I often get asked who the best guitar player is. Is it Segovia, Steve Via, Chet Atkins, Jimmy Page, Steve Morse, Jimi Hendrix, Eric lapton, B.B. King?
Guitar Playing- like art- is largely subjective. Every style has great players that rise to the top of the pack. Sometimes players become well known by getting their name in the media. Some players are hardly known at all yet everyone in the guitar community knows them.
Was Stevie Ray better than Micheal Hedges? You cannot compare them.
When a player reaches a certain level of technical skill- they are considered good.
When a player reaches a certain level of technical skill and showmanship they are considered great.
When a player reaches a certain level of technical skill, showmanship and they take their playing in an innovative and new direction that contributes to guitar playing as a whole, that player becomes Legendary.
When a player is able to affect the energy of large amounts of people through their music and effect the dynamics of the social conscientiousness that player becomes an icon.
The bottom line is: Once you are great- you are beyond compare and it is a matter of your personal preference in music, genre and player that fits your qualifications as the BEST in the World.
The guitar pickers that have infuenced the most people in America are the stuff of legend. The first was probably Riley Puckett who was one of the first to play lead in a hillbilly band called the Skillit Lickers in the late 1920's. Then Maybelle Carter, then Merle Travis and Joe Maphis. From these guys came Chet Atkins and Doc Watson. (Doc named his kid after Merle 20 years before they actiually met face to face)) At the same time these country folks were pickin there was Huddie Leadbetter (Leadbelly)on the 12 string and Robert Johnson doing the blues.
Jazz guitar is another branch on the tree with Les Paul, Barny Kessell and many others showing the way on electric instruments.
Chet Atkins was a huge influence on most modern finger pickers alive today. Flat pickers believe the late Clarence White and Doc Watson (Still pickin' at 82) to be the flat pickers that launched guys like Glen Cambell,Tony Rice and Jerry Reed.
Then there is the classical branch of the guitar tree with Segovia. Then the Hawaiian slack key style with Gabby Pahinue.
From here the list of great pickers is overwhelming.
Except for Doc, the pioneers of many great styles are dead and gone, but never forgotten. There are pickers alive today that can outplay them but they would not be here if somebody had not led the way 70 or 80 years ago. It's these pickers that KEV calls the Icons. A pretty good tribute I think.
Posted by: Larry Rose | October 03, 2006 at 04:25 PM
I say Phil Keaggy
Posted by: Mr. Man | November 09, 2008 at 04:30 PM
Steve Vai definitely has a bigger willy than SRV
Posted by: Santa Claus | September 12, 2009 at 04:46 PM