The most Broadly Influential Players In History

[Gaylord Amsterdam]

I was thinking about how some guitar players are "Musically" Influential like Eddie Van Halen and others or "Culturally" influential like Kurt Cobain but few players influence Playing, Culture and Fashion the way Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn do. I see young players dressing and playing just like them after all these years.

What are some other players that have had this level of impact on playing and culture?

 

[brookdalebill]

Segovia, Christian, Reinhardt, Atkins, Paul, Hendrix, Van Halen.
Roughly in that order, IMO.

 

[loopfinding]

Segovia, Christian, Reinhardt, Atkins, Paul, Hendrix, Van Halen.
Roughly in that order, IMO.

i might include tarrega in there too.

 

[VintageSG]

Hank Marvin, Grady Martin, Mick Green, Burt Weedon, Link Wray, Joe Moretti, Alan Caddy, Danny Cedrone.
In no particular order. I could add Scotty Moore, James Burton and probably a few others.

Hank and Burt begat just about everyone in the UK who picked a guitar up late 50s - mid 60s


Just to add to the growing list...

 

[colchar]

I was thinking about how some guitar players are "Musically" Influential like Eddie Van Halen and others or "Culturally" influential like Kurt Cobain but few players influence Playing, Culture and Fashion the way Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn do. I see young players dressing and playing just like them after all these years.

What are some other players that have had this level of impact on playing and culture?

You think SRV influenced culture and fashion?

 

[MisterZ]

Here's a hot take: using the OP's criteria, the only answer is George Harrison.

Ain't nobody dressing like Segovia or Hank Marvin.

 

[Bastion Highwalk]

I was thinking about how some guitar players are "Musically" Influential like Eddie Van Halen and others or "Culturally" influential like Kurt Cobain but few players influence Playing, Culture and Fashion the way Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn do. I see young players dressing and playing just like them after all these years.

What are some other players that have had this level of impact on playing and culture?

I’m not entirely sure any do in a sweeping sense. If you don’t like rock or electric guitar, you’re not influenced or dressing like Jimi (or the Beatles on Sgt Pepper), and if you don’t like grunge or punk or whatever, Kurt has no impact on your life either. Keith Richards maybe comes the closest if anyone does. People still dress like him, get haircuts like him and play like him. But still, if you don’t like the stones or rock n roll, you’re probably not doing any of that. Are these people icons? Sure, most people know them, but do they have a broad cultural AND stylistically, musically influential spectrum all across the board? I say no, no one does.

 

[Flaneur]

You mean.....?
Someone who broke through cultural barriers?
Described the experiences of youth, with wit and wisdom?
Adapted the simple-but-difficult patterns of Blues and Country, to help define a dynamic and far reaching new style of music?
Someone who's songs, riffs and grooves are in general use, across genres, sixty five years later?

 

[Gaylord Amsterdam]

You think SRV influenced culture and fashion?

I do, I see young players on Tik Tok, dressing like him and playing like him.

 

[Gaylord Amsterdam]

You mean.....?
Someone who broke through cultural barriers?
Described the experiences of youth, with wit and wisdom?
Adapted the simple-but-difficult patterns of Blues and Country, to help define a dynamic and far reaching new style of music?
Someone who's songs, riffs and grooves are in general use, across genres, sixty five years later?
View attachment 1079183

Yes and who style and fashion are copied by the playersvwho idolize them.

 

[Gaylord Amsterdam]

I’m not entirely sure any do in a sweeping sense. If you don’t like rock or electric guitar, you’re not influenced or dressing like Jimi (or the Beatles on Sgt Pepper), and if you don’t like grunge or punk or whatever, Kurt has no impact on your life either. Keith Richards maybe comes the closest if anyone does. People still dress like him, get haircuts like him and play like him. But still, if you don’t like the stones or rock n roll, you’re probably not doing any of that. Are these people icons? Sure, most people know them, but do they have a broad cultural AND stylistically, musically influential spectrum all across the board? I say no, no one does.

Yes Keith Richard! This is the kind of player I was thinking of, one who is influential musically and stylistically in clothing and appearance.

 

[Dostradamas]

 

[Tricone]

1.Wes Montgomery: next evolution in jazz guitar playing after Christian and Reinhardt, helped usher in "easy listening jazz" with albums like "Tequila", reinforced the "cool" jazz look.

2.Link Wray: influenced "rock" instrumentals with his tune "Rumble", the black leather,denim,slicked back hair, original rebel.
3.Merle Travis: Western jackets and suits, custom guitars, and an entire playing style named after him.

4.Duane Allman: brought slide guitar to the rock forefront, rock/r n b top call and hired gun, helped usher in what came to be called "Southern Rock"(for better or worse).

5.Yngwie Malmsteen: helped bring along and develop "shred" guitar, one of the first and most popular neoclassical guitar players, part of the "big hair" 1980's scene.

 

[Dostradamas]

You mean.....?
Someone who broke through cultural barriers?
Described the experiences of youth, with wit and wisdom?
Adapted the simple-but-difficult patterns of Blues and Country, to help define a dynamic and far reaching new style of music?
Someone who's songs, riffs and grooves are in general use, across genres, sixty five years later?
View attachment 1079183

I give him the credit of proliferating two radical at the time ideas.

I can sing my own songs

Two note chords are plenty

 

[Fiesta Red]

You think SRV influenced culture and fashion?

You haven’t ever been to Texas, have you?

Both he and his brother influenced fashion beyond music, at least in these parts.

Jimmie’s cowboy/greaser look in the 80’s became a uniform amongst Texas Blues musicians and enthusiasts alike, down to this day.

Stevie’s Gypsy look did likewise.

 

[W.L.Weller]

You mean.....?
Someone who broke through cultural barriers?
Described the experiences of youth, with wit and wisdom?
Adapted the simple-but-difficult patterns of Blues and Country, to help define a dynamic and far reaching new style of music?
Someone who's songs, riffs and grooves are in general use, across genres, sixty five years later?
View attachment 1079183

I'll never forget a letter to the editor printed in the 30th Anniversary issue of Guitar Player, to the effect of: Here's to Chuck Berry, because if it weren't for him we'd all be reading Saxophone Player!

 

[johnny k]

What i was thinking. Culture, fashion, and music ? The fashion part is the hard one. Fashion comes and goes, SRV, hendrix, might have influenced it, just as much as rappers in the 80's and punks in the 70's.

I can't really think of a musician who has influenced fashion. Except if they made up their own clothes and started a trend.

 

[oldunc]

Segovia, Christian, Reinhardt, Atkins, Paul, Hendrix, Van Halen.
Roughly in that order, IMO.

Among the classics you'd have to include Sor (with his ubiquitous studies, especially) and Tarrega- I'd also throw in Villa Lobos though by all accounts he wasn't much of a player. I've never been able to see Les Paul as a guitarist and I don't think his playing has had much influence, though his guitars certainly have. If I had to choose one Brazilian, probably Baden Powel. BB King, of course, and Robert Johnson. Scotty Moore in Rock and Roll.

 

[Flaneur]

What i was thinking. Culture, fashion, and music ? The fashion part is the hard one. Fashion comes and goes, SRV, hendrix, might have influenced it, just as much as rappers in the 80's and punks in the 70's.

I can't really think of a musician who has influenced fashion. Except if they made up their own clothes and started a trend.

Madonna had a huge cultural and large fashion impact, in her early years. All the young women I knew, in the '90s, acknowledged her significance- even those, who didn't care for her music.

 

[johnny k]

Madonna had a huge cultural and large fashion impact, in her early years. All the young women I knew, in the '90s, acknowledged her significance- even those, who didn't care for her music.

Oh ok. I didn't think about that in the most popular way. I was too young in the 90's to notice it, but now that i think about it, nirvana made the flannel shirts ok to wear. Though they were there before and cheap. There is a probably PHD to write on that one. Interesting subject.