Who are the most influential guitarists ever

[zombywoof]

Taking off from another thread - forget your favorite or the best but who are those ya think were the most influential - who literally changed the face of music. Ya do not even have to like 'em. As example, you may not care for SRV but simply the number of Ibanez tube screamers sold and guys walking into a jam wearing a flat brimmed hat with their pants tucked into their boots carrying a Strat attest to his influence on pickers.

For me:

1. Lonne Johnson - superb early blues and jazz player. Was playing melodic single string runs before Charlie Christian ever picked up a guitar. He performed and recorded solo, in blazing duets with Eddie Lang, and with Bessie Smith, Kid Ory, Louis Armstrong's Hot Five, Duke Ellington's orchestra among others.
Try and top that resume.
He influenced virtually every blues guitar player who came after him. It is said that Robert Johnson used to tell folks his middle intial "L" stood for Lonnie trying to gain some credibility.

2. Son House - not as flashy a player as his contemprary Bukka White and others who came after him but when he hit the downbeat on his National Steel and his eyes kinda rolled back in his head you were about to hear some of the most passionate Delta Blues ever laid down. Powerful lyrics and singing and a slashing slide guitar - not any of that look Ma, no hands kinda open tuning noise. He and Charley Patton are where it all began. A major influence on Muddy Waters among others.

3. Jimi Hendrix - let's face it there was rock guitar before Hendrix and after Hendrix. 'Nuff said

[getbent]

merle travis--> from him--> chet, jerry, scotty, carl perkins, james taylor etc etc etc etc etc thumbstyle that he learned from Mose and Ike he took to the level that everyone wanted to do it... many do it better, but he did it best.
charlie christian--->every major jazz and rock player springs from maybe the most important Okie
chuck berry---> all of chucks children are out there playin' his licks, get into his kicks... beatles, stones... everyone playing popular music cops chuck licks even if they don't know it...

[dean]

Of all time? That's a tough one . . . here are a couple more to mull over:

Robert Johnson - Sorta fine-tuned the great blues foundation that was invented in the early 1900s - he brought it all together into the pre-modern guitar world.

Muddy Waters - Think Electrified Blues

Jimi Hendrix - I think a great deal of today's modern rock goes straight back to him.

[maestrovert]

Andres Segovia
Charlie Christian
Les Paul
Jimi Hendrix

[Onyx Z]

Hendrix.

[mudshark]

Originally Posted by getbent

merle travis--> from him--> chet, jerry, scotty, carl perkins, james taylor etc etc etc etc etc thumbstyle that he learned from Mose and Ike he took to the level that everyone wanted to do it... many do it better, but he did it best.
charlie christian--->every major jazz and rock player springs from maybe the most important Okie
chuck berry---> all of chucks children are out there playin' his licks, get into his kicks... beatles, stones... everyone playing popular music cops chuck licks even if they don't know it...

Wow...........thanx, bro.............I was gonna post those three, and mebbe throw in Robert Johnson.

['caster oil]

Originally Posted by dean

Of all time? That's a tough one . . . here are a couple more to mull over:

Robert Johnson

That's the one we all come from, whether we know it or not...

[vic108]

Andres Segovia
Charlie Christian
Chet Atkins
Muddy Waters
Les Paul
Jimi Hendrix

[aznrambo481]

let's face it... who isn't gonna put hendrix?

[getbent]

Originally Posted by mudshark

Wow...........thanx, bro.............I was gonna post those three, and mebbe throw in Robert Johnson.

I limited it to 3 and waffled over Robert Johnson and Chuck.... too funny...

[txspreacher]

Originally Posted by getbent

I limited it to 3 and waffled over Robert Johnson and Chuck.... too funny...

I read your list, GB, and thought it was great and needed Johnson added, but then I decided three was a good number. I tried to do my own modified version of your trio, but found it hard to argue with your choices. Especially with your little qualifying notes. Good on ya, bro!

[Ramblin-Jam]

Marc Ford

[Flashback]

Buddy Guy... period.


The man influenced all the modern rock / blues players in the late 60's and early 70's. And hell he still plays!

From Jimi to Slowhand to Beck everyone of these guys were influenced by him and in turn influenced more people. So technically where would all the great blues rock guitarist be without Buddy Guy?

[txspreacher]

While not all would agree (not all would agree on hardly any of these, I reckon), it's a little odd nobody's mentioned B.B. King, Wes Montgomery, or James Burton.

[Bonneville Bruce]

I agree with all the above. I think one must look at artists who either invented, or own a style, regardless of their popularity.
Certainly Merle Travis, but he learned from Mother Maybell Carter as well as Ike Everly and Mose, we all have to come from somewhere.
Andres Segovia certainy didn't invent classical guitar, but he elevated it beyond what was even dreamed possible before him, he certainly owned it 'till the end of his days.
I concur with Charlie Christian and Chuck Berry, who might have invented what they also perfected.
John Fahey who gets credit for inventing and perfecting his powerful steel finger-style playing. There are many children to come from this father.
George Harrison gets my vote for the number of players whom he has influenced, and his mastery over the contexturally relevant two bar solo, not to mention his tasty rhythm and slide work.
I'm not knowledgeable enough in this field, but I think Jimmy Bryant might be the big innovator in the Country & Western electric twang style, beyond Merle Travis. Or, Chet Atkins, take your pick, no pun intended.
Eric Clapton must be on such a list, even though there seems to be divergence of opinion on this listserv about his contributions to the instrument. I am in the camp that thought he was great in 1966 and has gotten steadily better since.
John McLaughlin has earned a spot for the post-Christian jazz fusion players, and remains vital and creative to this day.
Django Reinhardt may have both invented and owned his gypsy jazz idiom. In a head-cutting competition of the folks on this list, Django might be the last man standing.
Muddy Waters, he be da man.
Robert Johnson is a given. A savant/genius.
Richard Thompson for his broad and varied talents in folk, Celtic, rock and pop playing. He is certainly influential beyond his peers. He is stupifyingly talented.
Doc Watson, a man so gifted that he seems more angelic than human.
Jerry Douglas for the slide virtuoso he is. He owns it this decade, and has taken the slide to new heights.
Jimmy Page just for the sheer numbers of guitarists who have envied his licks. Don't forget that bowed Tele move, it may catch on.
James Marshall Hendrix is at once unique and universal in his influence. Thanks for the rainbows, Jimi, wherever you are. Of all of these great artists, Jimi speaks to me and raises my spirit the most.

Bonneville Bruce
"Not just stoned, but beautiful." J. H.

[cowboytwang]

I'm going to have to go with Django Reinhardt, since almost all of my influences list him first as their influence.

[refin]

Chet Atkins and George Harrison.......

[JohnnyCrash]

1. Easily would be Charlie Patton, to me. As far as the early genesis of the blues.
2. Toss up. Chet Atkins, Les Paul, Django Reinhardt.
3. Link Wray and/or Elmore James.
4. T-Bone Walker (without whom we'd have Chuck Berry).
5. James Burton and/or Steve Cropper.
6. Too many to list!!!

After these early legends, you get into the 60's rock "gods":

1. Both Jimmy's. Jimi and Page.
2. Duanne Allman.
3. Buddy Guy. Freddie King. Albert King.
4. Keith, Mick Taylor, and Ron Wood.
5. Hmm... I know I've got more...

I hate Clapton with a passion, and my personal feelings are that he is overrated, but I know I'm in the minority here.

After the "golden age of guitar":

1. Slash.
2. Marc Bolan, Mick Ronson, Slade's Dave Hill and Jim Lea.
3. Johnny Thunders.
4. Randy Rhoads, Dave Mustaine, Kirk Hammet.
5. All of the shredders (obviously not my thing).

[Still_tryin !]

Roy Buchanan .As a child in the sixties I have to include Hank Marvin

[FraKcture]

Let's not forget Paco De Lucía: Changed the face of flamenco

[FraKo]

Charlie Christian
Jimi Hendrix

afa electric/modern guitar is concerned

Django Reinhardt was a giant, indeed, but his lesson wasn't at all "seminal". Nowadays you can find his influence in some guy's playing, but unfortunately most of them simply play some nice "gipsy-jazz" that's way far from their inspirer's sense of drama. That's a way to reduce Django's heritage to a mere exercise of style.

[Chris S.]

To all the great names mentioned, I'd add Eddie Lang, truly the first jazz guitar virtuoso. His playing influenced both Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt, among others. ;-)

Freddie Green's "chunk chunk chunk" 4-to-the-bar chording in the Count Basie rhythm section set a style that's still played on bandstands today.

Anybody who's ever played any Western Swing owes a tip of the ten gallon hat to the incredible musical expertise and imagination of Eldon Shamblin (who also played one of the very first Stratocasters ever made, a present from none other than Leo Fender himself... ). =:-O

In the 1950s into the 60s, Johnny Smith had a big impact on a lot of the guitarists of the time.

Also, I'd reserve two places on the list for Les Paul: one for his playing, and another for his pioneering work in both guitar design and the development of multi-track recording. Just think of the impact that had on ALL the musicians who followed him, not just guitarists. Amazing.

All IMO, as always. :-) CS

ETA: OH, and in the modern era, I'd have to say Brent Mason has had more of an impact on country music than any other guitarist I can think of.

[Durtdog]

Originally Posted by Bonneville Bruce

I agree with all the above. I think one must look at artists who either invented, or own a style, regardless of their popularity.
Certainly Merle Travis, but he learned from Mother Maybell Carter as well as Ike Everly and Mose, we all have to come from somewhere.
Andres Segovia certainy didn't invent classical guitar, but he elevated it beyond what was even dreamed possible before him, he certainly owned it 'till the end of his days.
I concur with Charlie Christian and Chuck Berry, who might have invented what they also perfected.
John Fahey who gets credit for inventing and perfecting his powerful steel finger-style playing. There are many children to come from this father.
George Harrison gets my vote for the number of players whom he has influenced, and his mastery over the contexturally relevant two bar solo, not to mention his tasty rhythm and slide work.
I'm not knowledgeable enough in this field, but I think Jimmy Bryant might be the big innovator in the Country & Western electric twang style, beyond Merle Travis. Or, Chet Atkins, take your pick, no pun intended.
Eric Clapton must be on such a list, even though there seems to be divergence of opinion on this listserv about his contributions to the instrument. I am in the camp that thought he was great in 1966 and has gotten steadily better since.
John McLaughlin has earned a spot for the post-Christian jazz fusion players, and remains vital and creative to this day.
Django Reinhardt may have both invented and owned his gypsy jazz idiom. In a head-cutting competition of the folks on this list, Django might be the last man standing.
Muddy Waters, he be da man.
Robert Johnson is a given. A savant/genius.
Richard Thompson for his broad and varied talents in folk, Celtic, rock and pop playing. He is certainly influential beyond his peers. He is stupifyingly talented.
Doc Watson, a man so gifted that he seems more angelic than human.
Jerry Douglas for the slide virtuoso he is. He owns it this decade, and has taken the slide to new heights.
Jimmy Page just for the sheer numbers of guitarists who have envied his licks. Don't forget that bowed Tele move, it may catch on.
James Marshall Hendrix is at once unique and universal in his influence. Thanks for the rainbows, Jimi, wherever you are. Of all of these great artists, Jimi speaks to me and raises my spirit the most.

Bonneville Bruce
"Not just stoned, but beautiful." J. H.

Wow, that's a really well-thought out list. I agree and will just add one thing: Jimi Hendrix is getting a lot of credit in this thread, and I agree 100%, but we dare not forget Buddy Guy (mentioned above). Hendrix definitely changed the face of rock music, and I love him...but he pretty much got most of his style AND his act from Buddy Guy.

[bo]

Most influential? Probably Chuck Berry and Link Wray, but most people who crank up the distortion probably won't know why Link is an influence on them (at least until they discover him).