Favorite Guitarist of all time

[MU82]

That stretch also included him developing the “Wall of Sound” and all happened before he was 25.  Absolutely unreal.

I saw people complaining that “headlines” were downplaying his murder conviction, which I think is silly.  He was a pretty terrible person, but he’s arguably one of the 2-3 most influential music producers of all time.  Plenty of people murder someone and end up in prison, their deaths are not notable.  His was, because of what I mentioned earlier.  It’s not like they’ve been glowing in praise of him.  People have been talking about him as a POS since the 70s

Totally agree.

The Wall of Sound lead to the Beach Boys and the Beatles sound of the late sixties....Pet Sounds and Sgt Pepper.  Piper at the Gates of Dawn was being recorded at the same time at Abbey road as Sgt Pepper.

Awesome stuff. He obviously was a musical genius.

[Lennys Tap]

Lenny and Jockey:

This may be too guitar nerdy for you but since you're fans, you may enjoy it anyway. I've watched this clip a number of times over the years... gives great insight into his playing style:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG__SwkV3wg

Good stuff, Boone - 5hanks for sharing!

[Spotcheck Billy]

My fave from this list is Eric Clapton... I have nearly everything he's ever done with every group he's ever played in. 

Once saw a Clapton concert and there was another guitarist in the background w/o a spotlight for about the first 30 minutes (you know how Clapton will play half a concert before he even says "good evening" sometimes).  This other guitarist was playing a lot of Clapton's solos - and they were brilliant -  and Clapton was just playing rhythm.  Finally when Clapton spoke he says "I'm sure you've noticed by now that I'm not the best guitarist on the stage tonight.  I'd like to introduce Mark Knopfler."  Then they even played a couple Dire Straits songs.

I do believe Knopfler is my favorite guitarist, and was surprised to see he's not mentioned in any of the previous posts.  Like Clapton, he's doing a lot of folk and blues stuff lately and it's excellent. 

Must have been in 1988: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZuWY2sGia0

[manny31]

Very Fun thread!!! I think when you reply you should state your level of qualification to judge...I like the way many of you have qualified answers too.

My qualification to judge is Zero, I don't play, can't read music etc....but love music nonetheless. I choose Paige cause I was born in the 60's and have always been a big fan. I think Knopfler is way underrated. Jack White is great as well IMO.

Bob Mould....a beast!!! All the way from Husker Du till now. Saw him play 10-15 years ago solo at the Metro in Chicago so good. A few broken Strings...

IMO something worth watching, "It might get Loud".....

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

I’m no expert on guitar players, but I’m sure that all the guys mentioned in this thread are top notch. What sets Knofler apart (for me) is that he is also a fabulous songwriter - great melodies and lyrics along with amazing technique. Punish the Monkey, Boom Like That, What It Is, Romeo and Juliet, Way O Men, etc., etc., etc.

Industrial Disease and Skateaway are on my workout playlist.

My favorite story about Knopfler is that he was kind of a late bloomer.  He had a degree and a day job as a journalist before his music career took off.

[buckchuckler]

Must have been in 1988: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZuWY2sGia0

That's great, you can tell that is Knopfler from the tone almost immediately.  I remember the first time I heard the Dylan song "Jokerman" and as soon as the guitar kicked in I was like, that sure aint Dylan, I know who that is!  The tone he gets just stands out. 

[buckchuckler]

Very Fun thread!!! I think when you reply you should state your level of qualification to judge...I like the way many of you have qualified answers too.

My qualification to judge is Zero, I don't play, can't read music etc....but love music nonetheless. I choose Paige cause I was born in the 60's and have always been a big fan. I think Knopfler is way underrated. Jack White is great as well IMO.

Bob Mould....a beast!!! All the way from Husker Du till now. Saw him play 10-15 years ago solo at the Metro in Chicago so good. A few broken Strings...

IMO something worth watching, "It might get Loud".....

One of the great things about music, is that you don't really need qualifications.  At least in my opinion.  There is a world of great stuff out there and you can like what you like, and love what you love.  I sure as heck didn't know anything about music the first time I heard Zeppelin, or the Stones, or Metallica but I knew right away, they were all great. 

[JWags85]

One of the great things about music, is that you don't really need qualifications.  At least in my opinion.  There is a world of great stuff out there and you can like what you like, and love what you love.  I sure as heck didn't know anything about music the first time I heard Zeppelin, or the Stones, or Metallica but I knew right away, they were all great.

Agreed.  My opinion has always been if you can speak knowledgeably or reasonably about music, that’s enough to have a discussion. 

“Such and such band SUCKS”
“why?”
“I don’t know I just hate them”

That’s enough to dead a discussion. But if you tell me one of my fav bands is terrible and have some justification for why, I’ll disagree with you, but I can respect it.

I grew up playing piano, can read and write music, taught myself guitar in my teens, played tons of open mics and shows all through college and was in a band that I left because it was summer break and I had an internship and they all moved back to Chicago where they were from...and got signed the following January and put out a few albums (whoops).  I’m a music nerd and have been told before to shut up as I geeked out over layered double tracked vocals on a pop song or became obsessed with a minor backing riff in a song,  but some of my best music discussions have been with friends who couldn’t tell you what sharp or flat meant, and couldn’t recognize a sample if it slapped them in the face.

[Boone]

So true, JWags85 and buckchuckler. I'm the only guitar player -- or even 'musician' -- from my time at MU in a house of 10, yet I considered/consider myself by far the least musically knowledgeable (with the exception of the Who) of all.

To anyone here who doesn't play guitar, though, if you're at all interested, I'd encourage you to learn (like Knopfler said in that clip "It's a friend all your life."). It's never too late. In fact, there are cognitive benefits to taking up an instrument that can help keep dementia at bay.  And as I'm sure the other players on here would agree, it's pretty cool once you know how to recreate songs you love -- even if you don't sound quite like your heroes do (I've probably played Pinball Wizard more than Townshend has, yet I'll never match him...I blame my gear ).

[WarriorFan]

Must have been in 1988: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZuWY2sGia0

Yep
https://www.whereseric.com/eric-clapton-tour/17/09/1988

I've seen him quite a few times since then... but that one was particularly memorable.

[StateStreetMission]

If you like blues guitar -  bottleneck slide etc.   He is a great one
I get mesmerized   when i watch this video
a unique take on the "Walkin Blues"
https://youtu.be/NW08Rc802MQ

Roy Rogers

No, not the cowboy country guy

[Spotcheck Billy]

Honorable mention to Adrian Belew, besides his solo work and 30 years of playing with King Crimson, his stints with David Bowie, Frank Zappa, Paul Simon, Nine Inch Nails, Tom Tom Club and Talking Heads were impressive.

[buckchuckler]

If you like blues guitar -  bottleneck slide etc.   He is a great one
I get mesmerized   when i watch this video
a unique take on the "Walkin Blues"
https://youtu.be/NW08Rc802MQ

Roy Rogers

No, not the cowboy country guy

That's great.

Also, just want to point out, that Walking Blues, is of course, Robert Johnson.

[BobWildLoyalist]

Derek Trucks. End of story.

[StillAWarrior]

Nigel Tufnel is a genius, and he likes to play loud.

[buckchuckler]

Nigel Tufnel is a genius, and he likes to play loud.

[The Big East]

I don't know the name of this guitarist , but I think he definitely ranks high in some category of guitar greats. Video has 189 million views so obviously people like it. Seems to be filmed in someone's back yard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_2D8Eo15wE

 

[nyg]

I don't know the name of this guitarist , but I think he definitely ranks high in some category of guitar greats. Video has 189 million views so obviously people like it. Seems to be filmed in someone's back yard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_2D8Eo15wE

I can guarantee you that 189M viewers didn't watch it because of his guitar skills and based upon his ten second solo, is not even close to being a guitar "great" in any category. Probably just the aspect of the video itself attracted people.  But thanks for posting it, still don't understand the Youtube interest though.

Plus, I realize it was the 1970s, but from what I could view from the video, it looks like the guy had a 1958 Les Paul Standard.  I may be wrong, but humbuckers and pick guard seem the same. Then I almost vomited because he had replaced the headstock of the guitar with some other brand.  Oh my, the 1970s and he must have been totally gonzooed at the time. Someone earlier posted about Mark Knofler and he has an original 1958 just like that and it is probably worth 200K now.  Gibson even made a Knofler "remake" classic of it some years ago.  Beautiful....

[JWags85]

I don't know the name of this guitarist , but I think he definitely ranks high in some category of guitar greats. Video has 189 million views so obviously people like it. Seems to be filmed in someone's back yard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_2D8Eo15wE

So fun fact...the guitarist is named Bill Bartlett. Ram Jam was entirely a one hit wonder and if then, not that really.

He was in a fairly successful pop band in Oxford, OH that was signed and toured (where I went to college hence the knowledge).  He moved on to more of a rock sound, put Black Betty together with his new band and caught the ear of A&R. They brought him to NYC and basically constructed Ram Jam around him. They put out a largely unsuccessful album with a new vocalist. The only track he sang on was Black Betty...which wasn’t a Ram Jam song, or recorded by them, they just inherited it with Bartlett when the group was formed.

When I was in college, he played piano at a pub in town a few nights a week. Great guy with a ton of stories.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

So fun fact...the guitarist is named Bill Bartlett. Ram Jam was entirely a one hit wonder and if then, not that really.

He was in a fairly successful pop band in Oxford, OH that was signed and toured (where I went to college hence the knowledge).  He moved on to more of a rock sound, put Black Betty together with his new band and caught the ear of A&R. They brought him to NYC and basically constructed Ram Jam around him. They put out a largely unsuccessful album with a new vocalist. The only track he sang on was Black Betty...which wasn’t a Ram Jam song, or recorded by them, they just inherited it with Bartlett when the group was formed.

When I was in college, he played piano at a pub in town a few nights a week. Great guy with a ton of stories.

Big, if true....

Thanks wags, never knew this history.  Love Black Betty.

[dgies9156]

Only answer to this question is CONWAY TWITTY!!!!

[StateStreetMission]

Big, if true....

Thanks wags, never knew this history.  Love Black Betty.

UNH controversy
In 2006, the University of New Hampshire administration controversially banned the playing of Ram Jam's "Black Betty" at UNH Hockey games. UNH Athletic Director Marty Scarano explained the reason for the decision: "UNH is not going to stand for something that insults any segment of society". In 2006 UNH students started the "Save Black Betty" campaign. Students protested at the hockey games by singing Ram Jam's "Black Betty", wearing T-shirts with writing on the front "Save Black Betty" and writing on the back "Bam-A-Lam", and holding up campaign posters at the game. The Ram Jam version was again played once at a UNH–UMaine hockey game on January 24, 2013 after a seven-year hiatus.

It’s an old blues song with many interpretations per WIKI

[Spotcheck Billy]

I don't know the name of this guitarist , but I think he definitely ranks high in some category of guitar greats. Video has 189 million views so obviously people like it. Seems to be filmed in someone's back yard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_2D8Eo15wE

 

A 1 hit wonder with a song barely 2 minutes long. I saw Ram Jam for I think $0.98 (thanks ZMF) at the Uptown Theater in probably 1978.

[Jockey]

Only answer to this question is CONWAY TWITTY!!!!

What question?

[buckchuckler]

I watched a documentary on the making of Zeppelin 4 last night.  Pretty cool (it is on Prime if you're interested) but the most mind blowing thing for me was, that the song "Rock and Roll" came about when they were recording "Four Sticks" and couldn't quite get it, and Bonzo just kind of went off, then Page started playing over it, and 15 minutes later, they had "Rock and Roll" recorded.  Unreal.