voice of Rage Against the Machine.

Raph_PH on Wikimedia

19. Freddy King

The biting treble and song-fragment hooks of Freddy King's guitar playing had a profound impact on Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Jeff Beck, Mick Taylor, and the generation of British blues guitarists that followed. King was also known as “The Texas Cannonball” because of his loud and powerful style of playing and high-energy live performances.

Lionel Decoster on Wikimedia

20. Slash

Slash has one of the most immediately identifiable sounds in rock, with his top-hat, Les Paul, and signature blues-infused hard rock solos. A former lead guitarist for Guns N' Roses, Slash is responsible for some of the best-known riffs and solos of all time with the band, including "Sweet Child o' Mine" and "November Rain."

I Do Shows(Scott Penner) on Wikimedia