For our special issue we chose “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”. A well-known jury (see below) selected the virtuosos in their field.
See this gallery for the complete list. In addition to homage to the artists – the texts for the portraits come from, among others Keith Richards, Pete Townshend, Tom Petty, Billy Gibbons, Joe Perry, Eddie Van Halen and Andy Summers – the guitars that the respective musician plays or had played are also listed. In the middle of the gallery we also list five other young guitarists who could be on the list of the all-time best.
🌇See pictures of “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time: The Complete List” here now
>>> Order the special issue “The 100 Greatest Guitarists” online here!
The booklet is no longer available at newsstands and costs only 9.99 euros including postage!
US author David Fricke wrote the introduction to the special issue “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”:
It’s the most expressive medium in rock ‘n’ roll, and that’s why this special issue is all about the guitar and its most prominent protagonists. The list of the best was created by established guitar greats and their innovative disciples. And yes – if there were any doubts beforehand: Jimi Hendrix is still the greatest. “In my relationship with Jimi there was never room for feelings like envy,” writes Pete Townshend in the subsequent essay. “Because I never felt like I could even remotely match him.”
In 1968, in his first ROLLING STONE interview, it was Hendrix who, in turn, remembered the man who was to turn his life and his musical worldview upside down. It was the electrifying moment when his fascination with the guitar and its limitless potential was awakened with a bang. “The first guitarist I consciously noticed,” Hendrix said at the time, “was Muddy Waters. When I was a little kid I heard one of his old recordings and I was really scared to death, ‘Wow, what the hell is that?’”
Since its beginnings, rock’n’roll has been the soundtrack of ecstasy, change, independence – and even 60 years later, the guitar is still his most powerful weapon because it challenges listening habits like no other instrument. It delivers the promise of carving out a piece of that limitless freedom for yourself: just plug it in, crank up the amp, and push it to the limit. Hendrix experienced this moment, followed his curiosity – and took us on his journey. Even 40 years after his death, his echo still reverberate.
Playlist of all guitarists
And that is perhaps the most important insight that the following homages and interviews give us: the lesson never ends. ZZ Tops Billy Gibbons raves about the guitar tricks he learned from BB King as a young bluesman, while hardcore icon Henry Rollins recalls Johnny Ramone’s fury.
Also part of this booklet is a playlist, each with an essential track from our 100 guitarists. Rock guitar history is immortalized in these licks, riffs and solos – from Chuck Berry’s twang cascades on “Johnny B. Goode” to the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.” And historical insights can also be gained here. In one of his rare interviews, published in ROLLING STONE in 2008, Jimmy Page describes how the “riff-based blues” of Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker were a fundamental influence on the monster hooks he developed for Led Zeppelin.
Every reader will certainly know other guitarists who are not represented in this list – even if the jury included experts such as Brian May, Kirk Hammett, Mick Taylor and Dan Auerbach. If you know what’s what, but don’t have a guitar yet, there are at least 100 good reasons to change this situation.
We gathered a panel of top guitarists and other experts to choose their favorites – and explain what sets the Legends apart from the rest.
The 100 best guitarists: the jury
Trey Anastasio
Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys)
Brian Bell (Weezer)
Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple)
Carl Broemel (My Morning Jacket)
James Burton
Jerry CantrellAlice in Chains
Gary Clark Jr
Billy Corgan
Steve Cropper
Dave Davies (The Kinks)
Anthony DeCurtisRolling Stone
Tom DeLonge (Blink-182)
Rick Derringer
Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi All Stars)
Elliot Easton (The Cars)
Melissa Etheridge
Don Fields (Eagle)
David Fricke (Rolling Stone)
Peter Guralnick
Kirk Hammett (Metallica)
Albert Hammond Jr (The Strokes)
Warren Haynes (The Allman Brothers Band)
Brian HiattRolling Stone
David Hidalgo (Los Lobos)
Jim James (My Morning Jacket)
Lenny Kravitz
Robby Krieger (The Doors)
Jon Landau (Manager)
Alex LifesonRush
Nils Lofgren (The E Street Band)
Mick Mars (Motley Crue)
Doug Martsch (Built to Spill)
J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.)
brian may
Mike McCready (Pearl Jam)
Roger McGuinn (The Byrds)
Scotty Moore
Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth)
Tom Morello
Dave MustaineMegadeth
Brendan O’Brien (Producer)
Joe Perry
Vernon Reid (Living Colour)
Robbie Robertson
Rich Robinson (The Black Crowes)
Carlos Santana
Kenny WayneShepherd
Marnie Stern
Stephen Stills
AndySummers
Mike Taylor
Susan Tedeschi
Vieux Farka Toure
Derek Trucks
Eddie Van Halen
Joe Walsh
Nancy WilsonHeart