George Harrison
George Harrison helped give the Beatles a more varied sound by incorporating elements of Indian music. He even learned to play the sitar. “The quiet” Beatle as he was often called provided many of the band’s greatest hits, including “Here Comes The Sun” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
George Harrison
Malcolm Young
Malcolm Young was the co-founder and rhythm guitarist for AC/DC, along with his brother Angus Young. He created the band’s signature sweeping guitar sound and their famous guitar riffs. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. Unfortunately, he suffered from dementia and passed away in 2017.
Malcolm Young
Duane Allman
Duane Allman was the founder and leader of the Allman Brother Band. He was known for his expressive slide guitar skills and incredible improvisation abilities. He later became an in-demand session musician for many well-known names in the industry, including Aretha Franklin and Herbie Mann. Tragically, he was killed in a motorcycle crash when he was just 24 years old.
Duane Allman
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is the guitarist and co-founder of the Rolling Stones, as well as co-principal songwriter. Richards often provides multiple guitar parts on one song, with the parts weaving together the rhythm and lead, like in hit tracks like “Paint It Black,” “Ruby Tuesday,” and “Gimmie Shelter.” Richards also had a role in the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise, playing Jack Sparrow’s father.
Keith Richards
Billy Gibbons
Billy Gibbons is the leader guitarist and vocalist for ZZ Top. Early in his career, he befriended Jimi Hendrix. Gibbons helped define ZZ Top’s signature blues-rock style, which was heavily influenced by his being under the tutelage Tito Puente was he was a child. Gibbons has also dabbled with acting, starring in Bones.
Billy Gibbons
Joe Bonamassa
Joe Bonamassa is a blues guitarist who has been in the industry since he opened for B.B. King when he was just 12 years old. He trained with guitar legend Danny Gatton. Bonamassa is known for his extensive vintage guitar and amplifier collection, especially the Les Paul “bursts.”
Joe Bonamassa
Mick Taylor
Mick Taylor is a guitarist who is best known for his time in the Rolling Stones from 1969 until 1974 and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers in 1967 through 1969. Taylor appeared in some of the Stone’s most classic albums, including Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, and Exile on Main St.
Mick Taylor
Dave Mustaine
Dave Mustaine is the co-founder, vocalist, and lead guitarist for heavy metal band Megadeth. He was also the original guitarist for Metallica before he left to found Megadeth. He uses signature models by Dean Guitars and has his own signature Zoom pedal, the Zoom G2. 1DM.
Dave Mustaine
James Hetfield
Speaking of Metallica, James Hetfield is the co-founder, rhythm guitarist, and lead vocalist for heavy metal band Metallica. His playing is characterized by intricate rhythm parts but he also occasionally switches to solo and lead guitar.
James Hetfield
Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend is the co-founder, guitarist, leader, and principal songwriter of the Who. He is also the secondary lead vocalist of the band. He has written over 100 songs on 12 of the Who’s studio albums. He is considered to be one of the greatest guitarists but he also plays banjo, accordion, keyboards, harmonica, ukulele, mandolin, violin, synthesizer, bass guitar, and drums.
Pete Townshend
Kirk Hammett
Since 1983, Kirk Hammett is the lead guitarist for heavy metal band Metallica, as well as a contributing songwriter. Hammett is known for taping his picking hand in order to protect his skin, as he has a habit of palm muting and fast picking.
Kirk Hammett
Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry was one of the pioneers of rock and roll, which is why he earned the name the “Father of Rock and Roll.” His refinement of rhythm and blues helped shape the early iterations of rock music. His distinctive sound can be heard in hit songs like “Maybelline,” “Roll Over Beethoven.” and “Johnny B. Goode.” He was hugely influential for future generations of rock musicians.
Chuck Berry
Rory Gallagher
Rory Gallagher was a blues and rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer. He formed the band Taste in the late 1960’s and later released solo albums through the 70’s and 80’s. He has sold over 30 million albums around the world. Sadly, he passed away due to complications with a liver transplant in 1995, when he was only 47.
Rory Gallagher
Zakk Wylde
Zakk Wylde is best known for his tenure as lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne, as was as founding and being lead guitarist and singer for heavy metal band Black Label Society. He is known for his signature bull’s eye guitar design. He also was the lead singer and guitarist for the band Pride and Glory until they disbanded in 1994.
Zakk Wylde
Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa was best known for his guitar abilities but he was multi-instrumental, a composer, singer, songwriter, and band leader. He was known for his work’s non-conformity, free form improvisation style, and sound experiments. He was an open critic of American society as well as organized religion. His musical style ranged from rock, jazz, classical, doo-wop, jazz fusion, and much more. Sadly, he passed away from cancer in 1993 when he was 52 years old.
Frank Zappa
Yngwie Malmsteen
Yngwie Malmsteen is a guitarist, songwriter, composer, and bandleader. He rose to prominence in the 1980’s for his signature neoclassical metal style that he incorporated into heavy metal. His career has spanned over 4 decades and he has released 20 albums.
Yngwie Malmsteen
John Petrucci
John Petrucci is a progressive rock guitarist, best known for being a founding member of the band Dream Theater. Since 2011, he has produced all of the band’s albums on his own. Additionally, Petrucci has released solo albums. Premier Guitar has said he is: “one of the best who’s ever laid a hand on a fretboard.”
John Petrucci
Prince
While Prince was not strictly known for his guitar playing, having been one of the most successful musicians of all time. However, not many know that he was also considered to be a guitar virtuoso. His music blended together a huge variety of genres including R&B, funk, soul, synth-pop, psychedelia. This led to him pioneering the funk rock sub-genre of the Minneapolis sound.
Prince
Synyster Gates
Synyster Gates, also known as Syn, is the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. Gates is heavily influenced by jazz, gypsy jazz, classic, and avant-garde. He said his influences include Dimebag Darrell, John Petrucci, Slash, Zakk Wylde, Oingo Boingo, and Danny Elfman.
Synyster Gates
Carlos Santana
Carolos Santana is a guitarist who first rose to prominence in the late 1960’s with his band Santana, which was known for fusing Latin American jazz with rock and roll. In the late 1990’s, he had a resurgance of popularity. Santana has won 10 Grammy awards and 3 Latin Grammy awards. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
Carlos Santana
Angus Young
Angus Young is the co-founder, lead guitarist, and songwriter for AC/DC. He’s best known for his schoolboy stage outfit and his take on Chuck Berry’s duckwalk. In 2003, Young, along with the rest of the band members, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Angus Young
Dimebag Darrell
Dimebag Darrell was the guitarist for heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan, which he co-founded with his brother Vinnie Paul. His father was country music producer Jerry Abbott, and he began playing guitar when he was 12 years old. His guitar playing introduced the groove metal style to Pantera’s sound.
Dimebag Darrell
B.B. King
B.B. King was a guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for introducing the sophisticated style of soloing that is based on fluid string bending as well as vibrato and staccato picking. His style influenced many blues guitarists after him. He was known for tirelessly performing throughout his career. “The King of Blues” was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
B.B. King
Mark Knopfler
Mark Knopfler is a guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer who is best known for being the lead guitarist and singer of the band the Dire Straits. He has also composed and produced film scores for films like The Princess Bride, Local Hero, and Wag the Dog. He is considered to be a guitar virtuoso and is known for his fingerstyle playing.
Mark Knopfler
Randy Rhoads
Randy Rhoads was a heavy metal guitarist who played with Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot. He created his own unique style of playing by blending his classical guitar influence with heavy metal. Sadly, he died in a plane crash while on tour with Osbourne when he was just 25 years old.
Randy Rhoads
Gary Moore
Gary Moore was a guitarist and singer songwriter who had played with many groups throughout his career. His playing included many genres including blues, heavy metal, hard rock, and jazz fusion. He played with bands Skid Row and Thin Lizzy. He was considered to be a virtuoso. His influences included Peter Green and Eric Clapton.
Gary Moore
Tony Iommi
Tony Immoni is a lead guitarist and one of the founding members of Black Sabbath. His playing style was heavily influenced by the fact that he lost his fingertips of his middle and ring fingers on his right hand while working in a factory as a teenager. He also briefly played with Jethro Tull and later released solo music as well.
Tony Iommi
Joe Satriani
Joe Satriani is a guitarist, composer, songwriter, and guitar teacher. In his early career, he was a guitar instructor to many students who would go on to become quite well known themselves. These include Steve Vai, Larry LaLone, Kirk Hammett, Kevin Cadogan, and Alex Skolnick. He has played with Mick Jagger and Deep Purple.
Joe Satriani
Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck is a guitarist who was one of the three prominent guitarists who have played with the Yardbirds (the other two being Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page). He recorded two successful solo albums but has appeared on many other famous artists’ albums, including Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, Morrissey, John Bon Jovi, ZZ Top, Cyndi Lauper, and many more.
Jeff Beck
Steve Vai
Steve Vai is a guitarist, composer, singer, songwriter, and producer. He began his career at age 18 when he worked as a transcriptionist for Frank Zappa, and later went on to play in Zappa’s band from 1980 until 1983. He has also toured with David Lee Roth, Whitesnake, Spinal Tap, and Ozzy Osbourne.
Steve Vai
Ritchie Blackmore
Ritchie Blackmore is a guitarist and songwriter who is one of the founding members of the band Deep Purple. He is known for his classically influenced guitar solos and for his guitar riffs. Later, he founded the heavy metal band Rainbow, which incorporated baroque music elements into hard rock.
Ritchie Blackmore
Slash
Slash is a guitarist, songwriter, record producer, and film producer who is best known for being the lead guitarist of Guns N’ Roses. He has also founded bands Slash’s Snakepit and Velvet Revolver. In 2012, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Guns N’ Roses.
Slash
Alex Lifeson
Alex Lifeson is a guitarist, songwriter, and record producer who is known for being the guitarist for progressive rock band Rush. He also co-founded the band. In addition to music, Lifeson has also had other jobs that include being a painter, a licensed aircraft pilot, and a Toronto bar owner.
Alex Lifeson
Brian May
Brian May is a musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and astrophysicist. He is best known for co-founding the band Queen alongside Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor. He has written many of the band’s hit songs like “We Will Rock You,” “I Want It All,” and “The Show Must Go On.” In addition to his successful musical career, he earned a PhD in astrophysics from Imperial College London in 2007.
Brian May
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stevie Ray Vaughn was a guitarist, singer, songwriter who was the frontman of blues rock band Double Trouble. He is considered to be one of the most influential and iconic guitarists of all time. Sadly, his career was cut short when he was killed in a helicopter crash when he was only 35 years old.
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton is a rock and blues guitarist who is the only person who has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times: as a solo artist, as a member of the Yardbirds, and as a member of Cream. He has won 18 Grammy Awards and a CBE at Buckingham Palace for services to music. Just in his solo career, he has sold over 100 million records.
Eric Clapton
David Gilmour
David Gilmour is a guitarist who is best known for being a member of Pink Floyd. He joined the band in 1968 and experienced much success with the band with albums like The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Wall. He was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and was made a CBE in 2003.
David Gilmour
Eddie Van Halen
Eddie Van Halen was a founding member of the band named after him Van Halen. He was the main songwriter and guitarist of the band. He was known for popularizing the tapping guitar solo style, as well as rapid arpeggios being played with two hands along the fretboard. He sadly passed away in October 2020 after battling with cancer for years.
Eddie Van Halen
Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page is a guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer who is best know for being the founder and guitarist for rock band Led Zeppelin. He is known for creating guitar riffs with various guitar tunings, melodic and technical solos, as well as distorted guitar tone. He was influenced by folk and eastern music. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame twice, once as a member of the Yardbirds and a second time for Led Zeppelin.
Jimmy Page
Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix was a guitarist, singer, and songwriter who is often hailed as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Although his career only spanned over 4 years total, he became massively influential. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame stated that he was: “arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music.” He sadly passed away when he was just 27 years old, leaving behind a legendary legacy.
Jimi Hendrix
