Top 5 : Guitarists

This was a tough list to make. I've agonized over it for a long time. What criteria do I set: my favorites, the best technical players, most influential. I finally decided that a Top 5 list of the best guitar players needs to be about who was the top in their field, be it blues, rock, classical. Even then it's impossible to narrow it down. I had to limit it to top electric guitar players. This eliminated great musicians like Robert Johnson, Django Rhinehart, Andrés Segovia, and Liona Boyd. Still I found it was difficult to leave people off the list. I came close with 6 or 7, but no matter which way I looked at it, I couldn't narrow it down further. So, here's my Top 5 list of 10 guitar players. Still it was difficult to leave anyone off the list, so in addition to the top guitarists, I've included some of their peers.

Chuck Berry : The originator of rock and roll. How many kids heard Johnny B. Goode and picked up a guitar to play. Peers : Chet Atkins. George Harrison. Dick Dale. Muddy Waters. Carl Perkins.
B. B. King : Blues guitar hasn't and can't get any better than King. Following in Robert Johnson's path, he perfected the genre. Peers: Les Paul. Bo Diddley. Buddy Guy.



Jimi Hendrix : Basing his style on the blues musicians before him, Hendrix elevated guitar to a new level, and sent it on a new direction.
Eric Clapton : “Slowhand” combined blues with rock to the extent no one else has. Peers : Jimmy Page. Brian May. Billy Gibbons.



Eddie Van Halen : Influencing generations to pick up a guitar. He created a sound and style that has been emulated and copied over and over. Many guitar players can play as he does, but he was the first, there is only one Eddie Van Halen. Peers : Ritchie Blackmore. Angus Young. Dimebag Darrell. Tomy Iommi. Slash.
Stevie Ray Vaughan : Exemplifying the best in Texas blues music, Vaughan combines influences by Hendrix, Clapton and the blues greats. Peers : Duane Allman. Eric Johnson. Ry Cooder.



Randy Rhodes : Classically trained and influenced, Rhodes was the ideal choice to elevate Ozzy Osbourne's solo band after leaving Black Sabbath. Hired by Ozzy after merely hearing him tune his guitar.
Yngwie J. Malmsteen : The Neo-Classical herald. As fast and technically proficient as any guitar player. Heavily influenced by classical music and Deep Purple's, Ritchie Blackmore. Yngwie is the top in his field. Loved and hated for his style, speed and taste, he is the rising force. Peers : Uli Roth. Marty Friedman.



Joe Satriani : Combing skill and emotion, Satriani has delivered album after album of influential music. Teacher to many of the great guitar players. Peers : Kirk Hammet. Steve Vai. Nuno Bettencourt. Jeff Beck.
Al Di Meola : As fast and as smooth as any guitar player out there. Combing jazz and latin music, Di Meola is the best. Unequalled in technique and style. Peers : Pat Metheny. Carlos Santana. Adrian Legg.

I'll be adding a section called, “Know your guitarist”. It will showcase these players, and all the other great, deserving talent that didn't make the list.