If you're a music fan, you probably understand the thrill of hearing an amazing guitar riff or an electrifying Rock'n'Roll solo. Whether it's blues, folk or even metal, a good guitarist plucking away on a guitar always seems to tug at our heartstrings at the same time.
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So who are the world's best guitarists? Everyone has their own opinion, but we've compiled a list of 43 who we think are at the very top. Is your favorite musician up there? Read on to find out.
46. Bo Diddley
Ellas McDaniel, born Ellas Otha Bates—but probably best known as Bo Diddley—was born in McComb, Mississippi in 1928, and grew up on the South Side of Chicago. We're placing Bo Diddley at the beginning of this list not because we think he's an inferior guitarist than anyone else here, but rather because, thanks to his innovative musical style and iconic rectangular guitar, he's influenced Rock'n'Roll music as much, if not more, than giants like Jimi Hendrix and Chuck Berry.
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Over the years, his songs have been covered by the likes of the Rolling Stones, Elvis and Muddy Waters, and his sound, firmly based in West African rhythms, is now a staple in rock, rap and blues music.
45. Johnny Ramone
Johnny Ramone - actually named John William Cummings—helped shape punk rock music with his distinctive playing style and his Mosrite guitar. “Johnny was the first guitar player I ever saw play like he was really mad. And I was like, ‘Damn. That’s cool,'" Henry Rollins once said.
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Johnny's heavy, and yet up-tempo riffs may not be too complicated to play, but they were revolutionary in their time - and still hold up, as songs like “Blitzkrieg Bop,” “Judy Is a Punk” and “Rockaway Beach" still testify.
44. Jerry Garcia
Ask fans of Grateful Dead - known as Deadheads - and they'll tell you they're much more than just a band. The Grateful Dead are a cultural movement, and have been influential since the early 1960s, through 1969's Summer of Love and all the way into the 1990s. At the center of this remarkable band stood Jerome John Garcia, whom Deadheads simply called "Jerry."
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His trademark fusion playing style, comprised of influences as diverse as Spanish guitar, bluegrass, and jazz, not to mention plain old Rock'n'Roll, was unique, challenging and deeply beautiful.
43. Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson doesn't need much of an introduction. It seems his career, which has spanned more than six decades so far, and nearly 100 studio albums, speaks for itself. Throughout it all, Nelson has used the same guitar, his trusty Trigger, with its distinctive strap and custom pickups. Being played for so long, Nelson's pick has worn a hole just above the guitar's bridge, which, by now, has nearly reached the sound hole.
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Nelson's distinct style combines hints of rock, blues, country and jazz. At nearly 90 years old, Nelson is showing no signs of slowing down, and continues to play live to this day.
42. Joni Mitchell
If we were to ask you what you think about Roberta Joan Anderson's music, you'd probably scratch your head and ask us who we're talking about - but if we were to tell you that she also goes by the name of Joni Mitchell, we're willing to guarantee you'd tell us you have several favorite songs of hers.
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Mitchell is known for writing many of her songs with the same chords—but with different guitar tunings. To keep up with her unique tunings, Joni used to travel with five identical Ibanez guitars, each one strung with differing sized strings matched to the tuning she needed for particular songs. Since then, she's been able to use just one guitar with the help of a synthesizer, but her guitar playing style still remains unique.
41. Buddy Guy
What would you be willing to do to get a free, private Buddy Guy performance in your home, whenever you wanted it? We can't speak for anyone else, but we'd be willing to do quite a lot, and we're pretty sure you would, too. So, when we discovered he was kicked out of the family home when he was young because his music was too noisy for his parents, we were dumbfounded.
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Still, despite the hardships he's had to endure, Buddy Guy eventually became a guitar legend, and is still cited today as one of the most influential guitarists in history.
