I originally hoped I could stick to a few examples of excellent guitarists, but that went out the window. Here's a looooong list of excellent guitarists.
Of course! How could you start any list of guitarists without Hendrix.
Another amazing guitarist and artist. A great guitar solo here in "Let's Go Crazy", but check out his other music!
Another incredible artist in her own right, but Joni Mitchell's composition has left jazzists and rockers sctaching their heads as she throws the rule book out, instead opting for some weird and wonderful chords and proressions that give her a distinctive sound.
Queens of the Stone Age almost always get a mention, and this year is no different. Josh Homme has such a unique sound.
First, some cool bluesy solos...
...and something more acoustic...
Another guitarist that couldn't be forgotten. The Beatles are of course one of the most influential bands ever (at least as far as guitar music goes!). George Harrison penned and performed some of their greatest hits!
Not all rock and roll is created by the devil! Sister Rosetta Tharpe was one of the first using distortion and electric guitars and left a huge influence on guitar music as her legacy.
A key asset to sludgey, grungey metal music from the 90s, Chris Cornell headed up Soundgarden and Audioslave and wrote some great music while he was at it.
Something a bit different, Kazuhito Yamashita is considered one of the best classical guitarists there is.
I can't help but stick a Radiohead track in here, Johnny Greenwood's had some excellent guitar riffs and solos over the years, but Paranoid Android is still excellent.
He's one of the most respected and prolific rock/folk guitarists of the late 20th century, Neil Young has some classics!
A bit more recent! St. Vincent stuck with an electronic, digital sound for her music for a lot of the 2010s, but she's experimented with all sorts of styles and always looks cool behind a guitar.
Elvis Costello, like Neil Young, is another prolific, respected singer songwriter. He's still kicking about, but his debut from 1977 is 👌.
Don't know a huge amount about Leo Kottke (and copying and pasting from Wikipedia seems like cheating!). His bluesy, country style is cracking, and Vaseline Machine Gun has always stuck with me as some excellent guitar playing.
One of my favourite artists of the 2010s, Lianne La Havas has so many catchy guitar hooks, but this one from her debut is still a favourite.
Guitar music isn't dead! Black Country, New Road are joined by Squid and black midi in keeping rocky guitar music alive while all the focus is currently on pop and hip-hop. I love that they add in horns and strings to mix up the rock band sound!
I couldn't end without mentioning Kurt Cobain, an excellent guitarist despite his short career. He was another that pushed cemented the sound of 90s guitar music, and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a classic.
Gotta round off with a film segment and Dueling Banjos is a great piece of music. The film's a bit ancient now (plus it's an 18 👀), but the scene is still fun to watch!
Happy listening!