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Top 15 Most Influential Guitarists

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Blaze

Blaze

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A list of the top 15 guitarists who influenced your playin in any style..

Why 15, why not ...could be less or more , it s up to ya..

Here are mine :

Django
Bruce Cockburn
Lenny Breau
Tony Rice
Pierre Bensusan
Bireli Lagrene
Jeff Beck
James Marshall Hendrix
Santana
F Zappa
Georges Harrison
Albert Collins
Robben Ford
Scott Henderson
Johny Winter
Duane Allman
Michel Cusson M.Cusson-clips
 
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Interesting thread Blazes. These are some of the players who have most influenced me. Not necessarily that I play like any of them, but those from who I have heard something which has influenced the way I play.

  • George Harrison
  • Django
  • Marc Ribot
  • Bill Frisell
  • Sonny Sharrock
  • Ron Asheton
  • Johnny Ramone
  • Robert Quine
  • Link Wray
  • Mick Jones
  • Joe Strummer
  • Jonny Greenwood
  • Greg Ginn
  • Pete Cosey
  • Arto Lindsay
  • David Gilmour (thanks for the reminder Spud)
  • Mike Bloomfield
 
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R_of_G said:
Interesting thread Blazes. These are some of the players who have most influenced me. Not necessarily that I play like any of them, but those from who I have heard something which has influenced the way I play.
Click to expand...

Voilà, same to me
 
Inlfuential Guitarists

Hmmmmmmmm......the 16 (I forgot somebody :D ) who most influenced me as to how I play or what I want to play or sound like......Hmmmmmm.....in no particular order:

Albert Collins
SRV
Luther Allison
Albert King
Robben Ford
Lowell George
Bonnie Raitt
Geroge Thorogood
Tab Benoit
BB King
Sonny Landreth
Elmore James
Vince Gill
Stefan Grossman
Rory Block
Stephen Stills
 
  1. Scott Henderson
  2. John Scofield
  3. Jimi Hendrix
  4. Bill Frisell
  5. Michael Shenker
  6. Uli Jon Roth
  7. Yngwie Malmsteen
  8. Albert King
  9. Sonny Landreth
  10. Stevie Ray Vaughan
  11. Paul Gilbert
  12. Steve Vai
  13. Wes Montgomery
  14. Allan Holdsworth
  15. Gary Moore
 
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Fun.

Richie Blackmore
Michael Schenker
Robin Trower
Chris Duarte
Stevie Vaughn
Joe Perry
Gary Moore
Joe Satriani
Billy Gibbons
Rory Gallagher
David Gilmour
Jeff Beck
 
What's interesting to me will be seeing some of the players that show up on multiple lists. Different players influence us all in different ways so it will be fun to compare and contrast what we may take from each of them.

Spud, I can't believe I left Gilmour off my list. I haven't listened to the Floyd in a few months so I guess it went to the back of my mind, but Gilmour is a huge influence on me. I just played "Fearless" the other night at a friend's house and yet I still forgot to include Dave. A lot of my use of delay is directly influenced by David Gilmour and I've learned more than a little about phrasing from listening to the man play. His subtlety is masterful and he can also crank up the intensity when appropriate.

I guess my list is now 16 deep. I actually once made a list of the 100 most influential players for me but lost it when my laptop crashed last year.
 
My list is made up of influences from different periods of my life (in random order).

Malmsteen
Paul Gilbert
Steve Jones (Sex Pistols)
Ron Asheton (Stooges)
Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins)
Kim Thayil (Soundgarden)
Gary Moore
Billy Duffy (Cult)
EVH
Vernon Reid (Living Colour)
Jimi Hazel (24-7 Spyz)
Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath)
Stuart Braithwaite/John Cummings/Barry Burns (Mogwai)
 
Not in order:

John Mayer
SRV
George Harrison
David Gilmour
George Benson
B.B. King
Rivers Cuomo
The Edge
Tom Wisniewski
Neil Young
Tom Scholz
Combination of Mick Jones and Joe Strummer
Chuck Berry
Carlos Santana
Kurt Cobain

That is off the top (before reading anyone else's list), and just as I thought of them. I reserve the right to revise later, but there are a few.

EDIT: Ok, I just read everyone else's list and don't see any I need on mine instead of what I put (wait, Carlos Santana might bump Mick Jones or someone). I might like to add Johnny Ramone, and Wisniewski's interpretations of Ramones style playing honestly influences me more. For better or worse, ol' Kurt Cobain nearly made the list too.

EDIT AGAIN: Upon reflection, Carlos Santana has influenced me more than Duane Allman (probably Dickie Betts if anyone from the Allmans was more likely to be an influence anyway), and I have to honestly say that Cobain has influenced me so far more than Setzer, though I wish I could cop some Setzer stuff. Honestly, I have not been playing really long enough to have fifteen influences where I actually have tried to incorporate specific styles, but all of the above influence the rhythms and melodies I here in my head, so I guess they count as influences. The list has been so revised. :)
 
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Nice thread!

-Kirk Hammett
-Randy Rhoads
-Dimebag Darrell
-Steve Vai
-Joe Satriani
-Yngwie Malmsteen
-Jeff Beck
-Eddie Van Halen
-John Petrucci
-Paco de Lucia
-Jimi Hendrix
-Jason Becker
-Jules Reason (old guitar teacher)
-Dario Cortese (current teacher)
-Martin Goulding (current teacher)
 
Somewhat influential at one time or another. It may not always be for their talent, but some is just the ability to capture ones attention.

Not in any order

George Harrison
Mike Campbell
Santana
Clapton
Mark Knopfler
SRV
Buddy Guy
BB King
Ron Wood/Keith Richards
David Gilmour
Dave Davies
Joe Perry
Joe Walsh
Phil Keaggy
 
-Eric Clapton
-Peter Green
-Pete Townsend
-David Gilmour
-George Harrison
-Stevie Winwood
-Jeff Beck
-Jimmy Page
-Jonny Lang
-Doyle Bramhill II
-Freddie King
-Robbie Robertson
-keith Richards
-Kenny Wayne Shepherd
-Mark Knopfler
 
Some on my list have had an influence in the way I play, others just inspired me to want to play.

*Alex Lifeson
*Steve Sherman
*Andy Summers
*Ian Crichton
*Pete Townsend
*Robert Fripp
*EVH
*Jimmy Page
*Satch
*Brian May
*Gordon Lightfoot
*Keith Richards
*Brian Setzer
*Kim Mitchell
*Roy Clark
 
I know who I forgot. :(
Can't believe I left out Mike Bloomfield. Silly silly me. I just put on some Dylan and it hit me. :thwap:
 
Not that this have influenced my type of playing cause i really haven't aqcuired a style... yet (you see, i'm a beginner), but this are the guys i look up to for their style.

In no particular order:
John Squire
Billy Gibbons
Brian Setzer
SRV
Scotty Moore
Chuck Berry
John Greenwood
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
Johnny Ramone
Keith Richards
Marc Bolan
Ricky Wilson
 
Randy Rhodes
Van Halen
Paul Gilbert
Eric Johnson
Andy Timmons
Tom Schultz (Boston)
Phil Keaggy
SRV
Eric Clapton
BB King
John Petrucci
Joe Satriani
Steve Howe
Alex Lifeson
Slash
 
Richard Thompson
Pete Townshend
Joe Strummer
Jerry Donahue
Jimi Hendrix
John Lee Hooker
Mick Ronson
Blixa Bargeld
B.B. King
Brian Setzer
Jerry Garcia
Jonny Greenwood
Robert Fripp
Bill Nelson
Keith Richards
 
  1. Stevie Ray Vaughan
  2. Jimi Hendrix
  3. David Gilmour
  4. Brian May
  5. Eric Clapton
  6. Mike McCready
  7. Dave Kilminster
  8. Joe Satriani
  9. Steve Vai
  10. Porl Thompson
  11. Steve Erquiaga
  12. Mark Knopfler
  13. Stone Gossard
  14. John Frusciante
  15. Doyle Bramhall II
 
Not quite 15 but in no particular order:
Dickie Betts
Paul Gilbert
Steve Vai
Warren Haynes
Jimmy Herring
John Scofield
Trey Anastasio (He helped get me away from bad metal)
Jerry Garcia
Marc Ribot
Kelly Joe Phelps
Steve Kimmock
Robert Fripp
Steve Howe
Richard Thompson
 
Oh man, there are no 15 guitarists who have influenced me - at least I think so. So how do we define influence? Does this imply that you study their style, cover their songs, maybe you just like them and listen a lot to their music...?

Guitarists that really influenced me, because I like/liked listening to their music a lot, their technique/style were a big part of my guitar studies and I am/was a big fan of theirs:

1. Jimi Hendrix
2. SRV
3. Joe Satriani
4. Kirk Hammett
5. Steve Vai

Sorry, but that's about all the guitar dudes... ;-)

Musicians that influenced me generally, and I pick only those that had a big part in my development as musician/guitarist:

1. Jeff Buckley
2. John Williams
3. Abdullah Ibrahim
4. Richie Kotzen - as a songwriter

Finito.

J75
 
From the light side.... :)

Steven Stills
Merle Travis
Neil Young
Joni Mitchell
James Taylor
Bonnie Raitt
Eric Clapton
Shawn Colvin
Leadbelly
Roger McQuinn
Pete Seger
Tom Rush
John Curtis

and a name I'm very surpirsed has not come up before
Les Paul
 
Mine:

Buckethead
David Lindley
Adrian Belew
Robert Fripp
Johnny Winter
Muddy Waters
Warner Hodges
Tony Iommi
David Gilmour
Eric Johnson
Steve Morse
Steve Earle



tung
 
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