The last few posts on this blog have largely been around my work as a producer and lyricist. However I also enjoy writing about the music that inspires me. And given that much of my career has been spent as a freelance guitarist, it seems logical to write about my Top 10 favourite guitarists! So here they are in some kind of ascending order.
Top 10 Guitarists – The Criteria
Before I get inundated with internet hate, I should clarify that this ‘Top 10 Guitarist’ list is simply my favourite guitarists. A reflection of the musicians who most influenced me as a young guitar student and then into my professional career. It is not however, a list of who I consider to be the best technical guitarists on the planet. I understand there are many impressive instrumental technicians who haven’t made the list. Countless skilled players from the jazz and metal genres for whom I have a great deal of respect. They simply haven’t been as big an influence on me during my personal musical journey, as these guys have.
I’m including a YouTube video of each guitarist featuring a particular highlight of their playing. I’m sure I’ll publish further posts where I can go into more detail on each player’s unique style. Again, the ‘Top 5 songs/solos’ are simply the songs and solos which are my personal favourites and which had the strongest influence on me. I’m not suggesting that they’re the most technical solos that these individual players recorded. Let’s get started…
10. Steve Vai
It may seem strange putting Steve Vai tenth on this list. From a purely technical point of view, he’s by far the most proficient player I’ve included. And looking at the other players I’ve chosen, just his very inclusion may seem surprising! But I went through a phase in my late teens where I listened to a LOT of instrumental music and when I listen to that style of guitar Rock, Steve Vai is always my first choice. Passion and Warfare in particular is an incredible album and there is something about his sense of melody; the sheer passion in his performances which sets him apart from his peers.
I’ve also listened to a lot of Whitesnake during my life and his appearance on their 1989 album ‘Slip of the Tongue’ was actually my introduction to Mr Vai! I saw him live twice and it was inspiring both times. And although I stopped dreaming of being that type of guitarist before I’d even left music college, he was a big inspiration and I still enjoy occasionally delving into his music.
Favourite album: Passion and Warfare, 1990
Top 5 songs/solos: For the Love of God, Whispering a Prayer, Sisters, Rescue Me or Bury Me, Now You’re Gone
9. Stevie Ray Vaughan
SRV would make a LOT of Top 10 Guitarists lists! Although primarily a Blues player, he generated a level of excitement which seemed to elevate the genre to a whole new level; and subsequently a whole new audience. Stevie had technique to burn and an often-underrated singing voice. I didn’t buy all his albums as a teenager, but I did have a couple of compilations which I played to death. And like a lot of people at the time, I bought the 1983 ‘Live at the El Mocambo’ DVD. A truly seminal chapter in Blues/Rock guitar playing.
When I bought my first ever copy of Total Guitar Magazine aged 15, I distinctly remember putting the disc into my CD player, and track 1 was called ‘Scuttle Buttin’. I’d never heard SRV before, but I pressed play and my mind was blown! As for ‘Life Without You’ – has anyone committed to tape a more beautifully pained guitar solo?
Favourite album: Texas Flood, 1983
Top 5 songs/solos: Life Without You, Lenny, Riviera Paradise, Texas Flood, Scuttle Buttin’
8. Paul Kossoff
Koss is most famous for being the guitarist in Free. A band whom I enjoyed listening to as a young music student, though I must admit I didn’t fully appreciate their brilliance until later in my life. Aged 18 I was more easily impressed by the muscle of Led Zep or the mystique of Pink Floyd. But as I’ve matured, I’ve grown to love the sheer power and groove which lies behind Free’s sound. So much so that today, Free are undoubtedly within my Top 5 bands.
Free were young and I believe Koss was only 17 or 18 when they released their debut album in 1968. But even at that tender age his playing exhibited a maturity and style which has stood the test of time. More than a Blues player, yet more subtle than just a Rock guitarist, Koss’s playing displayed an intensity which few have been able to match. And most curiously, he demonstrated it with the simplest of phrases. We talk of the ’27 Club’ but it’s truly a tragedy that Paul Kossoff died at only 25. Therefore I recommend his playing to anyone who is yet to discover him or Free.
Favourite album: Fire And Water, 1970
Top 5 songs/solos: Don’t Say You Love Me, All Right Now, Mr Big, My Brother Jake, Be My Friend
7. Jimi Hendrix
Some will find putting Jimi Hendrix at 7 on a list of Top 10 Guitarists almost sacrilegious! And I seriously considered putting him higher. But ultimately, as wonderfully original as Hendrix’s playing is, I just can’t justify bumping off anyone from 6 onwards! It’s difficult to think of anyone who had such a huge impact on contemporary music in SUCH a short space of time. In 1967 he released ‘Are You Experienced?’ Three years and three albums later, he’s sadly dead, aged only 27. But all four of those albums are important musical statements which contain milestones in the evolution of guitar and Psychedelic Rock.
I see Hendrix-isms in my playing all the time. Hopefully I hide them amongst my other influences but his legacy casts such a shadow across generations. And not just his lead work. He had a knack of being able to play lead and rhythm simultaneously with groove and style. During my mid-20s, I sat down to learn ‘All Along the Watchtower’ – arguably his best solo. I had the full tab and expected to learn the ‘secret.’ What scales were he using to create this awesome sound?! And I was disheartened to learn that 99% of what he was playing was based around the humble Minor Pentatonic and Blues scales! But that revelation was also inspiring. He was using just a handful of notes that I was already familiar with. But in a way that was unique to him and that’s still part of the challenge to me today.
Favourite album: Axis: Bold As Love, 1967
Top 5 songs/solos: All Along the Watchtower, Wind Cries Mary, Bold As Love, Little Wing, Castles Made of Sand
6. Brian May
Of all the entries on this Top 10 Guitarists list, it could be argued that Brian May has the most recognisable sound. His handmade guitar, his use of a coin instead of a plectrum, his fabled treble booster. It’s all unique to him and beyond that he is also a fantastic composer. Queen are an iconic group and I can proudly state were the first band to get me into guitar music in a big way. I remember Freddie Mercury’s death being announced on TV in 1991 when I was 9 years old. I remember watching the Bohemian Rhapsody music video. The sound and images haunted me and my musical journey started from there.
From a technical perspective, Brian May is not the most developed on this list (though he certainly can play!) but I love the way he composed his guitar solos. They were rarely, if ever, improvised. Melodic yes, but they never felt twee or sterile either. And as someone who has composed a lot of my own guitar solos, I know that’s not an easy balance to strike. All of his solos are memorable enough to be singable, without ever feeling ‘cheesy’. Check out the example below to see what I mean.
*Note: I wrote a more detailed style analysis of Brian May a few years ago on this very blog. Check it out HERE.
Favourite album: A Night at the Opera, 1975
Top 5 songs/solos: Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy, Good Company, Bohemian Rhapsody, Innuendo, The Show Must Go On
5. Ritchie Blackmore
After absorbing Queen and Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple were the next band my Dad introduced me to. He actually only had two LPs – In Rock and Shades of Deep Purple. But both were great records and that was enough for me to go on and discover all of the classics myself. Fireball, Machine Head, Burn. They’re all brilliant and it was only natural I’d go on to explore his stellar work in Rainbow as well.
For those unfamiliar with Blackmore, he was different to his Blues/Rock contemporaries. He had classical lessons during his youth and this stayed with him. His technique was both ferocious and precise – even onstage. And looking back I feel he was a ‘bridge’ between the Classic Rock players of the 1970s and the raft of hyper-technicians who followed in the 1980s. Eddie Van Halen is rightly given much credit for the advance in guitar technique but go analyse some of Blackmore’s solos. Highway Star, Burn, Stargazer – that really is high-level technique long before Van Halen arrived.
Favourite album: Machine Head, 1972
Top 5 songs/solos: Child In Time, Hold On, Speed King, Lazy, Burn
4. Jimmy Page
Had I made this Top 10 Guitarists list at any time between 1994 and 2015, Jimmy Page would’ve made the Top 3. If not slotted in at number 1! Of all the Classic Rock guitarists, Page had the biggest impact on me as a young musician and Led Zeppelin has been my favourite band for most of my life. The iconic images of Page and a low-slung Gibson Les Paul, the exciting live improvisations contrasted with the precision of his studio production. Jimmy Page is a guitar legend and I watched their live video, ‘The Song Remains the Same’ endlessly as a teenager, dreaming of being onstage.
It’s fair to say that I wouldn’t have become so obsessed with the guitar – and be where I am today – had my Dad not introduced me to Zep. My tastes have evolved over recent years, as any good musician’s should, but I come back to Page and Led Zeppelin often. Even 30 years after first listening to them, it’s impossible not to be bowled over by the intensity of Since I’ve Been Loving You. Or the sheer power of everything on Physical Graffiti! I’m sure anybody who’s read so far into this article is already familiar with Jimmy Page’s work, but it’s always worth a second look.
Favourite album: Physical Graffiti, 1975
Top 5 songs/solos: Achilles Last Stand, Heartbreaker, No Quarter, Since I’ve Been Loving You, Stairway to Heaven
3. Tommy Bolin
This is perhaps going to be the entry that surprises the most people. Like Paul Kossoff, Tommy Bolin died a tragic death at only 25, long before reaching his musical potential. But during the short time that Tommy was alive, he created a body of work which more than stands up against his more celebrated contemporaries. I discovered Tommy Bolin through ‘Come Taste the Band’ – the criminally underrated 1976 Deep Purple album. Yes, it was different to Blackmore’s Purple, but it shone in other ways. So through my natural curiosity, I explored his other projects including The James Gang and his unbelievable contributions to Billy Cobham’s seminal 1973 album Spectrum. But above all, Tommy released two exquisite solo albums. Teaser arrived in 1975 and Private Eyes followed a year later shortly before his death. Both are essential listening.
Tommy had everything. An electrifying tone (usually via his Fender Stratocaster and Hiwatt amp). He was a fearsome improviser and seemed able to authentically adapt to almost any style. He was at the forefront of the Jazz Fusion movement in the 1970s but this is often now forgotten in favour of some of his better known peers. But Bolin was so much more than a dazzling guitarist. He was a gifted songwriter and a beautiful singer. Sadly there isn’t lots of footage of Tommy and his life remains something of a mystery. But there are videos on YouTube and I recommend you check them out alongside his solo work. Especially Teaser, which remains a vibrant and eclectic example of what even a young Tommy Bolin was capable of. I can only imagine what he’d left us had he lived into his 30s and beyond.
Favourite album: Teaser, 1975
Top 5 songs/solos: Savannah Woman, Post Toastee, Dreamer, Gettin’ Tighter, Stratus
2. David Gilmour
As a man who needs no introduction to any guitarist, David Gilmour so nearly made top spot on this list of Top 10 guitarists! As a member of Pink Floyd his beautiful, haunting guitar parts remain iconic even as he approaches his 80th birthday. Unlike most of the players on this list, Gilmour isn’t synonymous with explosive Blues solos or Rock pyrotechnics. His playing is generally smooth, melodic and he is very open about never having had ‘fast fingers.’ Through a distinctive touch, a creative use of FX and a highly emotive sense of melody, Gilmour has created a body of work which continues to be revered.
Rarely technically changing but no less easy to replicate accurately, picking a ‘top 5’ David Gilmour solos or songs is near-impossible. As a guitarist, I’ve always been most impressed by his ability to create extended, atmospheric solos which evolve and develop in intensity. He takes the song to new heights, without ever resorting to clichés or leaving us bored. If you analyse his timeless solos in Comfortably Numb, his playing sounds melodic enough to not be improvised. Yet equally so fluid and lyrical so as to not sound composed or sterile. It’s an impressive line to tread and he’s done so since the 1960s!
Favourite album: Animals, 1977
Top 5 songs/solos: Comfortably Numb, Dogs, Money, Coming Back to Life, Another Brick in the Wall (Pt. 2)
1. Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck has been an enormous influence on me. It’s not at all easy to even approximate his style because his playing was so fiercely unique. The fact he hasn’t used a plectrum since the 1970s, the ever-present whammy bar. His ability to coax ethereal, bell-like tones from his Fender Strat using harmonics that most of us mortals can only dream of playing. When Jeff Beck hit a note you knew it was him straight away. Of all of the amazing players on this Top 10 Guitarists list, Jeff Beck is the ONLY one who when I listen to his records, I often have NO IDEA what he is doing to create those sounds!
More impressive to me as I’ve matured musically, is the fact that Jeff Beck never stood still, figuratively. He was constantly exploring new sounds, techniques and styles up until his untimely death in 2023. And that’s something that NONE of his contemporaries could say. That’s not to reduce their own achievements, but Jeff Beck did not continue to play his fan-favourites from the 1970s into old age. He continued to record and release fresh-sounding albums and each one was a clear evolution of the previous one. He never stopped improving as a guitarist or as an artist. I can only hope I maintain a fraction of this musical curiosity and pioneer spirit into my 80s!
*Note: When I started writing this post, I actually had Beck placed at number 3 behind Bolin and Gilmour. But as I was listening to his music I just knew that I was making a mistake. For being at the forefront of so many musical developments during his career. For taking the guitar to places that no one has taken it since. But above all, the fact that his sheer artistry shone through in every note he played without ever compromising himself musically. Jeff Beck has to be in first place in my Top 10 Guitarists list. What do you think?! Comment below and let me know!
Favourite album: You Had It Coming, 2001
Top 5 songs/solos: Where Were You?, People Get Ready, Scared For the Children, Nadia, You Know What I Mean
The Thanks
Thank you for reading this post featring my Top 10 Guitarists. If you’ve enjoyed it, feel free to watch this video of me playing one of my own guitar solos, written and composed for a client.
Otherwise, please share or comment below and if you’re looking for a co-writer (a composer, lyricist or producer) for your project then please drop me a line via the CONTACT page of this website. In the mean time you can stay up-to-date with my Instagram page or subscribe to my YOUTUBE channel.
Take it easy…
Arron